Melatonin appears to cause very few side-effects in the short term, up to three months, when healthy people take it at low doses. A systematic review reduced blood flow, and hypothermia.
Melatonin can cause somnolence (drowsiness), and, therefore, caution should be shown when driving, operating machinery, etc.
In individuals with auto-immune disorders, there is conflicting evidence that melatonin supplementation may either ameliorate or exacerbate symptoms due to immunomodulation.
Individuals experiencing orthostatic intolerance, a cardiovascular condition that results in reduced blood pressure and blood flow to the brain when a person stands, may experience a worsening of symptoms when taking melatonin supplements, a study at Penn State College of Medicine's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center suggests.
Melatonin can exacerbate symptoms by reducing nerve activity in those experiencing the condition, the study found.
The use of melatonin derived from animal pineal tissue may carry the risk of contamination or the means of transmitting viral material.
The synthetic form of this medication does not carry this risk.
Further Reading
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article on
"Melatonin"
All material adapted used from Wikipedia is available under the terms of the
GNU Free Documentation License.
Wikipedia® itself is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.