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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by alexandra_k on January 10, 2014, at 23:31:48
not sure whether this belongs here or on alternative...
anyone have any experiences to share? I will look into how expensive it is...
it has been suggested to help me sleep... maybe it might reduce the number of hours i need to spend sleeping (maybe i'm getting less actual sleep than i think).
i'm interested, too, in something i saw on wiki about it reducing follicle stimulating hormone...
i do have some kind of hormonal issue... what is it... let me think... testosterone in normal range... free t (t4?) is normal... but elevated t3 (so actually t4 should be being overproduced if it was doing what it is being signalled to do)... which suggests maybe a pituitary tumor or something... occasionally my gp's will make a bit of a thing of this... i'm at risk of... hyperthyroidism or something. i have lots of facial hair, too (which i remove with tweezers) but... this needs to be done daily... so i hate to think of how much there would be if i didn't remove it... low levels of skin inflammation all the time... i actually went on roacutane for a while when i was in aussie after having a cyst removed from my face :(
but i forgot to take it... it was clearing things up... reducing ear wax etc... but it made me feel a little wired and i started to feel scared about my mood so i sort of started forgetting to take it.... things have gone back to how they were, now.
i think i have a pot belly, too. which reduces (i think) when i lay off gluten. so i do try and lay off gluten. but even elimating gluten and eating really very clean indeed (as in: meat, veges (not so much root veges) and only a little dairy - which i'm fairly sure i'm fine with) doesn't clear up my skin properly..
anyway... melatonin... yeah.
Posted by David Hanifin on January 11, 2014, at 0:02:53
In reply to melatonin, posted by alexandra_k on January 10, 2014, at 23:31:48
Hi Alexandra, I'm not sue about your overall situation but there is a newer novel antidepressant on the market called valdoxan (agomelatine). It is said to help with the body's sleep wake cycle by increasing melatonin at bed time therefore posdibly getting more REM sleep. Here is the wiki link for you. If it interests you, talk it over with your doc and or specialist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agomelatine
David Hanifin
Posted by Tomatheus on January 11, 2014, at 1:14:20
In reply to melatonin, posted by alexandra_k on January 10, 2014, at 23:31:48
Alexandra_k,
I've tried taking melatonin in various doses at different stages of my illness to help me initiate sleep. I don't recall noticing much of anything the first time I took melatonin, but taking it during the period of time when my fatigue and hypersomnia were at their worst seemed to just intensify those symptoms. It probably seems contradictory that I took melatonin at all, given my hypersomnia, but I don't so much fall asleep easily as much as I have extreme difficulty waking up and a what seems to be a need for excessive sleep, especially when my hypersomnia was at its worst and untreated. I will say that when I had a response to melatonin that was less than desirable, I seemed to have even more difficulty waking up than I did at the time without the supplement, so I tend to think that it might not help you reduce the amount of sleep but instead possibly have the opposite effect. Then again, this is based on one person's experience with melatonin (mine) and may not be reflective of how a larger population of individuals (or you) would respond to the supplement.
Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions about what I've written.
Best wishes,
Tomatheus
Posted by bleauberry on January 11, 2014, at 5:56:32
In reply to melatonin, posted by alexandra_k on January 10, 2014, at 23:31:48
Melatonin works well for many people, but with a more difficult population such as pbabble it can be insufficient.
It is definitely worth trying because it can work and it is cheap and easy. And who knows, one of its other mechanisms might help your other concerns as well.
I probably would not approach it as a big gun that is going to do a bunch of fantastic stuff on its own, but as part of an overall plan I think it plays a good role.
Posted by SLS on January 11, 2014, at 7:50:35
In reply to Re: melatonin, posted by Tomatheus on January 11, 2014, at 1:14:20
Melatonin can cause depression. It did so with me.
For enhancing sleep, melatonin is not always best taken immediately before bed. Believe it or not, some people find that it works best when taken in the late morning or early afternoon. My guess is that it helps to synchronize the master clock (formally X-Clock) with the other biological clocks (mostly endocrine) that are now known to exist. Some trial-and-error is necessary. On the average, the time to take melatonin ranges between 30 and 60 minutes before bed; the ideal time for bed being between 10:00pm and 11:00pm. In general, melatonin should peak at approximately 2:00 AM and decrease throughout the rest of the night. For this reason, I have my doubts if an extended release version of melatonin is truly best.
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on January 11, 2014, at 9:22:45
In reply to melatonin, posted by alexandra_k on January 10, 2014, at 23:31:48
Alex have you ever had an MRI of the pituitary I did and have a micro adenoma which the endocrinologist said is okay. But my understanding it that a macro adenoma of pituitary can also cause milk? So it would effect your hormones. An excess of testosterone causes excess facial hair. Can you get a work up from an endocrinologist? seems that the thyroid and pituitary are also closely linked. Did the gp suggest follow up? Just curious. Phillipa
Posted by alexandra_k on January 11, 2014, at 14:09:48
In reply to Re: melatonin » alexandra_k, posted by Phillipa on January 11, 2014, at 9:22:45
thanks for the responses.
apparently one of the genes they are looking into for autism is... something something about a precursor to melatonin. so it is possible that some of the symptoms that are often associated with autism (among other things, of course) could be in some way related to low levels of melatonin.
so... might be worth trying in my case to see if it can help regulate my sleeping / waking. i'm having trouble sleeping these days... i expect i'm still adjusting to the road noise and people noise (there are some maaori / pacific island people around somewhere doing the bird calling thing chattering to each other through much of the night. can't figure whether they are out and about on the streets or whether they are my side of the building a couple flights down... it was starting to drive me bonkers last night... bring on the winter when i can keep my windows shut...
> Alex have you ever had an MRI of the pituitary I did and have a micro adenoma which the endocrinologist said is okay. But my understanding it that a macro adenoma of pituitary can also cause milk? So it would effect your hormones. An excess of testosterone causes excess facial hair. Can you get a work up from an endocrinologist? seems that the thyroid and pituitary are also closely linked. Did the gp suggest follow up? Just curious. Phillipa
no i haven't had a MRI. i'm not sure if i could now because of the titanium in my legs?
give me a minute...
low TSH. that was it. normal t3 and t4. because my t3 and t4 are normal i don't have symptoms of hyperthyroidism... the concern is that since my TSH is low i should have lower than normal t3 and t4. but i don't... which suggests that t production is working independently from the TSH signal (isn't being down-regulated as it should be) which suggests... somewhere in the circuit is broken. they guessed maybe pituitary tumor (probably benign) or i guess it could be a brain tumor, too, not that they mentioned that...
because T3 and T4 are normal they said there isn't actually a problem. but there is something a bit messed up, yeah. their reccommendation was for me to get my TSH and T3 and T4 levels regularly checked to keep an eye on things. and to keep an eye out for symptoms of hyperthyroidism in particular (they don't want to remove my thyroid unless they have to).
at least... that was where things stood when i got a blood workup in aussie. and i remembered some mutterings about possible pituitary / benign brain tumor before i left...
hur.
i guess i will give the melatonin a go... just... stop by the pharmacy and see what they have? not prescription here apparently
Posted by Phillipa on January 11, 2014, at 21:31:11
In reply to Re: melatonin, posted by alexandra_k on January 11, 2014, at 14:09:48
Metal with MRI no good. I wonder if Cat Scan can see that soft tissue? Why not just get another thyroid work up now with an endocrinologist? Phillipa
Posted by Jay_Original1 on January 13, 2014, at 11:13:46
In reply to melatonin, posted by alexandra_k on January 10, 2014, at 23:31:48
Hi Alex:
I have used melatonin in the past, when I was having really bad mania or super-anxiety. I would take larger than normal doses, like 10-15mg range. But be super-careful, because it can bring on bad depression. Best of luck!
Jay
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