From the Guidelines
Melatonin Doses and Administration
The doses of melatonin used in the studies are 3 mg and 10 mg, administered at night 1.
- The 3 mg dose was used in two studies, one of which evaluated sleep using actigraphy, and the other compared melatonin to placebo in patients admitted to the ICU with chronic respiratory failure 1.
- The 10 mg dose was used in a study that evaluated the administration of melatonin at night to patients in the ICU having chronic respiratory failure, and found nonsignificant improvements in both sleep quality and quantity 1.
- Another study used 2 mg of melatonin, specifically a prolonged release formulation, compared to placebo, but this study was not specifically mentioned as one of the studies 4,5,6,7, or 8 1.
- The administration method of melatonin in these studies was oral, with the medication taken at night to help improve sleep quality and duration.
It's worth noting that the evidence for the use of melatonin in these studies is limited, and the quality of the evidence is generally considered to be low or very low 1. Therefore, the use of melatonin for sleep disorders should be approached with caution and considered on a case-by-case basis.
From the FDA Drug Label
The FDA drug label does not answer the question.
From the Research
Melatonin Doses and Administration Methods
The provided studies do not specifically mention the doses of melatonin and its administration method in studies 4,5,6,7, and 8. However, the following information can be gathered from the available studies:
- Study 2 mentions that the effective melatonin doses varied according to each age group, from:
- 0.5 to 3 mg in children
- 3 to 5 mg in adolescents
- 1 to 5 mg in adults
- 1 to 6 mg in elderly people
- Study 3 evaluated a variety of melatonin doses, 0.5 mg to 10 mg, and their effects on sleep in older adults, with doses of melatonin between 1 mg and 6 mg appearing to be effective for improving sleep in older adults
- Study 4 used night-time milk containing 10-40 ng/l melatonin, which is equivalent to a very low dose of melatonin, approximately 0.005-0.02 mg per 0.5 l of milk
- Studies 5 and 6 do not provide specific dose information for studies 4,5,6,7, and 8, but mention that the optimal dose of melatonin is not clear and that most studies have used doses that produce supraphysiological blood levels 5, 6