Melatonin While Pregnant?

[familyaffair]

Hi All,

So, I'm about 4.5 weeks pregnant and I've been taking 3mgs of Melatonin every night to help me sleep. My psychiatrist who recommended it said it was fine to take while pregnant, and so did the nurse that I left a message with at my OBs office a few days ago. BUT, everywhere I look online, and all the anecdotal things I read about it say not to take it while pregnant or breastfeeding. So, I'm torn. Do I listen to my pdoc and OB? Do I call my general family practitioner for a 3rd opinion? Do I listen to all the other mamas on online forums who say not to take it? Is there anybody here who has taken it?

PS I can't take benadryl because it gives me shakes/tremors.

[MaerynPearl]

What have you tried that was not medical?

I took melatonin pre-pregnancy but refuse to do so while pregnant because the risks are not known and there ARE other things I can take (such as Calms Forte, drink some sleepy time tea and take a warm bath with lavender before bed... knocks me out most nights!)

[Peony]

I'm another one who refuses to take it while pg. For the record I do not alter my life at all while pg except for the the melatonin, I still drink coffee, eat nitrates if I want to, soft cheeses, and even a drink here and there. I am not one to do something just because, but I could not find data supporting that it was safe for my liking. Other things do not work except for Tylenol PM which oddly never works except then I am pg. I take one every other night during my pgs. I do take melatonin while bfing since the dosage getting to the baby is minimal compared to during pg.

[EnchantedMamma]

Wow... for a minute I thought I wrote this post!

My psychiatrist said the same thing about it being FINE. And then before I went to buy it I did a quick Google and decided to double check. He recommended melatonin again, but called back 5 min later to say that he'd researched (duh!) and found the same warnings due to lack of info and suggested maybe I shouldn't take it after all...

So... I'm taking Benadryl. I don't know what else would work for you, but here are some that also help me:

-Night Night tea by Traditional Medicinals. Has Passionflower, chamomile, hops, etc. MY midwife ok'd it, you might check with yours. I would say this does a pretty decent job for me.

-Warm milk and honey. The sugar and calcium may be part of what helps. Love this and some light reading.

-Can you take something else like Claritin? It doesn't knock me out like Benadryl, but I think it may make my sleep a hair deeper...

-Also, a big Snoogle/c-shaped body pillow can be cozy and help alleviate any discomfort that might be preventing sleep!

If you hear of other options post them! I have pretty aggravating sleep issues too. I can get to sleep, it's getting GOOD sleep that's a problem.

I feel your pain!

[fujbeck]

I used to take it every night before I was pregnant as well. After reading some things online about possible negative effects on the baby, I decided it wasn't worth the risk to take it anymore. I am actually so tired from being pregnant these days that I don't need it though. I knock out pretty quickly! But the fatigue didn't kick in until a little past 6 weeks.

I read Chamomile is a good herb for pregnancy. Maybe try a little Chamomile tea before bed?

[StoriesInTheSoil]

Tension Tamer Tea or a Cal/Mag supplement before bed might be good options to try

[StarMama]

Have you tried Unisom? I take benadryl because the sleepiness doesn't wear off for me after a few doses (unlike unisom, my body adjusts) but sounds like that isn't a good choice shakiness does not equal a good nights sleep!

I also take a cal/mag supplement before bed as well.

[familyaffair]

Thanks guys. I've struggled with insomnia for years, this isn't a pregnancy thing, and I've tried every kind of tea there is, guided meditation, and half a dozen sleeping pills and melatonin is the only thing that works. I don't know what to do. I just can't get over that something like Unisom would be okay, but melatonin wouldn't. And I don't know why my psych and the nurse and my OB/midwife office would say it's okay if it's really not. But, I just can't shake that worry/doubt.

I was hoping I'd be like you fujbeck. I'm so tired during the day I could fall asleep at a stoplight while driving, so you would think that I would finally be able to sleep at night. But, nope.

[Jayray]

A friend of mine gave me these orange glasses that are supposed to stimulate melatonin production. You wear them for an hour or so before going to bed and it's supposed to help you sleep. I've actually never tried them, so I don't know how well they would work for you--but it probably couldn't hurt to try.

If you want the name of the company, I could try to find it.

I have also seen herbal tinctures for sleep during pregnancy. I think valerian root is safe during pregnancy, too. Although I had a friend with insomnia who tried it. She said it made her feel calm, but not necessarily sleepy.

[familyaffair]

Originally Posted by Jayray

A friend of mine gave me these orange glasses that are supposed to stimulate melatonin production. You wear them for an hour or so before going to bed and it's supposed to help you sleep. I've actually never tried them, so I don't know how well they would work for you--but it probably couldn't hurt to try.

If you want the name of the company, I could try to find it.

I have also seen herbal tinctures for sleep during pregnancy. I think valerian root is safe during pregnancy, too. Although I had a friend with insomnia who tried it. She said it made her feel calm, but not necessarily sleepy.

I would definitely be interested in those orange glasses! I'm sure my husband would make fun of me but that's okay.

I'm also going to call my doctors tomorrow and leave a message and ask if they could tell me why they believe melatonin to be safe, you know, elaborate a little more on their initial "yes" answer.

Thanks again ladies! Send me some sleepy vibes for tonight!

[roslyn]

I didn't know it was okay to take Benadryl. I used to take it every night before I got pregnant because I have insomnia also, but I stopped. I'm still in the first trimester though, so I think I'll wait. Is the cal/mag supplement okay even in the first trimester? Honestly, I've had to take a nap every day because I'm not sleeping well at night. My husband booted me out to the guest bedroom because I toss and turn all night.

[familyaffair]

I called the Pregnancy Exposure Risk Hotline [phone] and spoke with the nicest woman from Mission Hospital who was part of the genetic and teratology counseling panel. She said it was totally safe to take melatonin while pregnant. She said she would email me something in writing about it and if she ever does I'll post it here.

[MamaTaz]

Just wanted to follow up to see how the rest of your pregnancy was and if the melatonin had any effect on the baby.  It would be helpful to know as I also am planning a pregnancy and I can't sleep without melatonin.  Thanks.

[Delgadomom4]

This is a great article to read, it explains some things about Melatonin (benefits and dangers) In the end it is all debatable.  You might also want to find out if the reason you suffer from insomnia is because your brain isn't producing enough melatonin. Maybe you can do some research for natural ways to help your brain produce more melatonin. I'm sorry you struggle with Insomnia. Not being able to sleep really sucks because it affects your whole day! Hope you find a resolution.

[deborahbgkelly]

There's no link to the article, Delgadomom4.

[Delgadomom4]

Originally Posted by deborahbgkelly 

There's no link to the article, Delgadomom4.

Duh :smackforehead: sorry about that. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/before-you-close-your-eyes-make-sure-theyre-open/#axzz2I6kK8UQx