Frequently Asked Questions

This will depend on your reason for use. The physiological dose is 0.3-1.0 mg, the pharmacological dose is up to 10 mg and high doses are greater than 10 mg. Always check with your healthcare provider to determine the right dose for you.

While research continues to emerge on the dosing of melatonin, it is important to know that higher doses, such as 100 mg /day, is largely based on animal studies for the cytoprotective effects or human studies are short-term to assess the safety and adverse effects, rather than clinical utility. When assessing the safety of these high doses, this was a short-time period, sometimes as little as 1 dose.

Presently there is interest in using high doses of melatonin in the hospital or supervised clinical setting for cancer, active infection, (i.e., COVID-19) and sepsis.

At this time, long-term studies, defined as 2 years, have been completed on doses of 8-10 mg daily without any safety concerns being reported. Some studies have looked at longer time periods for certain health conditions.

As with all supplements and medications, it is always suggested that you speak to your doctor about what you are taking, especially if you have any health concerns. Visit the contraindications page for more information.

Melatonin, as a whole, has a very nice safety profile. There are limited (and rare) direct side effects documented in the literature, and some theoretical possibilities may arise. Visit the safety page for more information.

Regardless of the dose, it is advised to follow a schedule that imitates the normal circadian rhythm, therefore, taking it 30-60 minutes before bedtime will be suitable for most people.

Research studies have shown that melatonin from supplementation does not impact endogenous production. However, high-dose long-term use of melatonin could potentially reduce sensitivity of receptor sites and create a need for higher doses of melatonin to achieve the same benefits.