Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Update on melatonin?

I still take melatonin periodically to manage pain with some success. One thing I have found is that many melatonin supplements contain other ingredients that may be problematic. In particular the sublingual melatonin can be a problem. Furthermore, you want the drug to be delivered to the intestine and not into the blood stream. Sublingual supplements are design to deliver the drug into the blood stream. Look for a melatonin supplement that only contains melatonin perhaps with rice flour as a filler and in a gelatin capsule. This is the Canadian melatonin product I use. I don't know the name of an equivalent product in the US.

You need to take 3 mg per night. Most OTC melatonin supplements come in dose of 2 to 5 mg per capsule or tablet. It might be best to look for a higher dose product that try and take 10 x 300 mcg per night.

Below is a reference to an abstract of a recent review of clinical studies.

Reference
Mozaffari S, et.al (2010):Implications of melatonin therapy in irritable bowel syndrome; a systematic review. Current Pharmaceutical Design; 16(33):3646-55.

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