★★★★★
The reason for the use of gin is to dissolve the melatonin powder so that it will be active as intended. Melatonin dissolves very well in ethanol, hence the use of gin. Because it is a relatively large amount of melatonin to be dissolved, I needed a solvent that is safe and effective for the purpose, but also capable of dissolving the amount of melatonin being used. I also needed to make this doable at home for my testing. I am not aware of any fats that are capable of dissolving this much melatonin in this small amount of fluid. Here is a link describing suitable solvents for melatonin :
https://cdn.caymanchem.com/cdn/insert/14427.pdf
In order to fully dissolve the amount of melatonin powder I was using in the mix, I needed a good and safe solvent such as ethanol. There are quite a few botanicals used in the making of gin and they also have healthful effects and that is how I decided to use gin. Vodka can also work, but it requires more vodka to dissolve the melatonin powder and this results in a very watery lotion. DMSO is a very good solvent for melatonin, but can easily carry other molecules through the skin, so it is not a good option in this case and the DMF can have some very concerning side effects. I also feel that gin has a more pleasant smell than vodka.
Olive oil contains melatonin in very, very small amounts measured in pg/ml. If you try olive oil, please let us know how it works for you. For me personally, I can not tolerate the smell of olive oil on my skin, so I would never have tested it.
Art
Melatonin Post Heart Surgery
The Eliquis and the aspirin have blood thinning effects and similarly, melatonin has shown blood thinning effects, so in your situation, melatonin may not be advisable or you could talk to your doctor about possibly discontinuing the aspirin and replacing it with melatonin at night. The melatonin will have more beneficial health effects than the aspirin. Another consideration is that even low dose aspirin can cause gastric ulcers in new users as discussed in this May 2022 article here :
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apt.17050
If your doctor is resistant to the use of HDM and you are looking for reduced oxidative stress and anti inflammatory effects in your blood vessels, perhaps he will be more open to high dose Grape seed Proanthocyanidin Extract (GSPE) which can also offer those benefits. I use 1200 mg/day as 3 capsules per day, the label recommended dose of the product I use as shown here :
GSPE can help maintain blood vessel integrity parameters as discussed at length in the following randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study in humans :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6950399/
Perhaps the above study will help your doctor to decide in favor of GSPE over aspirin. GSPE has blood thinning effects like aspirin, but is also vascular health promoting.
Art
Melatonin Dosage
Here is the RDA for vitamin B6 to give you an idea for comparison to what your wife is taking in total :
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/#h2
Art
Melatonin Dosage
You didn't say if you are using melatonin as oral capsule/pill or melatonin lotion. If oral, try cutting your dose in half and taking it in the later afternoon and see if that helps with next day tiredness. If you are using the melatonin lotion, try one application per day in the later afternoon to the problem area.
Let me know how you make out.
Art
Melatonin Dosage
Some people adjust to the next day tiredness after 1 week to a month and then it is not a problem anymore, but some people don't adjust and can not tolerate regular use of higher dose melatonin. For those who can't tolerate melatonin in supplement form, I wrote the following :
https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/how-to-increase-melatonin-naturally.html
Art
Melatonin Dosage
From what I have seen, it seems to be hit or miss with melatonin alone for sleep. Melatonin does not help everyone with sleep, but for those that it helps, it seems to help very well.
In your case, adding other things might be helpful since melatonin alone seems to help you get to sleep initially, but not so helpful later in the night if you get up. I previously wrote about such a combination here :
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/art-solbrig-insomnia-protocol.html
The melatonin 123 approach would be the simplest addition and if that is insufficient then the 3 supplement regimen would be the next choice.
Art
Melatonin Dosage
Thank you for your suggestions. Since then, I did the following and it has been a miracle change in my sleep.
I now sleep like a baby (well a week so far so not proof yet). I don't get up during the night and if I get up to pee I go back to sleep. Here's what I did on top of the melatonin.
After dinner, I take Ashwaghanda
1 hour before bed, I take
* 10mg melatonin
* 1gram of cinnamon
* 4 grams of glycine
then as I am about to hit the pillow I take another * 10mg of melatonin.
I am sleeping like a baby.
Thank you for all your help.
Melatonin Dosage
I don't know what tgen is?
Too much B6 can be deleterious to the kidneys and her health!!! As discussed here :
Here is a relevant quote :
' In diabetes patients with advanced kidney disease, high daily doses of B vitamins (folate, B6 and B12) were found in one study to worsen kidney function and double the risk of heart attack stroke and death (see the Cautions section of the B Vitamins Review for more information). '
Some manufacturers add B6 to melatonin to make it more effective and I don't really like this, but they do. It is good to read the label to know exactly what you are taking, especially in your wife's case.
If there is a reason she is wanting to take extra B6, and her doctor approves it, she should be taking B6 in the form referred to as P5P. The type of B6 found in a few melatonin supplements is not this type. Here is a link to typical P5P products :
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=P5P&crid=897VJDFKK4V2&sprefix=p5p,aps,211&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Again, since she is a transplant recipient, every supplement she takes should be approved by her doctor and or transplant doctor and or team to make sure it will not cause her harm!
Art
Melatonin Dosage
If Rosewater is water based I don't think it will work to dissolve melatonin because melatonin is very, very poorly dissolvable in water.
What I tell most people is to make the original mix as described in the original article in a small amount to see if it is effective for you and then if it is, you have a basis for comparison for any different mixes you decide to test on your own. If the original mix does not help you, then you need not waste your time on other variations.
Art
Melatonin Dosage
What are you thoughts or research on this.
Cheers
Melatonin Dosage
On the contrary recent studies suggest that melatonin may increase metabolism and improve our ability to lose weight as discussed here :
A relevant article quote :
' Research now shows that melatonin may increase metabolism and improve our ability to lose weight. Melatonin fights fat in two major ways: it has the ability to assist in turning fat into energy rather than storing it and it improves thermogenic capacity of the mitochondria. '
And here :
https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/251/1/JOE-20-0462.xml
Here is a relevant quote :
' In the present study, we demonstrated that long-term melatonin treatment (from 10 weeks to 43 weeks of age) attenuated body weight gain during aging in female mice. We also revealed, using micro-CT, that melatonin treatment decreased the deposition of both visceral fat and s.c. fat. Furthermore, metabolome analysis revealed that melatonin treatment downregulated a number of metabolites involved in lipogenesis.'
Similarly, regarding studies related to melatonin and testosterone, they show that melatonin dose not reduce testosterone levels as discussed here :
This is the title of the study :
Melatonin does not alter human serum gondotropin and testosterone levels, but it increases prolactin levels
Art
Melatonin Dosage
One time I took a 10mg tablet and I was so woozy the next morning I didn't want to do anything but lay around. Is there a trick or secret how to take the supplementation? I'm 70 btw, very high cholesterol from my Ketogenic diet, but information I've been studying says that it's only Trigs divided by HDL is the ratio a person needs to watch and mine is 1.5 which is pretty good even though my total Chol. is 511. I've had tests on my heart arteries, and carotoid artery and nothing significant as far as calcium build-up.
I still get concerned but not willing to take a 'statin, thanks for any feedback, Denise
Melatonin Dosage
Melatonin Dosage
Art
Melatonin Dosage
I have no personal experience with the antihistamine Doxylamine, but it has a very good side effect profile as listed here :
https://www.drugs.com/mtm/doxylamine.html#side-effects
Clearly it is working well for your brother and antihistamines like Benadryl(diphenhydramine) are often quite effective for sleep. I have tried diphenhydramine and found it effective for that purpose, but have avoided it because of a potential risk in its use.
The following article suggests there may be an increased risk potential between these antihistamines and dementia :
https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/antihistamine-for-sleep#when-to-talk-with-a-pro
Here is a relevant quote from the article :
' People sometimes use antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine and doxylamine succinate, to combat insomnia.
These over-the-counter medications are OK for occasional use in most people. However, they may increase the risk for dementia and Alzheimer's disease if taken long term. '
Art
Melatonin Dosage
Paola
Melatonin Post Heart Surgery
Talking to your doctor about melatonin, he will likely want to see a study or two suggesting it has useful benefit at higher dosing. The following randomized, double-blind clinical trial used only 10 mg/day in humans and saw minimal improvement :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8427988/
Here is a relevant quote from the RCT :
Melatonin supplementation in HFrEF might improve endothelial function; however, this beneficial effect might not be seen in diabetic patients.
This meta-analysis of multiple studies(31 studies actually used) using melatonin to lower inflammation, while not giving individual study dosing, determined that melatonin has statistically significant anti-inflammatory effects :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7979486/
Here is a relevant quote from the meta analysis :
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 31 clinical trials involving 1517 participants in diverse populations of different ages and health conditions demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects of melatonin.
Melatonin had a large anti-inflammatory effect on IL-1, IL-6, and IL-8, which remained large and statistically significant even after trimming outlier studies with large effect sizes to eliminate publication bias. Usually, SMD of 0.8 is considered a large effect size (Faraone, 2008; Zlowodzki et al., 2007), and in this meta-analysis, all the SMDs for IL-1, IL-6, and IL-8 were above 1 before and after excluding outlier studies. The SMD for TNF was also above 1 but became non-significant after excluding outlier studies with large effect sizes. Although a direct comparison with other putatively anti-inflammatory agents is difficult, based on existing meta-analyses, melatonin generally had an effect that is comparable to that reported for statins (SMDs ranging from 1.3 to 4.3 for various inflammatory markers) and a larger effect than that reported for curcumin (SMDs ranging from non-significant to 2.1 for various inflammatory markers), fish oil (SMDs ranging from non-significant to 1.2 for various inflammatory markers), probiotics (SMDs ranging from non-significant to 0.5 for various inflammatory markers), and vitamin D (SMDs ranging from non-significant to 0.5 for various inflammatory markers) (Li et al., 2018; Lv et al., 2015; Milajerdi et al., 2020; Mousa et al., 2018; Tabrizi et al., 2019; Xin et al., 2012).
This last randomized, double blind placebo controlled trial (RCT) used 50 mg per day of melatonin in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), a disease noted for highly elevated oxidative stress levels and perturbed mitochondrial function and often seen in cardiovascular disease also and melatonin was shown to return elevated oxidative stress levels to healthy control levels and significantly improve mitochondrial function :
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2021/5577541/
Here is a relevant quote from the RCT :
At the end of the trial, in patients who received melatonin, we detected a significant diminution of lipoperoxides, nitric oxide metabolites, and carbonyl groups in plasma samples from PD patients compared with the placebo group. Conversely, catalase activity was increased significantly in comparison with the placebo group. Compared with the placebo group, the melatonin group showed significant increases of mitochondrial complex 1 activity and respiratory control ratio. The fluidity of the membranes was similar in the melatonin group and the placebo group at baseline and after three months of treatment. In conclusion, melatonin administration was effective in reducing the levels of oxidative stress markers and restoring the rate of complex I activity and respiratory control ratio without modifying membrane fluidity. This suggests that melatonin could play a role in the treatment of PD.
If your doctor approves the 50 mg dose, I suggest slowly working up to that dose for a gradual transition up to 50 mg/day to be taken at night. If not, maybe your doctor will approve the GSPE at the label recommended dose that I previously pointed out to you.
Art
Melatonin Post Heart Surgery
I forgot to include this melatonin study in CABG participants at 10 mg melatonin per day and its effects on cognitive function :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10098135/
Here is a relevant quote :
' The MMSE and WAIS-R tests revealed that melatonin might have prophylactic effects against postoperative cognitive disturbance in patients undergoing elective CABG.'
Art
Melatonin Dosage
I would like to ask if you have any experience with the sleep aid DOXYLAMINE or know any facts about it's use or long term use.
My brother has been uses it long term and he sleeps like a baby and has lost 20 kgs. Note he has changed nothing else about his lifestyle other than using doyxlamine to sleep well and long. He swears it is 10x better then melatonin.
Your feedback is appreciated.
Melatonin Dosage
Another question. Although melatonin (i use Natrol advanced 2x 10mg slow release I.e. 20mg each night) has been great at getting me to sleep. However it seems majority of times if I get up in the night for whatever reason I have difficulty getting back to sleep.
Have you had this problem or have any suggestions?
Cheers
Melatonin Dosage
Glad to hear it helped you to get good sleep! Please update after you have been on it longer.
Art
Melatonin Dosage
I think most melatonin is synthetically made. If you look on Amazon, I see that they have a natural version, but it is fairly pricey at $50 for 120 three mg capsules.
I have only used the synthetic version, so that is the only one I am familiar with.
If you don't want to use the synthetic version then you do have the option for the natural one, but give some consideration to the very good safety profile that the synthetic version has accrued over decades.
Another option, if you want to avoid the synthetic version, is to increase your melatonin naturally via earlier morning and later afternoon sun exposure as I wrote about here :
https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/how-to-increase-melatonin-naturally.html
It is also worth noting that most studies of melatonin use the synthetic version. Another point worth considering is that melatonin is non addictive and you can stop cold turkey at anytime without any withdrawal symptoms.
Lastly, you will be hard pressed to find a bad study about melatonin. I hope that answers your questions.
Art
Melatonin Dosage
If you don't mind, tell me the melatonin dosage you are using in the lotion you prepare for yourself- we also have a high melatonin tolerance and I would like to put more than one gram in my ML...how much more? Thank you
Melatonin Post Heart Surgery
Melatonin Dosage
Melatonin Dosage
It's hard when every good review has a bad one and I can't find the "bad" one now that I had read. The brain-fog from the long-time use of clonazepam is lifting, so many things are better for me already at between 3-4 months weaning tiny amounts. I've gone down from .171 pill weight, to .127 pill weight which is around 25% of the pill, very slow taper. I need to update the thread/topic that EC was so gracious in adding for me,
denise
Melatonin Dosage
I asked you about the my wife's kidney protein is high. since tgen, my wife have been taking 5 mg melatonin with 10mg of B6 in each pill (3pills total a day) for kidney problem for 6 weeks . Should she just taking more melatonin without the B6? Would there be problem with too much B6? I want to increase her dosage of melatonin per your suggestion . I forgot to mentioned to you on last email her 5 mg melatonin has 10 mg of b6. I hope I did not cause her any harm.
Melatonin Dosage
Melatonin Dosage
★★★★★
I am on Eliquis 2x day, Coreg 2x day, and low-dose aspirin 1x day. I am interested in taking HDM as a prophylactic against inflammation in my transplanted veins. I am also interested in taking serrapeptase for this same purpose.
Thank you, Art, for all you do.
