Posted on 03/26/2023 7:30:49 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Medical sleep treatment may reduce self-harm in young people with anxiety and depression, an observational study suggests. The risk of self-harm increased in the months preceding melatonin prescription and decreased thereafter, especially in girls.
Melatonin is a hormone that controls the sleep-wake cycle and is the most commonly prescribed drug for sleep disturbances in children and adolescents in Sweden. Melatonin use has dramatically increased in recent years.
The study identified over 25,500 children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 18 who were prescribed melatonin in Sweden. Over 87 percent had at least one psychiatric disorder, mainly attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, depression, or autism spectrum disorder. Self-harm was about five times more common in girls than in boys.
The researchers estimated the risks of self-harm in the same individual while on or off medication by comparing the risk in the last unmedicated month with the twelve months after melatonin treatment was initiated. By doing so, they were able to take into account background factors that might affect associations, such as genetics, sleep disorder severity, or psychiatric disorders.
The risk of self-harm increased shortly before melatonin was prescribed and decreased by about half in the months following the initiation of treatment. Risk reduction was particularly evident among adolescent girls with depression and/or anxiety disorders.
"There is currently a youth mental health crisis, and the risk of self-harm and suicide is high," says Sarah Bergen. "Our findings support the hypothesis that sleep interventions may reduce self-harm in this population, especially in girls."
As it was an observational study, it cannot establish a causal relationship between melatonin and reduced self-harm rates. To check whether the use of other medications might have affected the findings, analyses were also carried out which excluded antidepressant users. The results were similar.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
This seems an easy thing to safely try.
I’m just not sure scientist’s understand hormones enough yet.
“This suggests that melatonin might be responsible for the reduced self-harm rates, but we cannot rule out that the use of other psychiatric medications or psychotherapy may have influenced the findings,”
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But the HEADLINE says melatonin.
I also learned there is a crises from the article.
“I’m just not sure scientist’s understand hormones enough yet.”
Agree. Or the endocrine system.
The question arises. Does this merely remove symptoms, or does it block progression through a normal development stage in the child’s life that will burn them later?
Read further..
“To check whether the use of other medications might have affected the findings, analyses were also carried out which excluded antidepressant users. The results were similar.”
I really appreciate the daily articles you post. I have shared them with many people, including Dr’s.
yes, taking away the melatonin has similar results to taking away antidepressants. Why focus just on the melatonin?
Would not the logical conclusion be that BOTH and/or other drugs need to be looked at?
There has been long term meta-analyses done on melatonin. It’s apparently safe with no rebound effect seen with other sleep medications.
>> “This suggests that melatonin might be responsible for the reduced self-harm rates, but we cannot rule out that the use of other psychiatric medications or psychotherapy may have influenced the findings,” <<
>> \——————————————— <<
>> But the HEADLINE says melatonin. <<
Yes, BUT:
“To check whether the use of other medications might have affected the findings, analyses were also carried out which excluded antidepressant users. The results were similar.”
>> There has been long term meta-analyses done on melatonin. It’s apparently safe with no rebound effect seen with other sleep medications. <<
Yes, because it’s actually what the body is SUPPOSED to use for this, but which modern environments prevent from being created in adequate quantities (blue light, phones, late-night stimulation, etc.)
I would note however, that a more-is-better approach from consumers leads most melatonin sellers to use incredibly unnaturally large doses.
I would think low dose melatonin for children who need it would not interfere with development, but I’m no doctor.
I suspect blue light might have a good deal with kids’ needing melatonin these days. I have known several young mothers in recent years who have to give their young children low doses to get them to sleep. These little kids were also spending time in front of screens in the evenings, and blue light from screens is known to interfere with the body’s natural production of melatonin in preparation for bedtime.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
And young children spending too much time in front of screens does seem to affect development:
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-12701-3
I had bad depression for a long time. I had an EEG with a doctor who had read THOUSANDS of EEGs. (He told me that I was a musician, and an engineer without knowing my background, just by looking at my waves). Anyway, he also told me that for a lot of people bad sleep is the root cause of their depression. He recommended getting lots of early morning sunlight (when there’s an overabundance of a particular hue of blue light). He said there are receptors in the eyes specifically to receive this light, and one received, it starts a countdown timer to sleep. If you do this, and listen to your body and sleep, your mood will improve. I did, it did, I stopped taking the SNRIs I was taking.
All that to say that the notion of better sleep to improve mood isn’t a crackpot theory. It really works. The use of melatonin over natural blue light is probably a “I can’t tell them to go outside, so this will have to work” reaction.
You are correct. There are many variables that must be accounted for.
I took many research design methodologies and stastical analysis courses at the university. Even taught classes in statistical analysis of research.
There is a lot of bad research that gets through peer reviewed journal publications.
That’s why replication of studies to verify the original findings is necessary.
Put it in the water instead of flouride!
Melatonin is generally safe for short-term use. Unlike with many sleep medications, with melatonin you are unlikely to become dependent on it, have less response to it after repeated use or experience a hangover effect.
The most common melatonin side effects include:
Headache
Dizziness
Nausea
Daytime drowsiness
Other, less common melatonin side effects might include:
Vivid dreams or nightmares
Short-term feelings of depression
Irritability
Stomach cramps
Diarrhea
Constipation
Decreased appetite
Urinary incontinence at night
Increased risk of falls
Increased risk of seizures
Confusion or disorientation
Mood swings
Reduced alertness
It’s quite helpful for those with either mutations to enzymes responsible for melatonin syntheses or to proteins in the receptor. A chromosome microarray analysis can reveal mutations.
An oddity of melatonin is that more is *not* better. In fact, it is worse. A small dose of it is generally effective, but taking more than that may have the opposite effect. Yet this simple idea just does not register with a lot of people, who cannot resist taking more and more.
What about more physical activity and no social media? I’ll wager that helps too.
“...leads most melatonin sellers to use incredibly unnaturally large doses.”
If I take more than 1/4 of a tablet before bed it isn’t good. If I take even a half tablet I wake up with a headache and dizziness. Someone compared it to a hangover ... IDK.
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