Replied by Art (California) on 10/24/2023
Lady,
While melatonin has been shown to reduce the negative effects of ionizing radiation from a CT scan, a 300 mg dose is a high dose and if you are not already taking such a high dose, it may not be such a good idea to do so all at once. In my experience some people do not tolerate melatonin even at a low dose and if such a person were to just take a 300 mg dose all of a sudden, it may not be a good or safe result. When I moved my dose up from 132 mg to 180 mg, I noticed a side effect of being dizzy and that could have resulted in a serious accident had I been driving at the time. It was only a transient effect, but it could result in a serious fall or accident.
The following article suggests that a 100 mg dose may be beneficial prior to a CT scan to reduce potential DNA damage, but I still feel that that is a very high dose for a person who does not tolerate melatonin well or has not taken it before :
https://journals.lww.com/cancerjournal/fulltext/2020/16008/the_radioprotective_effect_of_melatonin_against.9.aspx#:~:text=Therefore, our observations have shown, set to undergo CT scan.
Here are two relevant quotes from the article :
' Melatonin ingestion 1 and 2 h before irradiation caused a significant reduction in γH2AX foci. Results further indicate that the change in ingestion of melatonin from 1 to 2 h before exposure had no significant effect. In addition, melatonin administration showed no side effects. '
' The present study showed that melatonin will prove effective in radioprotection against ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes. Our results suggest ingestion of 100-mg melatonin by patients before exposure to IR in radiology. '
If you are going to do what the article describes, I highly suggest that you have someone with you that will be capable of driving you and assisting you in case you experience side effects from the high dose melatonin.
Art
