Melatonin while nursing

wieb67

Does anyone know if melatonin is safe to take while nursing? I've had the worst insomnia but can't find much info on this.

eggmankate

I too suffered from a bad case of insomnia around 4months PP (DD is 11 months now). Let me know if you need any other tips. Mine was all anxiety related related to a sleep "phobia" I developed.

I looked into Melatonin and found the general consensus to be a mixed bag. I think it could potentially impact supply due to hormone shifts. I avoided it for that reason. A tip I learned from someone (who is not an expert so take it with a grain of salt) that Melatonin needs to be taken in the late afternoon as opposed to right before bed to give it a few hours for Melatonin levels to rise. I also heard that it needs to be taken for several weeks before it starts to work.

vvvvvfee

from what i've read, the worry is more about the purity of the supplements rather than the actual melatonin, since they are unregulated.

you could try sleepytime tea, or even a hot toddy (one shot of bourbon, mixed with hot water and honey, and throw in a lemon slice and a couple of cloves).

ishknits

I took melatonin everyday while I was pregnant... Usually 5mg. My OB knew about it and never warned me against it. My baby was born totally healthy. And I never had pregnancy insomnia.
Melatonin is released in your body. If you spent all day at the beach your body would release the melatonin anyway.

I haven't taken it during nursing because I know I'm gonna have to get up in like 3 hours. I used to work on a research study at UPenn that studied children (7yo+) with lots of disorders.. Many of those kids took melatonin everyday so I believe it's safe for kids. I know your baby is much younger but I don't think it should be a problem, personally. I've never had a professional tell me otherwise.

ishknits

Also to the poster above... I always took it at bedtime bc it conked me out in like 15-20 mins. The only time it wouldn't work was when I previously napped

eggmankate

ishknits said:

Also to the poster above... I always took it at bedtime bc it conked me out in like 15-20 mins. The only time it wouldn't work was when I previously napped

Interesting-yes! Melatonin never worked for me to just take it on any isolated day at bedtime. I'm curious if it ever would've worked for me if I took it several hours before bedtime consistently. But I never wanted to take it long term.

wieb67

vvvvvfee said:

from what i've read, the worry is more about the purity of the supplements rather than the actual melatonin, since they are unregulated.

you could try sleepytime tea, or even a hot toddy (one shot of bourbon, mixed with hot water and honey, and throw in a lemon slice and a couple of cloves).

Um, yes. Any excuse to drink bourbon! I ended up taking the melatonin and no insomnia since!! Could totally be a placebo effect but I'm not complaining Will tell my husband I can't sleep tonight so he makes me a hot toddy.