# melatonin



## Anxiety75 (Feb 10, 2004)

I have been using melatonin at night instead of taking a clonazepam (klonopin) so I can relax and sleep. The thing I notice about it is I wake up feeling more rested and I wake up earlier and don't feel all "doped up".

Several years ago I took it for a short time, but taking it at night has paid off well. At first I bought these strips online but ran out so I get them (the melatonin pills) over the counter at Wal-Mart.

I think it is a good start to get me off that night time clonazepam and less dependent on it unless absolutely necessary. I took it before I checked with my GP which was not really wise but yesterday when I went in to check my thyroid she said it wasn't a problem.

Does anyone else take melatonin and has it helped you get off benzos or take less of it? I am so glad there is something that works.

If you are thinking about taking melatonin talk to the doc before you do if you take other meds.


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## nicholas1234 (Mar 30, 2010)

*Melatonin*

I tried it, it seemed to help my sleep, but made me a bit restless at first, not sure if it was the supplement company or the product itself? I hope you do well with it though!


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

I also take clonazepam at night for sleep/anxiety and I agree it causes alot of next day grogginess. 

Were you taking the clonazepam every night, or only occasionally? Coz I'm sure your aware that it's not a good idea to stop any benzo cold turkey if you use it on a daily basis. 

I guess what it comes down to is half life, melatonin only stays in your body for an hour or so, whereas clonazepam stays in the system for about 20-50 hours. So less of a hangover can be expected with melatonin.


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## Catlover4100 (Feb 10, 2009)

How much melatonin do you take? I took 3mg for awhile, stopped, and then started up again several years later. At first, I see a notable improvement, but the effect wears off within just a few weeks. And this is while taking prescription sleep aids as well, and occassionaly a benzo. I try not to do the xanax at night too often, but once or twice a week, I'll take half of my regular dose if I feel I need it.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Catlover4100 said:


> How much melatonin do you take? I took 3mg for awhile, stopped, and then started up again several years later. At first, I see a notable improvement, but the effect wears off within just a few weeks. And this is while taking prescription sleep aids as well, and occassionaly a benzo. I try not to do the xanax at night too often, but once or twice a week, I'll take half of my regular dose if I feel I need it.


How's the Lunesta going for you Catlover?


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## Fitzer (Feb 13, 2010)

I take melatonin almost every night and it helps me sleep very well, better than anything else I've tried. However, if I don't take it then getting to sleep is extremely difficult so thats a bit of a downside to it. No other bad side effects though. Its good stuff.


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## Catlover4100 (Feb 10, 2009)

jim_morrison said:


> How's the Lunesta going for you Catlover?


Well, it's... going I'm still waking up during the night quite a bit, but I'm having less trouble getting to sleep. And it's not as sedative as the ambien was, so there's no groggy feeling the next day, that's definitely a plus. I definitely find that when I take a nap (aka fall asleep while doing something monotonous from sheer exhaustion), I sleep right through that and wake up more refreshed feeling. But I'll take what I can get:yes I also meditate before bed, wear earplugs, and wear an eye mask. You would think that with all of that stuff, I'd be able to sleep!


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Catlover4100 said:


> Well, it's... going I'm still waking up during the night quite a bit, but I'm having less trouble getting to sleep. And it's not as sedative as the ambien was, so there's no groggy feeling the next day, that's definitely a plus. I definitely find that when I take a nap (aka fall asleep while doing something monotonous from sheer exhaustion), I sleep right through that and wake up more refreshed feeling. But I'll take what I can get:yes I also meditate before bed, wear earplugs, and wear an eye mask. You would think that with all of that stuff, I'd be able to sleep!


Speaking of meditating, I sometimes watch instructional massage videos on youtube before going to bed, and that puts me in a more relaxed state of mind, especially the videos by lita, she has a very soothing and calming voice. Sounds silly I know lol.
If possible avoiding drinking too much water/fluid before bed can help too, since you'll avoid atleast one major reason to wake up during the night.


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## OregonMommy (Mar 3, 2010)

I buy Melatonin Plus Schiff brand which is 3 mg. Melatonin and 25 mg. Theanine. This has helped with sleep for awhile, but like you say, wears off. But Melatonin also has a spot of Serotonin in it, for neurotransmitters.
For going to sleep, Calcium-Magnesium combo. worked wonders. For years, this helped.
I guess I got more stressed out, because still can't sleep well. I went on Atarax the last few months.


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## Catlover4100 (Feb 10, 2009)

OregonMommy said:


> I buy Melatonin Plus Schiff brand which is 3 mg. Melatonin and 25 mg. Theanine. This has helped with sleep for awhile, but like you say, wears off. But Melatonin also has a spot of Serotonin in it, for neurotransmitters.
> For going to sleep, Calcium-Magnesium combo. worked wonders. For years, this helped.
> I guess I got more stressed out, because still can't sleep well. I went on Atarax the last few months.


Calcium-magnesium, you say? Hmm, I'll have to try that.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Melatonin works even in half-tablet (1.5mg) for me unless I have really bad anxiety.
Other than that, Paxil is enough to put me to sleep, and make me groggy the next day. I drink caffeine like it is going out of style just to stay awake it seems. If I decrease the dose, I immediately see the effects of the caffeine being too much.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

millenniumman75 said:


> Melatonin works even in half-tablet (1.5mg) for me unless I have really bad anxiety.
> Other than that, Paxil is enough to put me to sleep, and make me groggy the next day. I drink caffeine like it is going out of style just to stay awake it seems. If I decrease the dose, I immediately see the effects of the caffeine being too much.


Do you take paxil before bed? It's odd, I used to take it in the morning back when I was on it and it would still give me insomnia at night. I guess it works differently for everyone though.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

jim_morrison said:


> Do you take paxil before bed? It's odd, I used to take it in the morning back when I was on it and it would still give me insomnia at night. I guess it works differently for everyone though.


Yep, I take my Paxil at bedtime. I just know that it doesn't keep me up. :lol


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## Steve123 (Sep 13, 2009)

I used to take melatonin to help me sleep when I worked nights. I'm not sure if it was a direct result of my taking it but I would always feel exhausted when I was awake and never feel properly rested. I'd also get this weird thing where I'd started dreaming before a fell asleep, I know it sounds strange but it's hard to explain. Personally I'd never take it again, it didn't help all that much and I didn't like what it did to me.


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## maikaimo (Nov 20, 2012)

Steve123 - I know what you mean. I'd often get that feeling when taking Melatonin. It felt like having night terrors, except...not terrifying. Also sometimes I felt like it exacerbated a bit of anxiety. I would usually end up taking it after a few days of drinking every night though, so that doesn't help.

I found this thread by searching whether it was dangerous to take Melatonin (5mg) while on Klonopin (Clonazepam 0.5mg). Can anyone answer that for me?


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## Lacking Serotonin (Nov 18, 2012)

1mg. melatonin works great for me.


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## GAD123 (Aug 3, 2013)

*confused and sleepy*

Well, I take the *MAX* amount of klonopin and......I still get interrupted sleep, I also take homeopathic supplements for sleep but they cost an arm and a leg. I do the whole, no TV or any lit screen. I have night lights so that I can have minimum light before I go to bed. I use sleepytime tea, milk, warm fluffy blankets, memory foam bed and pillow, and I still have trouble sleeping. I know WebMD is like DO NOT EVER TAKE KLONOPIN AND MELETONIN, EVAAR! But sometimes I wake up at 3 AM and I am awake, and cant touch the bed. Also, benadryl makes me soo hyper, I cant even control myself. The max of klonopin is the longest lasting (5 hours) of good sleep but after that Im shufflin, redoing the bed, going pee, getting a glass of water......funny part is, I am a very very petite person. I am wondering if meletonin would maybe help out.
horse tranquilizers? joking!:b


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