Melatonin & Jet Lag
Dec 3, 2000 | 1:45 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 9
Melatonin & Jet Lag
This new Yale study says melatonin is useless for jet lag:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/2000...latonin_2.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/2000...latonin_2.html
Dec 3, 2000 | 12:25 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Posts: 30
Thanks for quoting my institution!
I used to take melatonin for jet lag as well, but I have since learned a number of reasons to avoid it.
As you probably know, the US Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate dietary supplements like melatonin. Unlike prescription drugs, nobody has to prove that the stuff works, that the substance is pure, or that what's in one bottle is the same as the next bottle. The only authority that the FDA has is to pull an unsafe product from the market. There's no "pre-market" approval.
This lack of regulation gained some publicity with the supplement tryptophan. Like melatonin, tryptophan was promoted as a sleep aid. Turns out that a number of trytophan users developed a serious, debilitating, and rare disease called eosonophilia-myalgia syndrome. Researchers discovered that the syndrome was not a result of tryptophan, but a result of a contaminant in the tablets. This SAME CONTAMINANT HAS BEEN FOUND IN MELATONIN.
So melatonin is not only been shown to be ineffective in animal studies, but it's potentally dangerous.
What to do about jet-lag? There are no quick-fix answers. Eating light, getting some exercise, and drinking plenty of water are certainly helpful. There are also a number of new generation hypnotics (Ambien, Sonata, etc.) that some people find useful.
Thought this information might be helpful.
I used to take melatonin for jet lag as well, but I have since learned a number of reasons to avoid it.
As you probably know, the US Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate dietary supplements like melatonin. Unlike prescription drugs, nobody has to prove that the stuff works, that the substance is pure, or that what's in one bottle is the same as the next bottle. The only authority that the FDA has is to pull an unsafe product from the market. There's no "pre-market" approval.
This lack of regulation gained some publicity with the supplement tryptophan. Like melatonin, tryptophan was promoted as a sleep aid. Turns out that a number of trytophan users developed a serious, debilitating, and rare disease called eosonophilia-myalgia syndrome. Researchers discovered that the syndrome was not a result of tryptophan, but a result of a contaminant in the tablets. This SAME CONTAMINANT HAS BEEN FOUND IN MELATONIN.
So melatonin is not only been shown to be ineffective in animal studies, but it's potentally dangerous.
What to do about jet-lag? There are no quick-fix answers. Eating light, getting some exercise, and drinking plenty of water are certainly helpful. There are also a number of new generation hypnotics (Ambien, Sonata, etc.) that some people find useful.
Thought this information might be helpful.
Dec 3, 2000 | 5:08 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: New York
Posts: 7
What I do is use No-Jet-Lag, a homeopathic from New Zealand, it works.
Have a look at the site lots of good information and studies: http://www.nojetlag.com
Have a look at the site lots of good information and studies: http://www.nojetlag.com
Dec 3, 2000 | 7:29 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Chicago,IL USA
Posts: 447
Most vitamins are not approved by the FDA for a very good reason...the monetary damage to drug companies would be substanial,that is vitamins do help.
I have used melatonin for a number of years for jet lag. It does work, but my side affect is vivid dreams.
I effectively used melatonin last week for my 1 week 24,000 mile run.Don't use it every day.
Another sleep aid that I use is EX - Stress,made by Nature's Way vitamin. Very effective without any downsides.
One more comment about vitamins,Vitamin E has been extensively tested to show a 50 -80% decrease in heart attacks if taken everyday,for several years. So, don't put a whole lot of trust in the FDA, until you study the proof.
Dec 3, 2000 | 11:42 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Programs: AA, UA, WN, HH, Marriott
Posts: 7,293
I have had the same response to melatonin as SEEYOU. It works for me, and I also get those vivid dreams, as do many others I've talked with.
I would also take the study reported as just one of many, and there are at least a dozen or more reports in the literature, in both humans and other mammals, that show clearly that melatonin does phase shift and reset the circadian clock.
I would also take the study reported as just one of many, and there are at least a dozen or more reports in the literature, in both humans and other mammals, that show clearly that melatonin does phase shift and reset the circadian clock.
Dec 4, 2000 | 5:54 pm
#6
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Posts: 30
Don't get me wrong, I took melatonin occasionally for a few years and I'm convinced that it alleviated jet lag.
The biggest problem with the Yale study is that it was done in baboons. I don't know of any baboons who are Star Alliance Gold, so it's hard to generalize the results to humans.
When it comes to clinical evidence, however, the studies are unconvincing. There was an article last year in the American Journal of Psychiatry in which 250 Norwegian physicians received melatonin and flew to New York for 5 days. Another 250 physicians served as controls. There was no significant difference on a standard questionnaire for jet lag symptoms.
The Norwegian study, the Yale study--and others before them--didn't say that melatonin is useless. They just said that there needs to be further study. There was a great article in the journal "Sleep," that argued for long-term, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies. It's the only sure-fire way to prove if a drug works.
My reasons for discontinuing melatonin derived from safety concerns. The Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association published an article in which they compared melatonin on the market with the USP standards. Turns out that there was significant variation in the quality and purity of what's being sold. This is definite cause for concern. There haven't been a huge number of adverse events reported with melatonin, but there is great risk with dietary supplements.
Fortunately, the FDA now has an Office of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, which is studying the effects of substances like melatonin, gingko biloba, etc. It's a small office, but a step in the right direction.
The vitamin E issue is similarly contentious in the medical community. Like melatonin, the jury is still out. The problem is that vitamin E can increase the risk of stroke but decrease the risk of coronary heart disease. The current research is trying to find the right dose of vitamin E for heart disease prevention.
[This message has been edited by Little Matt (edited 12-04-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Little Matt (edited 12-04-2000).]
The biggest problem with the Yale study is that it was done in baboons. I don't know of any baboons who are Star Alliance Gold, so it's hard to generalize the results to humans.
When it comes to clinical evidence, however, the studies are unconvincing. There was an article last year in the American Journal of Psychiatry in which 250 Norwegian physicians received melatonin and flew to New York for 5 days. Another 250 physicians served as controls. There was no significant difference on a standard questionnaire for jet lag symptoms.
The Norwegian study, the Yale study--and others before them--didn't say that melatonin is useless. They just said that there needs to be further study. There was a great article in the journal "Sleep," that argued for long-term, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies. It's the only sure-fire way to prove if a drug works.
My reasons for discontinuing melatonin derived from safety concerns. The Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association published an article in which they compared melatonin on the market with the USP standards. Turns out that there was significant variation in the quality and purity of what's being sold. This is definite cause for concern. There haven't been a huge number of adverse events reported with melatonin, but there is great risk with dietary supplements.
Fortunately, the FDA now has an Office of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, which is studying the effects of substances like melatonin, gingko biloba, etc. It's a small office, but a step in the right direction.
The vitamin E issue is similarly contentious in the medical community. Like melatonin, the jury is still out. The problem is that vitamin E can increase the risk of stroke but decrease the risk of coronary heart disease. The current research is trying to find the right dose of vitamin E for heart disease prevention.
[This message has been edited by Little Matt (edited 12-04-2000).]
[This message has been edited by Little Matt (edited 12-04-2000).]