Archive | Melatonin

Posted 21 January 2020

The Guardian Nicola Davis Tue 14 Jan 2020 07.00 GMT

Melatonin should not be offered by NHS to treat jet lag – review Independent review says evidence for using hormone for jet lag remains poor

The hormone melatonin should not be available on the NHS to help treat jet lag, a review of the evidence has concluded.

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the body during darkness that plays a role in the body clock and helps to regulate sleep cycles.

It is available on the NHS as a treatment for some sleep problems, including in older people and children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Whether it helps with jet lag is less clear . However in 2019 two melatonin products were licensed as a prescription medication for managing short-term jet lag by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Now an independent drug review … Read the rest

Posted 10 May 2018

French authorities are urging certain populations to avoid consuming food supplements containing melatonin after incidences of adverse effects were reported to the country’s nutrivigilance scheme.

The National Agency for Sanitary, Food, Environmental and Occupational Safety (ANSES) in France said pregnant and breastfeeding women should not consume melatonin in the form of a food supplement.

“Given the variability in the status of melatonin and the regulatory limits governing its use within the European Union, the Agency has questions about the place of melatonin on the market in food supplement form at doses comparable to those of the medicinal product,” ANSES stated.

“In the absence of sufficient data on the safety of daily consumption of 2 milligrams (mg) of melatonin it believes it necessary for a harmonised regulatory framework to be defined at European level on the basis of safety studies conducted for doses below 2 mg.”

90 … Read the rest

Posted 02 February 2017

The number of Americans taking the supplement has doubled in five years – but it is controversial and not available over the counter in the UK. So does it work?

Nic Fleming

Monday 30 January 2017 07.30 GMT

The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jan/30/is-it-safe-to-use-melatonin-for-jet-lag-insomnia

Jet lag can be more than just an inconvenience for long-distance travellers. Arriving in a far-off destination where the time no longer matches your internal body clock can trigger insomnia, lethargy and reduced alertness. Which is hardly ideal if you are delivering an important presentation or trying to seal a big deal.