If you take Circadin / melatonin to help with sleep...

[Sweetsforsweets]

Do you take or have you taken Circadin?
If so - what was your dose, did you take nightly and how long did you take for?

Most importantly - did you find effective?!

Many thanks

I take it every night, 1mg. It does work really well.

If I start to feel a bit ratty I drop it for a couple of nights.

Following because sleep has become a struggle for me recently. Is this something that can be bought OTC?

I've tried it.
it does nothing for me unfortunately.

I take 1mg melatonin if I wake up and can't get back to sleep. It works well. I wouldn't take it after 4am for obvious reasons. it isn't legal to sell it in the UK so buy it from other countries where is is legal to sell it. My son was prescribed Circadian for insomnia when he was a teen. Totally solved the problem. It's timed release, so he took it about an hour before he went to bed. The GP was not able to prescribe it after he turned 18 as it's not licensed for adult in the UK.

Ah, I'm a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to buying medications from abroad so I think I'll give this a miss for now. I wonder why it's not licenced for adults in the UK. For me the problem is struggling to get back to sleep when I wake around 4/5am.

@Fluffycloudland77

I take it every night, 1mg. It does work really well.

If I start to feel a bit ratty I drop it for a couple of nights.

Every night for how long? Everywhere says 13 weeks max which concerns me. What happens after 13 weeks?!

@TheRogueApostrophe

Ah, I'm a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to buying medications from abroad so I think I'll give this a miss for now. I wonder why it's not licenced for adults in the UK. For me the problem is struggling to get back to sleep when I wake around 4/5am.

Exactly my issue

I’ve been on it a few months now.

I take 5mg occasionally if I need it. Less than that doesn't do anything for me. Wouldn't take after midnight. Usually just do it for a night or two to get me back into a better rhythm.

My dad has a neurological condition and meds that interfere with his sleep so he takes 20mg at 9pm. (GP and neurologist approved but buy online) He's a bit sleepy in the mornings but he's 88 so he just snoozes in his chair.

My son is prescribed 2mg at bedtime, it has helped him doze off and get a longer unbroken sleep I'd say 80% of the time.

I take 10mg of melatonin.

Melatonin works very well for me if I can’t sleep.

I think melatonin can be a bit hit and miss ,my son was prescribed it when he was four or five it didn't work for him ,he has severe autism and learning disabilities ,but I know many children ( not sure about adults ) for whom it does work ,my understanding is that it supposed to help you get to sleep but not necessarily keep you asleep.

I have 10mg tablets that my friend got me from the US. I don't use them often. They are great at getting me off to sleep. But don't keep me asleep.

You can get slow release ones that are better at keeping you asleep.

Why not see GP? Were you hoping to buy it otc and avoid GP? Just wondering because I tried loads of otc things for months, about 5 months I think, before I gave up and approached my GP. A week of zopiclone and it re-set everything. I wish I'd gone sooner.

Have you all been prescribed melatonin? If not where are you getting it from?

@housemdwaswrong

Why not see GP? Were you hoping to buy it otc and avoid GP? Just wondering because I tried loads of otc things for months, about 5 months I think, before I gave up and approached my GP. A week of zopiclone and it re-set everything. I wish I'd gone sooner.

What do you mean reset? So just a week and sorted? What was your sleep issue? Thanks

@hellotheresweet Yep. Just a week, and I haven't had a problem since. It was slightly different in so far as I just want getting to sleep until 3-5am. But they are used to induce and extend sleep, as well as reduce waking in the night.

They worked really well for me. They come in 2 doses, I took the lower dose an hour before I wanted to sleep each night. I did this for a week on a strict schedule, and carried on the same schedule after stopping them, and whilst sometimes I take a little while to get to sleep, I haven't seen 3am since.

They usually only prescribe a fortnight as you get used to them quickly, but they are used to treat acute bouts of insomnia.

May be worth asking.

Not me, but Ds takes 2mg of Circadin every night, and has done for for the past 7 years. It's prescribed by a psychiatrist, not a Gp.

@MiniMum97

Have you all been prescribed melatonin? If not where are you getting it from?

US online pharmacy/websites like Biovea or evitamins.