Dr. Weeks Comment: We have seen this before. (GHB, Tryptophan, Vitamin A and D and CBD etc)
When a natural, unpatentable, centsible (safe, effective and cost effective) agent which is not very profitable to big pHARMa becomes popular enough that it steals significant money from business, it gets the typical smear treatment: after being ignored doesn’t kill it, big pHARMa criticizes it (see below) in order to set the stage to urge the FDA to remove it from the market. Melatonin diverted $400 million dollars away from big pHARMa in 2018:
“US consumers reportedly spending more than $400 million on melatonin supplements in 2018.”
so its days are numbered UNLESS you get politically active. But if you have cancer, better get some now…
Melatonin ‘Should Be a Last Resort’ in Tackling Sleep Issues
Experts say that other issues pertaining to poor sleep quality, such as light exposure and certain behaviors, should be tackled ahead of resorting to use of the hormone melatonin to regulate sleep.
But if it is used, an individual’s daily onset of natural melatonin production should be taken into account before deciding on an appropriate dose to supplement, they say.
Melatonin, which is available over-the-counter in the United States but restricted in other developed countries, is typically recommended acutely for sleep schedules thrown off by, for example, jet lag or chronically for certain circadian rhythm disorders.
It has also been touted as something close to a panacea, with some even suggesting it can treat cancer, cognitive dysfunction, and obesity.
However, it is the explosion in the use of melatonin to regulate general sleep in otherwise healthy individuals that has led to US consumers reportedly spending more than $400 million on melatonin supplements in 2018.
This has raised concerns over its safety among healthcare professionals and led to questions as to whether the hormone should be taken for jet lag at all and whether its use should be restricted in children.