The number of Americans using melatonin is skyrocketing, but some experts warn that overuse of the drug could be devastating.
A joint US-China research team representing the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Peking University found that the number of Americans using the drug — mostly as a sleep aid — quadrupled from 2009 to 2018.
While it’s okay to take over-the-counter melatonin from time to time, experts worry that some people who use it daily do so without knowing the potential negative long-term side effects.
There are no serious existing studies on the long-term effects of melatonin, but experts fear there may be several negative side effects of regular use of the drug, and it could even potentially increase a person’s risk of dementia in older age.
The study found that the number of Americans using melatonin quadrupled from 2009 to 2018, with more than 2% of respondents using the drug in 2017 or 2018.
The researchers, who published the results last month in JAMA, found that more than two percent of American adults used melatonin in 2017 and 2018.
Less than ten years earlier, from 2009 to 2010, only 0.5 percent of adults reported using the drug.
While in 2009 hardly any American consumed five milligrams or more of the drug daily, in 2009 about 0.3 percent did.
“These estimates may raise safety concerns, especially given that the actual melatonin content of marketed supplements can be up to 478 percent higher than the claimed content, and that the evidence supporting the use of melatonin for sleep disorders is weak,” the researchers wrote. .
The drug has become trendy in recent years, to the concerns of some health experts.
Because the drug is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, there is a possibility that doses are higher than advertised, meaning that someone is taking more of the drug than intended.
Melatonin is a perfectly safe drug that can be used in moderation and is available without a prescription, as few people fear that someone will harm themselves by abusing it.
However, a person who uses it at night may face dangerous health defects in the future.
The National Institutes of Health has linked the drug to dementia and a slightly shorter life expectancy, although there are no conclusive studies to support this case.
The researchers write that, if anything, the recent surge in people taking the drug daily may actually provide the world with valuable research in the future.
“The growing use of exogenous melatonin in the general population and its expanding therapeutic potential provide a push towards robust evidence for the long-term safety of melatonin supplementation,” they write.
Melatonin has become a popular sleep aid in the US, and while its occasional use is safe, some experts worry that regular use may be associated with an increased risk of dementia or early death.
The drug is effective against insomnia, jet lag, and other conditions that can disrupt a person’s sleep schedule.
For this study, the researchers collected data from more than 55,000 adults from 1999 to 2018.
In groups of 4,800 to 6,200 participants were asked about their melatonin use.
While the drug is still very low – two percent usage is still less than a tenth of the number of Americans who use painkillers like Tylenol – the recent surge in use shows that melatonin is slowly becoming part of more people’s lives.
Other reported symptoms of melatonin include drowsiness, headaches, agitation, and even bedwetting in rare cases.
However, the drug has some value and is generally a safe sleep aid that can help people struggling with insomnia, jet lag, anxiety, or other similar conditions.
Benefits have also been reported, but not proven, for Alzheimer’s sufferers who use it.