Acid reflux and GERD

Here the Boots website says that  melatonin  is on prescription only.

However if you Google  melatonin  it is avaiable to buy online. Are there prescription and non prescription versions as with PPI's? The Boots website advises not to take it for more than 13 weeks.

I think this is pretty much Ines and my wife's program. We did romaine and red oak leaf lettuce, carrots, olive/avocado oil and a tad of yamasa soy..no pepper. The melatonin at 3mg too but we cycled it one week on and one week off...(6mg is the therapudic) obtained cycling from UK PAL on an ALS forum and then confirmed with several others. 30 mintues usualy pre edtime..We are yet somewhere between 70 and 100%...we weened off of all supplements gradually..using mostly diet and very selective foods....wife has increased her exercise of uphill walks..we are 750 ft above sea level, so our road has quite a grade. 20 to 30 minutes.

You and a scant few others are the only ones that grasp the program...Great stuff Susan...hope you reach 100% when the right time presents itself...Claudio

I have a friend who has really bad LPR but won't do any of these things and especially refuses to give up his citrus.  His throat mucus is so bad he can barely talk.  Once you get used to what you need to do, it isn't hard nor is it miserable.

What is the rationale for the week on then off the melatonin?

Susan

we obtain 3mg x 120 caps for $2.59 US from swanson vitamins. "on line" .hope you can do as well or better...long term use of most any supplement isn't a way to go...I'd suggest cycles...since everyone differs...? time on  " off...we did one week on and one week off for 5 months with some breaks of Off...sleep was not the target thus only 3mg (6mg is basic therapudic)...I suspect Boots suggestion is due to higher mg?..and there is debate about interractions with other meds, therefore suggest advising your dr when taking with other meds)....Claudio

(seratonin reuptake meds)

so sorry to hear about your friend, my Niece just mentioned a similar situation with her former "almost husband" but not reflux..same mental

state.

cycling melatonin. I should go back to the details but this is what I seem to recall. The pineal gland produces melatonin, regulating CBT, core body heat, and the circadian timetable.....amoung others...the concept was not to "over" interfere with its production by supplementation...(once our system gets accustomed to some supplementals the system that regulates the production stops or slows down)...There were other reasons..just cannot recall. Here is a guess of one  OK?  once our body gets used to it, its no longer effective, therefore an increase in mg and or frequency would be required...Claudio

Boots Pharmacy web site does not actually give the strenght of the tablets.

It says:

Taking a tablet or capsule of melatonin before bedtime may help you sleep earlier and for longer.  But we need more research on the effects of melatonin in older people, and whether it is safe to take this treatment if you're taking other medicines.

Melatonin is a hormone. Hormones are chemicals your body makes to control some of the things it does. For example, hormones can tell your body how to use energy, or when to go to sleep.

Melatonin controls your body clock. Normally, your body makes melatonin during the night to help you sleep, starting when it gets dark and stopping when it gets light. The melatonin used as a treatment for insomnia (poor-quality sleep) is a man-made version of this hormone.

In the UK, doctors can prescribe a brand of melatonin called Circadin. It's recommended for people over the age of 55 You can't buy melatonin over the counter in the UK.

In the US, melatonin can be sold to the public in health food shops and pharmacies. However, it isn't sold as a medicine but as a supplement, like vitamin tablets or cod liver oil. This means that, like all supplements, it may not be made to the same standards as medicines. So you can't be certain how good its quality is. If you're thinking of buying melatonin in the US, or over the internet, there are a few things to bear in mind. The exact ingredients can vary between different brands, so it can be hard to know what you're buying. Scientists have found impurities in the melatonin tablets sold by some companies. This means that some tablets contain things that aren't listed on the label. Tablets sold over the internet won't have gone through the safety checks that usually apply to drugs in the UK. It can be difficult to know which companies to trust.

Two summaries of the research ( systematic reviews) showed that melatonin can help adults, including older people, to sleep better.  You can expect to get to sleep a few minutes sooner and to sleep slightly longer. 

We don't know how safe melatonin is, or how safe it is to take regularly for a long time. There hasn't been enough research to say. We also don't know how much melatonin you need and when you should take the dose.

The summaries we found didn't mention any side effects from melatonin. But some studies in children found that some of them who took melatonin: 

Felt cold

Lost their appetite

Felt dizzy

Felt in a low mood

Had mild headaches.

Some drugs can interfere with other medicines or stop them working. Or if you have another medical condition, some drugs may make it worse. You should check with your doctor before taking melatonin if you're already taking other medicines.

Experts say you shouldn't take melatonin if you: Have epilepsy

Take a medicine to stop your blood clotting (for example, warfarin).

Oh very good reasoning.  I used to be a veterinary technician and this was the reasoning for not giving predisone every day--so the body doesn't stop producing its own steroids.  Hmm.  I think I'll try cycling the melatonin also.  Thanks for the good idea.

Susan

I'm awaiting a reply from my son in law..he has but one kidney, and its a 17 year old transplant..so you know his rejection med....recently for some unknown cause per his nephrologists it began rejection....this would have been several months ago, but for the past few months...its been improving (initially he was placed on the "URgent transplant list) and as of last week, its back to almost where it was pre rejection...I want to know his protocol..he is a bio medical engineer 40...I know he was taking pomegranate juice and nettle...but amount/frequency/duration?? plus meds...   He has two young ones and is super busy with his work and the two..so I must be patient.   Claudio