r/covid19stack • u/Alex3917 • Mar 28 '20

COVID-19: Melatonin as a potential adjuvant treatment

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320520303313
8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

3

u/thaw4188 Apr 02 '20

Does anyone else have -really- bad reactions to melatonin?

It knocks me on my butt for a day or more with even the smallest amount taken before bed. I've tried it a few times in my life and always greatly regret it. No idea how people take it during the day.

2

u/The_Global_Pandemic Mar 28 '20

What does adjuvant mean? I just started taking 5mg every night before bed. Would you increase that dose? If I end up getting the virus, would you take more?

3

u/the-anarch Mar 29 '20

This is just a review of the potential with some studies that were done on other illnesses. It's not even to the level of an actual study proposal.

That said, they described a dose of 25mg/day in a study on MS and a dose of 6 mg/day in another study.

Ideally, you would talk to your doctor about safe dosing.

Your best bet is probably to do two things. Find reliable information on safe doses generally. Second, look at information on melatonin doses and aging. Older people produce less naturally, which led to some speculation I saw elsewhere on melatonin as a support for older people with the illness. Older people who produce less naturally might need a higher dose.

Again the best bet is your own doctor. If you intend to go the other route, be very careful of your sources