One mg doesn’t make any difference. Likewise 3 mg. I’ve tried 10 mg, and it works, but now I trying a slow release 5 mg to see if that makes a difference.

5mg works best for me. I tried 3mg and it helped at times but I often had to double up. I accidentally bought the 5mg thinking it was 3. I haven’t gone back.

I take a 3 mg if I have to work the next day; 5 mg if I am travelling and trying to get over jet lag.

You guys ^^^ are taking just one?

I double up on the 3 mg tablets, and although it does make me a little bit sleepy, it also gives me crazy vivid dreams, which I don’t like, and then I wake up again at 2:00 am and toss and turn until it’s time to get up again, so I have stopped using it : (

I take 10 mg. 5 does absolutely nothing for me.

Is it best to start with 1 mg and work up, or just try 5 mg right away (but not 10 mg)?

I would start with 3 mgg. But melatonin is not for every night use, just for occassional use. And take it eight hours before you need to be up in the morning.

10 mg is the maximum dose. Overdose will result in severe headache. Some people believe it can reduce your chance to get cancer.

@2davidc8 it depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to be sure to get enough sleep then just take it a lttle higher dose. If you want to experiment and see what your body needs, start low and work up until you find the right balance. You might also want to start out on Friday or Saturday night to see if you have any kind of reaction.

In my experience it’s safe to take every night, and I have never had any negative side effects. But as everyone on Fluther always says, “When in doubt talk to your health care professional.” And of course, depending on your health care professional it’s either safe or it isn’t! Ha!

According to this article it’s not safe. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/melatonin-dosage-and-risks_us_56deff8ce4b03a40567a1e1e

I love sure thing answers, don’t you?

@Jeruba I only take one 5mg and it helps me but I’ve been living with chronic fatigue for 3 years.

@snowberry Thanks for the link.
Does anyone have any information whether it’s OK, for starters, to split a 5 mg tablet to see how you handle it, then go to a full 5 mg if you’re not getting any effect?

Melatonin is one of those crafty supplements. If you are sensitive to its effects, a lower dosage works. However, if you use it all the time, you will build up a tolerance and have to go to a higher dosage. I generally start with 3 mg. Since I don’t use it often, this is usually enough. My wife takes it far more often and takes 10 mg. One precaution: If you take too much, you will have some of the strangest dreams of your life. Sounds fun except for hours you will fall asleep and then wake up in a panic over something like the flowers talking to you. One guy I know had a dream he was on a giant Rubik’s Cube with two giant hands twisting it as he ran. When you hit this reaction, your sleep is miserable and you will not feel rested in the morning.

One other caution: melatonin is a supplement, not an approved medicine, so quality varies by brand. 3 mg of one brand may be 5 mg of another.

A lot of people recommend Trader Joe’s brand. YMMV.

Agree^^

Never buy supplements from a grocery store or a pharmacy!

There are some ways you can find quality supplements. PM me.

I can’t take it…not even the 1mg. I fall asleep fast, have terrible nightmares, wake up in a panic, & then stare at the ceiling for the rest of the night. Then I can’t get out of bed the next morning. Then I’m hung over for the next 3 days or so. I just gave up on tring to take it!!!

I take one mg every other night. With Melatonin, less is more is what I have heard. After I allow my one mg , peppermint, dissolve I wait fifteen minutes and it knocks me out. So it’s sublingual. I have tried many other forms and milligrams but none have worked.