Osteoporosis and Melatonin

Melatonin Dosage for Osteoporosis or Osteopenia

One post says they take HDM (high dose melatonin) of 106 mg+ at night but the Options to purchase melatonin below the post, only showed 10 mg capsules. I'm just confirming that 106mg+ of Melatonin is the appropriate dose and not a typo. Also any tips for finding the best melatonin would be appreciated . Thank you very much

This new (May 2023) study adds further confirmation to the use of melatonin for Osteoporosis/Osteopenia : Https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37274021/

Here is a quote of what the study concluded :

' Melatonin was found to reverse the inhibitory effect of TNF-α on osteogenic differentiation and inflammation in BMSCs. Taken together, these findings indicated that melatonin may have therapeutic potential to be used for the treatment of osteoporosis. '

Art

To further update this thread on osteoporosis, osteopenia and melatonin, this October 2022 review on postmenopausal osteoporosis and melatonin delves a little deeper into how melatonin works against osteoporosis :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9585202/

Here are some very relevant quotes from the review :

' Recent studies have indicated that serum melatonin levels are closely associated with the occurrence and development of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Exogenous melatonin could also improve bone mass and increase skeletal strength. '

' Melatonin directly affects bone remodeling by promoting osteogenesis and suppressing osteoclastogenesis. Melatonin also regulates the biological rhythm of bone tissue, which benefits its osteogenic effect. Additionally, melatonin participates in the modulation of the bone microenvironment. Melatonin attenuates the damage induced by oxidative stress and inflammation on osteoblasts and prevents osteolysis from reactive oxygen species and inflammatory factors. '

' Based on the evidence in this review, melatonin will play a more important role in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. '

' Melatonin is increasingly valued by patients and clinicians due to its antioxidant and antiaging properties. In our previous study, we determined that serum melatonin levels were obviously decreased in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (Cao et al., 2022). '

' Melatonin is a mild osteogenic drug with few complications and has the potential and prospect of being an effective drug for the treatment of osteoporosis. '

' Therefore, serum melatonin measurements might become a new diagnostic standard for the prediction of the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis. In fact, they could replace conventional dual energy X-rays, which would reduce economic costs and improve detection efficiency. '

' Melatonin treatment positive affected the increase in bone mineral density and the improvement in body mass index (Treister-Goltzman and Peleg, 2021). However, oral estrogen could inhibit nocturnal melatonin release in postmenopausal women (Okatani et al., 2000). '

Given the above, it is becoming very clear that melatonin is of significant value when it comes to osteoporosis and given its very good safety profile when compared to the latest class of drugs for osteoporosis, Bisphosphonates, it seems like a good choice.

Here is a list of Bisphosphonates which include Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, Reclast and Aredia .

This link is for Fosamax side effects :

https://www.drugs.com/fosamax.html#side-effects

Here is a list of side effects :

Fosamax side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to Fosamax: hives; wheezing, difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using Fosamax and call your doctor at once if you have:

• chest pain, new or worsening heartburn;

• difficulty or pain when swallowing;

• pain or burning under the ribs or in the back;

• severe heartburn, burning pain in your upper stomach, or coughing up blood;

• new or unusual pain in your thigh, hip or groin;

• jaw pain, numbness, or swelling;

• severe joint, bone, or muscle pain; or

• signs of low calcium levels - muscle spasms or contractions, numbness or tingly feeling (around your mouth, or in your fingers and toes).

Common Fosamax side effects may include:

• heartburn, upset stomach;

• stomach pain, nausea;

• diarrhea, constipation; or

• headaches; or

• bone pain, muscle or joint pain.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Art

Elaine,

Thank you for the feedback on melatonin and your sleep!

It is very good to hear that melatonin is improving your sleep so much. Good sleep is important for maintaining health and wellbeing.

Newer studies are clearly showing that melatonin has health benefits that your chiropractor may not be aware of. Ask him if he can link you to a newer study that definitively shows that melatonin interferes with your hormones. I would like to read it.

Art

Art, I just realized that I NEVER responded to your reply. Thank you so much for your reply...I guess better late than never. I am taking 20 - 30 mg of melatonin at night. My naturopathic chiropractor, however, told me that it interferes with one's hormones, etc. and he definitely does not advise the use of melatonin. Well... I am taking it and I am able to sleep almost the entire night waking only once, not three and four times a night! I had not had a good night's sleep in almost two decades. :(

Also, I am 65 and I was diagnosed with osteopenia. Again I am so sorry for responding just now. I am not real tech savvy.

God bless you!

Cynthia, I just realized that I never responded to your reply. Thank you so much for your reply!!!! I have osteopenia and I am 65. Again, I am so sorry that I did not reply. I am not very tech savvy. God bless.

So, what sources and doses for Melatonin are recommended? I couldn't extract that from the highly technical paper.

I didn't see anywhere how much to take. Do you know? Thanks, Edy

Good question. He has never mentioned neuropathy. I will have to ask and report back.

TCM is going great. Needles freak me out but I have adjusted :) He puts them head to toe on my front side concentrating on abdomen I believe more (can't confirm but have been meaning to ask). I feel really good for a few days and appetite is so much better during those days. I go 2x per week. My right side is sluggish (the needle tapping is more intense) so why we concentrate on correcting balance right to left side (blue blood/red blood) also. RBC's have gotten better on last labs. I have to say the Hemo Him is still rough stuff on my digestion even with food.

Donnie Yance's book referred to melatonin as one of the many adaptogens he considers in treatment plans. That just popped out to me and had to tell you.

Hope all is well your way!

Thank you for asking about my brother and myself.

Hi Betty,

I have never heard melatonin referred to as an adaptogen, but I guess when you consider its multitude of effects to try and return us to homeostasis, I guess that makes perfect sense. It is often described as a hormone, but even Dr. Reiter said he wasn't sure of the accuracy of that description.

I meant to ask you if your brother has any peripheral neuropathy symptoms?

How are your visits with the TCM practitioner(?) going ?

Art

Your Melatonin studies are great, Art!

I was reading a book today and it mentioned melatonin being an adaptogen. How cool is that!?! I wondered what class it would be considered, now I know.

I just wanted to update this thread on the use of Melatonin for Osteoporosis/Osteopenia because a new study came out that adds further confirmation to the relationship between melatonin and osteoporosis :

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.851663/full

Here is a very relevant quote from the study :

>>> ' This study confirmed that bone density positively correlates with the melatonin level in human blood. In the animal model, melatonin supplementation reverses postmenopausal osteoporosis. We explored the internal mechanism of melatonin treatment of osteoporosis. Melatonin promotes an increase in intracellular calcium ion concentrations through the STIM1/ORAI1 pathway to induce osteoblast proliferation. ' <<<

Art

I agree! I've been very influenced by Dr. Lee, the "original" expert on Progesterone and the other hormones. I still use it because I believe our environment and foods are keeping us in a perpetual state of estrogen dominance.

Hi Anne,

EC is a community that is all about sharing and indexing natural health ideas to help everyone with their health issues, so your input and feedback is definitely appreciated!

Art

Hi Art.

I've really appreciated your new melatonin piece. I use a tiny dose every night 1.8 which over time has improved my mood, too. I hope you don't mind me using your thread to point out i5 is low progesterone that most women suffer, not low estrogen. This is a common but crucially important mistake that needs correcting everywhere we can.

Progesterone is a precursor to estrogen and hardly ever mentioned. Look up Dr. John Lee pioneer in the study of natural progesterone. Our bodies are actually so overloaded with estrogen from what we eat and outside sources (Xeno estrogen) that it leads to varying problems like bone weakness, thyroid problems, overweight, diabetes. Our hormones are completely out of balance which obviously is disruptive to our endocrine system. I could go on but this is your post about melatonin and just wanted to point this out in the hope it will be read and picked up by the many people who are affected by it.

Thank you. Anne

Hi BellaPaolina,

Thank you very much for the compliment and I am glad you enjoyed the melatonin series, but it has reached the end of the road with this current post!

I am glad both you and your husband are tolerating HDM and like the both of you, I am also using HDM as a preventative against many potential health issues that melatonin has shown benefit for beyond what I have written on EC. To me it is an amazing molecule in that sense.

Regarding being sick, I just updated that thread today and overall I am very happy with the outcome. There were quite a few posts today so you will have to scroll back a bit to find it.

Again, thank you, BellaPaolina for your compliment and feedback!

Art

Hi Joseph,

I have a friend who is taking lisinopril and melatonin with no problems.

This article from Drugs.com. says,

No interactions were found between lisinopril and Melatonin Time Release. This does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.

https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/lisinopril-with-melatonin-time-release-1476-0-1548-10148.html

Almost anyone can have a reaction to anything and that is why I said you should have your doctor or professional healthcare provider's approval and supervision if you plan to use melatonin for anything.

I do not know what you mean by: "fix what errors"?

Hi Elaine,

Unfortunately, not being a doctor, I can not give dosing suggestions, I can only tell others what I am using and what some doctors are using or suggesting. Dr. Neel is using 1 mg of melatonin for every kilogram of body weight for his Covid -19 patients. I am using 106 mg of melatonin per night as a preventative. Dr. Shallenberger said he suggests 180 mg of melatonin in his patients and suggests over 300 mg per day for his stage 4 cancer patients.

In Cynthia's post in this thread, she cites her use of melatonin at 30 mg/day to get rid of a lingering Covid-19 cough in a week. She suggests starting low and working your way up on dosage to make sure you can tolerate higher dosing. At my current dose, I had a similar response to a cough I got from the flu that had been lingering for months and it was gone in about 3 days after starting HDM (High Dose Melatonin). I have worked my way up on dosing when I first started melatonin to make sure I could tolerate HDM similarly to what Cynthia described.

In a 2020 study, they used 10 mg of melatonin in Parkinson's Disease patients that produced modest benefits in patients.

In Manila's Doctors Hospital, they used dosages of 60 to 72 mg to treat Covid-19 patients successfully, but Filipinos are generally smaller people so their dose may be fairly close to what Dr. Neel is using for his over 1,000 Covid-19 patients.

In another post in this thread, Dana reports a study where they used just 3 mg of melatonin per night to get a positive response in COPD patients.

I always keep in mind that some people can not tolerate melatonin as reported on EC by others, but the majority of people are able to tolerate melatonin as shown in multiple studies.

Art

A big thank you for Art. Your melatonin series has been a pleasure to read, and we hope you continue writing many more posts on the subject. My husband and I are taking 50 mg melatonin each every night as a preventivate against age-related woes- and hope very gradually to reach the 160 mg/night dosage that Dr. Schallenberg is taking since 1980.

Please continue illustrating the earth clinic readers with your very interesting posts.

How are you feeling after your COVID 19 experience?

Melatonin interacts with lisinopril, which is a hypertension medicine.

Elaine, not sure if this will answer your question, but I was taking 30mg for chronic cough after covid. I have used 3-6mg off and on for 30yrs, but found 30mg worked very different as to have a non drowsy effect on me. After 1 week of 30mg no cough at all, and so for here in the south now post nasal drip from allergies YAY. Try working your way up over a few days and see if you can tolerate higher dosage. Best Wish

Good afternoon, I was just diagnosed with osteopenia.

I just finished reading your interesting article on melatonin. I know you can't prescribe, but could you suggest a dosage that I could begin with? Any recommendation would be helpful as I do not have medical coverage right now.