Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

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Benson
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by Benson »

mountaineermd Thank you for your feedback. I guess anxiety also creates stomach growling and I am not eating much hopefully it will pass I am drinking a lot of water.
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RAJ64
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by RAJ64 »

Benson wrote:I have been taking 1mg of melatonin together with nytol for 6 weeks when I developed dirahea. Thank God I saw this forum and stopped both. It has been two weeks now and the dirahea has not stopped. My stomach growls a lot and I get anxiety which is really disrupting my normal routine. Did anyone experience this kind of growling as there I would realise something is wrong. I know it can take up to six weeks to resolve but with just 1mg for 6 weeks it can have such a devastating effect? It is really disturbing and I am freaking out that something is wrong.
Hello Benson,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the ApoE4 community. I am so sorry for your troubles with melatonin causing diarrhea. I understand how this would make you feel very anxious. Please feel free to keep us posted on your progress.

If you haven't already found it, the Primer is a great place to begin reading more about ApoE4. It was written Stavia, a member and medical doctor. Thankfully she used terms we can understand to teach us about ApoE4.

If you would like, please feel free to introduce yourself on Our Stories Forum. There are many kind and knowledgeable people in the ApoE4 community who are interested in your wellbeing and very supportive on these forums.

How To Get The Most Out Of The ApoE4.Info Website is also a good resource to help you, well..., get the most out of the ApoE4.info website. :)

Sending warm wishes your way that you will soon be feeling much better!

Warmly,
Rachel
RAJ64, BSN, RN
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With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
summer0088
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by summer0088 »

Benson wrote:
Hi Benson! We're so happy to have you here :-)

I'm sorry to hear that your dealing with that. It sounds rough, especially for such a long time period. I hope today there has been an improvement. I can completely imagine how disruptive as well as anxiety-producing that would be. I understand why you feel freaked out. I have seen that some people experiencing digestive distress have found bone broth and/or electrolytes to be helpful.

I hope you have a trusted healthcare worker to reach out to if the symptoms are persisting.

In the meantime, if you haven't already explored the forum, here are some areas that you may find helpful. The "How-to" guide in the wiki link is great and helps to get the most out of the Apoe4 website. You may also want to view the Primer, written by one of our physician members and is a great introduction. Also, feel free to introduce yourself to the community in the Our Stories section.

So happy to have you here, Benson! I look forward to hearing more and hoping your symptoms improve. Take good care of yourself and keep us updated :-)
Last edited by NF52 on Fri Apr 17, 2020 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: adding quote bracket
Loejoe
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by Loejoe »

I am so grateful to have found this post.
I began taking gummy melatonin, believe they were 5mg , around the end of March 2020.
I would take one usually two a night and felt it helped sleep deeper and return to sleep easily when I would usually wake up and stay up around 2-3 in the morning.
I purchased a new bottle of melatonin when that bottle ran out. Looking for the best deal for my money and unable to find the gummies, I purchased a pharmacy brand 10mg dissolving tablet on 4/22.

Wednesday April 23 while sitting in the lunch room at work my stomach let out a loud wailing sound I had never heard before. That was the beginning . Loose watery stool that night , Thursday same , Friday continued. I could always make to bathroom, no other symptoms but voluminous watery. Not to be too graphic but it sounded like I was peeing and it was all loose watery stool. By Saturday night I was up continuously, going going going Sunday morning I was vomiting, I had severe leg cramps.
I am a nurse I was sent for Covid testing due to the cramps.
Covid was negative . Looking back I was so sick I did not take the melatonin Saturday -Tuesday , Wednesday I had my first formed bowel movement in a week. I was so relieved and cleared to go back to work. Wanting a good sleep before working again I took melatonin Thursday , Friday diarrhea. I am going back to work today. I have been lethargic, diarrhea and frustrated. I had stool cultures and O&P done which were negative.
I finally thought hard and realized melatonin was new to me and I found this site. I have not taken the supplement since Friday night my stools are slowly getting formed.
I am so frustrated that none of this is on the bottle no hint of these being a possible issue and I have lost precious time working helping other during this pandemic.
I will never take melatonin again and I will warn others to monitor there dosing, not to use it regularly and personally I would not use it at all.
Thank you so much for this posting it helped .

Loreen
Benson
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by Benson »

It took me three weeks to return to normal. In the posts it says that it can take up to six weeks.
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Tincup
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by Tincup »

I've been experimenting with bulk powdered melatonin. I've taken up to 80 mg and I know people taking over a gram without issue. Wonder if it is the other ingredients?
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by AKA »

Loejoe wrote:I am so grateful to have found this post.
I began taking gummy melatonin, believe they were 5mg , around the end of March 2020.
I would take one usually two a night and felt it helped sleep deeper and return to sleep easily when I would usually wake up and stay up around 2-3 in the morning.
I purchased a new bottle of melatonin when that bottle ran out. Looking for the best deal for my money and unable to find the gummies, I purchased a pharmacy brand 10mg dissolving tablet on 4/22.

Wednesday April 23 while sitting in the lunch room at work my stomach let out a loud wailing sound I had never heard before. That was the beginning . Loose watery stool that night , Thursday same , Friday continued. I could always make to bathroom, no other symptoms but voluminous watery. Not to be too graphic but it sounded like I was peeing and it was all loose watery stool. By Saturday night I was up continuously, going going going Sunday morning I was vomiting, I had severe leg cramps.
I am a nurse I was sent for Covid testing due to the cramps.
Covid was negative . Looking back I was so sick I did not take the melatonin Saturday -Tuesday , Wednesday I had my first formed bowel movement in a week. I was so relieved and cleared to go back to work. Wanting a good sleep before working again I took melatonin Thursday , Friday diarrhea. I am going back to work today. I have been lethargic, diarrhea and frustrated. I had stool cultures and O&P done which were negative.
I finally thought hard and realized melatonin was new to me and I found this site. I have not taken the supplement since Friday night my stools are slowly getting formed.
I am so frustrated that none of this is on the bottle no hint of these being a possible issue and I have lost precious time working helping other during this pandemic.
I will never take melatonin again and I will warn others to monitor there dosing, not to use it regularly and personally I would not use it at all.
Thank you so much for this posting it helped .

Loreen
Welcome to the apoe4 community, Loreen!
First, let me thank you for your dedication and service as a frontline worker during this pandemic. I am amazed at your commitment to return to work as you battled your own issues. I can't imagine your frustration with being so sick and not having answers; good to hear that you found some answers here! Thank you for sharing your experience, it will undoubtedly help others as it adds to the collective narrative on the subject which is how we learn from each other.
It seems with your background and first post that you have been around the site a bit, but I'd like to point out a few areas in case you haven't come across them. For starters, the "How to" get the most out of the Apoe4 website in the Wiki pages is a helpful user-friendly guide for new and not-so-new members. Another area you may want to check out is the Primer under the Getting Started forum. It was written by member physician, Stavia, who gives a thorough look at understanding apoe4 and how to work with it. Finally if you would like to share how you found the apoe4 site, we'd love learn more about you.
Again, welcome to the tribe and take good care,
Andrea
Benson
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by Benson »

It took me three weeks to return to normal. In the posts it says that it can take up to six weeks.
mountaineermd
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by mountaineermd »

The stories are all very similar. I remember how relieved I was when I finally discovered the cause was a side effect from melatonin supplements. I know that it is a naturally occurring hormone, but taking it orally must be the issue. And I have no idea what the incidence of this side effect is, but I do know from my experience and that of several others on this post, stopping melatonin supplements was the solution. Robert Johnson MD
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floramaria
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Re: Unfortunate side effect from melatonin.

Post by floramaria »

Tincup wrote:I've been experimenting with bulk powdered melatonin. I've taken up to 80 mg and I know people taking over a gram without issue. Wonder if it is the other ingredients?
Thanks for the link to the bulk melatonin, Tincup.
I have been taking 5-10 mg of melatonin nightly with no issue, even with the fillers and using various brands. Moving to a powder will simplify things and cut the expense. Are you using a scale or were you able to calculate grams by volume?
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