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Misc Melatonin interactions w/ benzos, opiates, and SSRI 's ?

Psykoton

Psykoton

Bluelighter
Joined
Dec 28, 2002
Messages
251
Location
Scandinavia
Hi!

I am considering trying melatonin for my sleep problems, and I need to change my sleep pattern as well, go to sleep earlier in the evening, and wake up a bit earlier.

Problem is, I'm taking Temgesic for chronic pain, Xanax for anxiety, and Lexapro (at normal prescribed doses, I never abuse my medications), but I am a little bit afraid to try the melatonin. I have googled and searched the net, but the only thing I can find, is that melatonin can increase the drowsyness of CNS depressants like benzos, but no details.

Does anyone have experience with melatonin in combination with other drugs?

Thanks!
 
Are you talking about increased drowsiness the next day or what?

If it's drowsiness during the day that you are worried about then you will not experience anything like that. You will feel just as normal as you regularly would next day. At night, melatonin is supposed to help you sleep so if you take it before bed with your other medications then you should sleep just fine and wake up the next morning without feeling groggy.

I take melatonin a few nights a week along with my prescribed benzo and have never had any issues.
 
Thanks a lot for your answers, skittlezzzz and tricomb!

No, I'm not worried about drowsiness the next day (or at night) that would just be beneficial for me, I am just worried that throwing another depressant in the mix would cause something more serious, like respiratory depression or serotonergic syndrome, you know what I mean.

I am taking 2.4 mg's Temgesic / 24h and 1 mg Xanax 3 times / day, plus one 10 mg Lexapro /day.

I have ordinary American melatonin tablets, 3 mg, and also the prescription only European 2 mg extended release tablets. Which one should I try first? Any opinions?

Thanks a lot for your help :)
 
They make time released melatonin? Interesting.

I would try the normal 3mg tablets first, you could cut them in half for a few nights until you're comfortable.
 
Melatonin is naturally present in your body so it doesn't have any drug contraindications, and only has very minor drug interactions. It can add to sedation/drowsiness of sedative drugs, (simply because they are both sedating) but that isn't dangerous unless you're, like, operating heavy machinery or something.

Timed-release melatonin is great (you can get it OTC in North America). I find it best to take an instant release sublingual tablet along with a timed-release tablet. Melatonin affects different people very differently so start with a small amount, like tricomb suggested maybe a 1/2 of one of your 3mg tablets. If you take too much it can have paradoxical effects, such as difficulty sleeping.
 
Thanks for your detailed replies! Now I feel much more comfortable trying melatonin, I will start low with 1/2 or 1/4 of a 3mg tab, as you suggested, just to see what happens, and then titrate the dosage up to 3 mg.

I'll let you know how it works out.
 
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