Melatonin for Stroke Recovery and Prevention

Thank you so much, Art, for your fantastic article on Melatonin for Stroke Recovery and Prevention!

My husband has suffered two ischemic strokes and I fear he will have another one. My question is, will Melatonin interfere with his prescribed medications? I should point out he is diabetic and takes insulin twice a day. He also suffers from high blood pressure that is controlled with medication. His doctor is not open to holistic approaches to health. Who can answer this question as I don't want to buy melatonin, administer it, and then find there is a conflict with regular meds.

Hi Dana,

The main supplement I am taking for my own personal health is melatonin. The other supplements I test may or may not become regular supplements for me, it depends on whether they work for what I am testing them for. As far as supplements I take everyday or very frequently, borax would be at the top of the list and it has kept my severe psoriatic arthritis in remission for well over 12 years. I take magnesium taurate everyday as part of my sleep regimen because this form of magnesium can cross the blood brain barrier and the taurine content is also useful for sleep and relaxation among other benefits. I take zinc picolinate or zinc gluconate at high dose because my zinc/copper ration is low. I take selenium, but not everyday. The same with vitamin D3, ALC, vitamin C, lysine, vinpocetine, beta carotene, potassium, B vitamins in various doses. It is difficult for me to be on a supplement regimen everyday because I frequently have to stop when I am testing a specific supplement to write about.

HDM = high dose melatonin Art

Excellent article! As someone with Afib, I'm concerned about the possibility of a stroke, and this article is very enlightening. I had no idea that melatonin was helpful in treating and preventing strokes. Nor was I aware of the many other health benefits it offers. Thank you for sharing this information and for sharing the many links to various studies. I always like to confirm health claims that are made.

Hi Linda,

I take 106 mg every night about an hour before bed. I am currently using three melatonin products simultaneously to get to that 106 mg dose. I take 4 capsules(10 mg each) of standard release, 3 (10 mg) tablets of timed release melatonin with 10 mg of vitamin B-6 in it and 3 sublingual dissolvable tablets at 12 mg each for a total of 106 mg of melatonin every night.

The reason for the variety is because of experimenting with different types of melatonin to see if I could detect differences in effect. I have many to use up!

I was previously taking more in the 80 mg per night range when I was testing it to see if I could tolerate a Covid-19 dose, which I did. When I moved up to over 100 mg, the "melatonin hangover" kicked in for a week or two as my body adjusted to the new higher dose. I noticed that staying as active as possible during the day helped to attenuate the temporary daytime sleepiness until my body adjusted. Now I feel fine during the day with no tiredness.

I have tested as high as 180 mg per night fairly recently to see how I tolerated that dose and it was fine for me. These dosage levels are based on human studies over longer term(years) as safety is important. Knowing that there are studies where 100 mg/night have been done for years with no problems is good to know. There are studies using even higher dosing for years. There is no established LD50 for melatonin in animals and that speaks to the safety level of melatonin as no animal studies using melatonin, even at very high dosing, have killed the animals!

I am mainly trying to take advantage of the many health benefits of melatonin to improve my overall health as well as get the potential prophylactic effects of organ protection that melatonin appears to offer, based on studies.

Art

Cfitz,

Ted's suggested use of Borax for arthritis:

https://ted.earthclinic.com/cures/arthritis.html

I have been using it for well over a decade to keep my psoriatic arthritis in remission. Ted gives different dosing for different arthritic conditions as you will read in the link above.

I chose his dosing schedule of 1/4 teaspoon of borax, dissolved in a quart of water, to be sipped throughout the day for a delayed release equivalent. Repeat this dosing for 4 days maximum per week is Ted's maximum dose recommendation. I take Friday, Saturday and Sunday off in order to clear any excess borax from the system.

Art

To further update this Melatonin/Stroke article, I found a new RCT study. In this new RCT study (October 2022) melatonin was shown to offer positive effects in people who had had a stroke :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36270095/

Here is a relevant quote from the RCT :

' All patients completed the 5-day treatment period, and no serious adverse event was observed. While on day 5, the neurological status and stroke-related functional disability were comparable in both groups, on days 30 and 90, melatonin treatment resulted in a higher reduction in the median NIHSS and mRS score than placebo. Moreover, the overall changes in the NIHSS and mRS scores through a three-month follow-up assessment were significantly greater in the melatonin group than in the placebo group. The analysis of NIHSS scores distribution on day 90 showed a significant difference between the study groups in favor of the melatonin treatment. '

In this study, they only used 20 mg /day of melatonin for the first 5 days of the 90 day study and saw benefit in stroke patients at 30 and 90 days, but to me it begs the question of what would the results have looked like had they given the melatonin for the full study period and or 5 times the daily dose.

The main point that I think this study suggests is that giving melatonin early, after a stroke, is a worthwhile consideration in order to improve outcomes. I would have loved to see this study using 200 mg/day for the full study period of 90 days.

If you think 200 mg/day is way too much for a person to take, look at this study where they used 3000 mg/day of melatonin in women for 6 months :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27910708/

In any case, I am happy to see another human study showing the benefit of melatonin in stroke survivors.

Art

Hello Sheila.

I am very sorry to hear of your husband and partner's passing. Covid-19 is without a heart and takes lives like they are nothing!

Melatonin, based on the many studies that are available using it for stroke and stroke recovery appears to be an excellent starting point. There are other supplements that can be useful also, but it is better to start one at a time in case you have a bad response to one, you will know which one is causing the problem. Melatonin has also proved its worth as a cardiovascular disease treatment in case you missed this post :

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/melatonin-for-cardiovascular-disease.html

NAC is another useful supplement as outlined in the following study. It is not as broad of a response as melatonin, but it offers benefits.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7244239/

Another useful supplement for stroke recovery is Hesperidin via its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities as shown here:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31478148/

All three of these supplements have very good safety profiles.

Unfortunately, doctors are generally only familiar with prescription medications and this can be a problem for patients who want to include supplements, vitamins, TCM, minerals, herbs, and other alternative options as part of their treatment plan. The only way I think that is practical is to go to a doctor who is also trained in alternative treatment options in order to have someone who should have very good potential to help you. The downside with these doctors is that insurance generally does not cover them so they would be an out of pocket expense and they may charge more because of their extended training in natural and alternative remedies.

Finding out what supplements may be compatible with the prescription meds you are already taking may be better answered by your pharmacist than your doctor because they seem to have more experience than doctors at determining supplement contraindications.

Another option to consider is calling someone like Dr. Shallenberger to see if he might take you on as a remote patient with regular phone or zoom visits. He is in Nevada, but with many people having remote doctor visits now, he may be willing to do it. Here is his contact information :

Dr. Frank Shallenberger

Address: 1231 Country Club Dr, Carson City, NV 89703Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 9AM WedPhone: (775) 884-3990

It's just a phone call to find out if he can help you or not or possibly recommend a doctor in your area who does similar work. Good luck!

Art

Wilfred,

In the replies section to the original post, I had posted the following regarding dosing of melatonin in relation to people who have had a stroke :

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

To further update this Melatonin/Stroke article, I found a new RCT study. In this new RCT study (October 2022) melatonin was shown to offer positive effects in people who had had a stroke :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36270095/

Here is a relevant quote from the RCT :

' All patients completed the 5-day treatment period, and no serious adverse event was observed. While on day 5, the neurological status and stroke-related functional disability were comparable in both groups, on days 30 and 90, melatonin treatment resulted in a higher reduction in the median NIHSS and mRS score than placebo. Moreover, the overall changes in the NIHSS and mRS scores through a three-month follow-up assessment were significantly greater in the melatonin group than in the placebo group. The analysis of NIHSS scores distribution on day 90 showed a significant difference between the study groups in favor of the melatonin treatment. '

In this study, they only used 20 mg /day of melatonin for the first 5 days of the 90 day study and saw benefit in stroke patients at 30 and 90 days, but to me it begs the question of what would the results have looked like had they given the melatonin for the full study period and or 5 times that daily dose?

The main point that I think this study suggests is that giving melatonin early, after a stroke, is a worthwhile consideration in order to improve outcomes. I would have loved to see this study using 100 mg/day for the full study period of 90 days.

If you think 100 mg/day is way too much for a person to take, look at this study where they used 3000 mg/day of melatonin in women for 6 months :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27910708/

In any case, I am happy to see another human study showing the benefit of melatonin in stroke survivors.

Art

Hi Rebecca,

The article was just an idea based on the significant positivity of the studies I linked to regarding melatonin and stroke and should be discussed with your doctor for anyone who is seriously considering melatonin for this purpose.

There are certainly anecdotal reports of pain related to use of melatonin, however there are also scientific studies showing that melatonin can be useful for neuropathic pain as well as inflammatory pain such as these studies show:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30306528/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7012243/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912970/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26692007/

Another consideration is that in the studies I linked to in the article about melatonin and stroke, exacerbation of pain was not a reported issue in the human or animal studies.

I have said it many times in the past on EC and elsewhere that some people simply can not tolerate melatonin and that fact remains. I consider myself fortunate that I am able to tolerate melatonin at all dosage levels I have tested up to 180 mg/day.

It often comes down to trial and error whether it be melatonin, another supplement, prescription meds or alternatives.

Based on that, as well as melatonin's well established safety profile, I experiment with melatonin at many dose levels and am currently at 106 mg/night for the past 3 months+. I have severe psoriatic arthritis that I have kept in remission for over 12 years using borax via Ted's recipe. This is an autoimmune disease and melatonin is suggested not to be used in autoimmune diseases, but it has not presented a problem for me. So trial and error testing has shown me that I do tolerate melatonin very well and so I use it to try and get as many health benefits as it has shown to offer in other studies for multiple health issues aside from stroke.

If the fear of getting joint pain for you is too great, it may be better for you to consider your other options to deal with stroke prevention and treatment. In the anecdotal reports I have read, it appeared that the pain reported was reversed with stoppage of melatonin.

That does not mean that it will be the same for others, I can only report how melatonin affects me and the people I know who use it, based on what they tell me.

Art

Hi Art,

I enjoyed reading this article and am interested to know what your exact protocol is for HD Melatonin. I currently take 5 mg NOW brand before bed. I am 67 years old and am currently on no prescription drugs. I do take many other supplements including 10,000 mg Vitamin C and 3000 mg of Niacin daily. Thanks.

​​I just want to say nice job, Art, you have been so helpful.

But Art, I want to know what is the dosage for the prevention of stroke as it runs in my family. Thank you.

Hi Deb,

Your pharmacist will know more than your doctor and they already know all meds that your husband is taking so they will have the answer for you. Melatonin is not compatible with all drugs and your pharmacist will know if any of the drugs your husband is taking will be a conflict. Art

Hi Cale Judd,

Sorry for the delayed response, I just now saw your post. Thank you!

Yes, the health benefits of melatonin are wide ranging and that's not even counting its multiple benefits for fighting Covid-19!

I will try to continue to expand on those benefits via posts on the Earth Clinic community as I am able to.

Art

I'm a little concerned about joint issues with melatonin use. After a few very cozy nights of sleep with melatonin, I wondered if there were benefits to joint pain. I did a search and learned the opposite - that several people developed joint pain issues.

Wilfred,

I know you were looking at melatonin as a preventative and the study I showed you was for treatment after a stroke, but in studies when a treatment works after the health issue has arrived, that same treatment will usually have a better effect if applied before the health issue occurs. Here is a review discussing the use of melatonin as a stroke preventative :

https://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2022.0405#:~:text=This neuroprotection includes reducing infarct, high risk of ischemic stroke.

Here is a relevant quotes from the review (2022) :

' This neuroprotection includes reducing infarct volume and brain water content, as well as improving neurological score and survival rate during two weeks post-ischemia [115]. This study illustrated the therapeutic possibilities of prophylactic melatonin use in people at high risk of ischemic stroke. '

Since you say stroke runs in your family, you may also be interested in the following that I recently wrote :

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/grape-seed-extract-atherosclerosis.html

Art

Hi Art,

Thank you for your interesting and informative article on Melatonin use for stroke and stroke prevention.

Would you please list the other supplements you are using.

Also, what is HDM?

Thanks

Hello Art...

I'm sorry to say that my husband passed away from Covid in January 2021. I read this message/article late. Thank you so much for responding to my question. Is there a place to start when researching remedies for TIAs. I'm sort of stuck on a panic button now. My doctor is pleased with my last visit. I am on Eliquis and Cozaar and trying to lose weight. How do I approach my doctor about these regimens? When I have done so in the past, he says he doesn't know anything about the supplements or whether they would interfere with my meds. Once again, thank you for your kind response.

Melatonin is a natural hormone, so it is doubtful that it will interfere with his medication.

A good place to search for the exact information on this is Green Med Info.

For Deb:

Just found your post this evening. Hope this helps. V/r CFitz

----- Source: https://www.health.com/mind-body/warning-do-not-mix-these-supplements

Melatonin Drug interactions:

Since melatonin may make you drowsy, taking it with sedative drugs (such as benzodiazepines, narcotics, and some antidepressants) may cause too much sleepiness. Melatonin may also slow blood clotting, so taking it with anticoagulant medications such as heparin or warfarin (Coumadin) may increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. Avoid using melatonin if you're taking medication to control blood pressure, as it may raise blood pressure. Supplement interactions: Taking melatonin with other supplements that have sedative properties (including St. John's wort and valerian) may increase the effects and side effects of melatonin.

You're welcome, Earth Clinic!

I hope Sheila happens to see it, as it seems like it may be helpful for her and her husband's situation for sure!

Art

Reference your 01/04/2021 comment...the part about arthritis - using borax via Ted's recipe. Would you please send me link or something about this?

Hello again Art, I'm following you ;) lol!!

I want to order Melatonin, and see on Amazon that it comes in 10mg capsules, mainly, and then there is a "timed release" type. Do you have info on whether the timed-released might be a good choice, rather than the other type? Also, the timed-release says 3 mg, 6 hours, which I don't understand. Does that mean it releases over a 6-hour period only, and does it mean it releases 3 mg total, or 3 mg every 6 hours? Here's the link to the brand I usually buy, that or NOW brand (of supplements, haven't purchased Melatonin in years). https://www.amazon.com/Life-Extension-Melatonin-Release-Vegetarian/dp/B0044JXB40/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=life+extension+melatonin&qid=1623768703&rdc=1&sr=8-5 All your info (and studies) lead me to want to try melatonin, and just hoping I can avoid drowsiness during the day. I had my cardio tell me one time that every issue I have seems to stem from my nervous system, so thinking one benefit might be helping with Essential Tremor, while the main thing is to help prevent Covid 19. I have had the 2-shot vaccine, Maderna, but who knows with this insidious "plague".

Denise/PCL

Okay, I guess this is your post that you were talking about.

Yes, time released would be a steady release over a 6 hour period. Regular melatonin is released much much quicker and the dose all at once. Timed release will release the 3 mg or whatever dose you have chosen, over the 6 hours. Melatonin from the pineal gland is supposed to peak around 1:00 am and then slowly decline from there until daylight starts to reduce that melatonin level significantly.

If you run into next day tiredness again, you can try taking your evening dose earlier. I had the melatonin hangover initially, but it went away with continued use. Not everyone can tolerate melatonin.

In studies giving melatonin by injection and via suppository seems to avoid the melatonin hangover, but those two pathways are not practical for most people.

Regarding ET, taurine as magnesium taurate may be better than taurine alone. Magnesium Taurate is noted for being able to cross the blood brain barrier(BBB) and both are said to have a mild calming effect on the brain.

Here is a study link suggesting the use of high dose B1 for ET. B1 is known to lower neuroinflammation which may exacerbate ET.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5884259/​

Art