Fight Aging!

I took melatonin pills at night for a couple years to help me get to sleep. They work! Problem is, 5 years ago I started getting terrible joint paints - so bad I couldn't open a door, hold a can of Coke or Drive. I ended up at a rheumatologist who told me I had an autoimmune disease, and melatonin was the likely culprit. Turns out those little over-the-counter supplement pills have THOUSANDS, nay, tens of thousands, of the amount of melatonin as your body is supposed to have, and it's a hormone; it affects many systems in the body. It is not some harmless little sleep aid or health enhancer. Oh well, too late, at least for me: once you have an autoimmune disease, it never goes away, it can only be managed. Beware of anything and everything related to melatonin; I speak from experience.

There is some question as to the exact mechanism there. It may be the case that melatonin speeds an existing progression towards autoimmunity by enhancing immune action in general. For example:

http://pmid.us/15589043

Lance....same thing with me kind of
Developed knee pain and swelling in both knees following a blow to the right knee 6 years ago. Not only didnt go away but spread.Lotta pain in multiple joints now but no swelling and specialist won't diagnose without swelling. Was taking melatonin at the time but don't know wheather that was the proximate cause.

Do not use Melatonin
It caused me to have terrible joint pain
I stopped and it all went away. The doctors told me I have fibromyalgia, I was very sick for a year. I stopped taking Melatonin and it all went away
BEWARE ....

I've stopped taking 10mg Melatonin 7 days ago and my hip pain has diminished considerably, we'll keep track and see how it goes!

I went to Britain on a holiday and was told to take Melitonin for sleep due to time change took it off and on for two weeks now my joints in my ankles are so sore. Thought it was from all the walking. Now I'm home not as much walking not taking Melitonin still have pain only while in bed trying to sleep. So took Melitonin last night to sleep better. The pain in my ankles are even worse this morning. So maybe Melitonin is the side effect to my pain?

I've been taking melatonin as a sleep aid for approximately 2 months. Aabout a month ago my right knee started to become painful such that I found it difficult to get off to sleep. A few days ago the left knee started to ache . I've read some of these comments I've been taking 3 msg per night but I'm ceasing now and hoping the pain subsides.ive also been very lethargic during the day of late and think this lack of energy must be connected.

A quick update I didn't take melatonin last night and I have a lot less pain in the knees I'm hoping getting the melatonin out of the system will fix it

These comments are really interesting for me. I took melatonin for sleep over a long period. I had terrible hip pain at night in bed. I started noticing that when I took melatonin the pain was worse. I was just browsing the internet to see if anyone had the same experience and sure enough...
I have so many auto immune things going on too. Makes you wonder if it's because of the auto immune stuff that it affects me like this, or if it did actually cause it all! I actually don't think it caused it all, I was diagnosed with endometriosis 35 years ago, long before I took any melatonin!

I took melatonin for 3 days, liquid, half of a milligram. I have such bad pain on my joints. I stopped for 2days, now I can lift arms again. I wasn't sure it was connected until I took it last night. This morning I can't lift my arms again. Shoulder pain, wrist and finger pain, ankle pain and hip pain came right back. Gaba mite be better. I'm definitely not interested on debilitating pain. So I won't be taking it again. Lesson learned.

I took one-half of a 2.5 mg melatonin tablet before bedtime for the first time a week ago. It didn't make me drowsy, so I eventually fell asleep in my usual way. After about four hours of sleep I awakened with intense, aching bilateral thigh and leg pain, 5 or 6 on a scale of 10 in intensity. The pain seemed to be entirely muscular. By my usual rising time the pain had abated, but since it had kept me awake for so many hours I was badly fatigued the following day. And that concludes my interest in melatonin.

For the past year or so, I've been taking between 5 to 10mg of Melatonin. Last night, for some reason, I decided not to take it as it didn't seem to be working that great anyway. Upon rising, I noticed my shoulder pain wasn't nearly as bad! I found myself asking if there could be a connection, as it just so happened I started getting pain in my shoulders about the same time I started the Meatonin. That led me here and sure enough, It appears others have to experienced similar side effects. I have Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune condition, so perhaps there is a connection. In any case, I'll deal with a little less sleep if my shoulders continue to improve! I'm very encouraged. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

I started taking melatonin a few months ago to sleep and it worked fine. No symptoms and I fell asleep faster. Then I changed the brand and started having bad knee pain when I walked up stairs. It occured to me that the knee pain started with the melatonin so I googled it, and all the comments confirmed my suspicion. I stopped taking it and the knee pain went away.

Started to take melatonin last summer (2018) instead of smoking pot, to help me sleep due to anxiety related to PTSD. I entered a new career that required frequent drug testing so had to quit the pot habit... I also felt that the pot left me lethargic the next day and even a little depressed. In October 2018, I started experiencing excruciating knee pain, one knee worst than the other, that would wake me up in the night with the need to reposition or extend my leg like it had locked in place. I thought it was due to the classroom environment I was then in, due to my new job training - being sat a desk for 8 hours a day for 7 straight weeks was something I was not used to. When I finished training I went on vacation for a week and did not take Melatonin, as I was in paradise - I experienced no knee pain but did not put two and two together. I then went back to work which is a physical job, and started to take melatonin again...knee pain came back ten folds. Walking up and down stairs were a challenge, sitting down for any length of time where my knee was in the same position for an extended period was agony, the pain would wake me up night several times. I went to the doctor in January and was sent to a specialist, they claimed it was probably a problem with my bone formation that was already present that they could see on x-rays and my change of career has triggered irritation of the cartilage. They recommend steroid shots or surgery. I was dumbfounded and did not believe their conclusion as I've never experienced this kind of pain before, so I never went back. Then out of nowhere, elbow pain has started that has woken me in the night over the last few weeks. My joints thoughout my body feel stiff daily. I'm 31 but I feel like I'm 80. Definitely worse at night and in the morning. I started to think back at what changed since last summer and it dawned on me that melatonin could be a link. Low and be hold, I discover this thread after a google search! I feel relieved but also concerned that ive caused ireversable damage. First night with no melatonin, I will report back in a week! Fingers crossed!

I have been taking melatonin for the past 6 to 8 months I have excruciating pain in every Boone in my body! The doctor said my back bone has deteorated very bad. Decided to see if melatonin is the problem and sure enough I see so many people are coming out with the same. Helped me with morning headaches. But it's not worth the severe bone pain. Won't ever take it again!

I recently started having swelling and joint pain in my left hand. It started a few months ago when I started taking Melotonin. I'm going to stop taking it tonight and praying this is the reason for the pain. 🙏🙏🙏

Are all of these comments linking melatonin to joint pain and autoimmune disease written by bots with british names?

I want to add my own experience to what I saw here just now. What a relief! About two weeks ago I started experiencing severe pain in both of my hands, especially both thumb joints, and pains that I had in my shoulder and knees - due to known injuries but under control - flared up as well. I thought "OMG, arthritis!" Like some others on this thread, I thought to myself 'what changed that could have triggered this pain' and I realized that about a month ago I started taking melatonin to help my sleep while I was in Spain - I cannot get melatonin in Germany over the counter. Did some research last night that showed me that melatonin is can cause autoimmune responses to get worse. I have not previously been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder but, for sure, the profile of the sudden onset of these symptoms with melatonin use fit well. I did not take the supplement last night and, already, the joint pain in my thumbs has significantly reduced although the overall hand stiffness remained. I feel like I could be on the right track now and found this thread this morning that only confirms my experience. I have gone from feeling like I could end up with a crippling disease or be dependent on strong drugs to hope that I have found the culprit - at least for now. On the other hand, I will also be going for a medical checkup to see about possible low-level autoimmune issues etc. Best wishes to all of you in becoming pain free. And no, I'm not a Bot. Edward is my real name... :-)

I've been taking melatonin for a few years. I switched brands last year when the old one went up in price. Never had any problem before but around December I started to have knee pain. It go so bad my doctor ordered an MRI. It show a torn meniscus plus minor arthritis (I will be 67 in a couple of days, so I am not surprised by the arthritis). Now I am wondering if it is the melatonin and/or the brand change. The old one was sublingual, the new one is just a capsule that is swallowed. I will try going off to see if there is any improvement. Dang, I just took my dose before sitting down to search for "melatonin joint pain" and found this thread.

Melatonin caused my pain. I started taking 5mg of melatonin at bedtime and developed the worst muscle tension I've ever had, especially in my neck, shoulders and down my arms. Within 30 minutes of taking it the pain was so bad I couldn't sleep at all. I stopped and the pain is gone. I was taking a bi-layer tablet which has a quick release layer and an extended release layer. It's in the trash.

@Shana My pain turned out to be caused by muscle tension in my hamstring pulling on where it attaches to the knee. The orthopedic surgeon was ready to cut it open but I went to a physical therapist who diagnosed the real problem and gave me some stretches that really helped.

Oh man, am I ever glad to find this thread.
I took melatonin in 2017 for better sleep on the advise of my DO. Two weeks later I'm back in his office with locked up knees and severe pain, but no swelling. Referred to specialist who then drains my knees of sinovial fluid, and recommends cortisone shots every few months.
I Stopped taking melatonin and got better.
Fast forward to last week. Suffering some sleeplessness reached the melatonin again..... Four days in and I have soooo much ankle and knee pain I can hardly walk. My wife just reminded me of last year, I found this thread, and I'm throwing that melatonin stuff in the trash, bad stuff man!!!

So glad I found this melatonin site.
I connected my pain in my wrists with nights I took melatonin. Then suddenly my lower back started. Now my knees. I'm dropping the melatonin and see if I can get back to taking my cbd oil. I was pain free...

I started taking melatonin 5mgs 2mths ago. I've always slept about 5hrs know matter what time went to bed.
My thumb on right hand became stiff and painful, to the point couldn't use it. The pain went into my elbow, I use my hands alot but was getting very worried. Holding a cup opening doors jars or holding anything , was difficult. Stopped using right hand and seemed to get alittle easier untill left thumb and knees, plus leg cramps. Falling asleep hurts and unbearable. Made appointment with my doctor to get xrays and brace's to help with mobility, then saw this page. I'm going to stop talking melatonin for 1 week hoping for huge difference. I don't have insurance so this be the cheapest way.
I get stomach pains high up in between ribs too.
Wish me luck. Blessings back to everyone

Horrible swelling in both thumb joints. Got so bad could not use them without terrible discomfort. Had to buy splints to immobilize, so that I would not injure myself further. I also had an increase of right knee pain which normally comes and goes and resolves with Osteo Bi-flex, but was much worse during use of this melatonin. Read about side effects of Melatonin 10 mg and stopped it immediately:-( Most swelling has gone in just a few days and just hoping this will clear completely as I never had this type of pain before. Praying!

I've been there as well. I took melatonine 5 mg once a day 5-7 days a week as it's very convenient for me as I often work nights. It worked as a dream. I've never been getting better sleep. However, I started getting joint pains. Especially in my fingers and toes. I was positive it was arthritis as it's a commom disease in my family. It took over everyday life for me and consumed everything. I found this site and thought "this is too easy. It can't be melatonine". I gave it a chance and 1-2 weeks later everything was back to normal. I haven't touched melatonine since and never will. I know it says there have been studies on this stuff since the 60's and it's harmless as its an over the counter drug in some countries. But a month after I stopped melatonine somehow caught the attention of the media in my home country where doctors were very skeptical prescribing it as the long term side effects are not that well known. Melatonine was ruining my life, I highly advice everyone with the slightest symptoms to get off it immediately.

My daughter is 8 and I gave her the children's dosage for the first time last night. I was going to give her a dosage tonight but she complained that after I gave it to her last night that her right arm hurt.
I became curious and began to search online for any other similar complaints. I'm so glad I found this thread. THANK YOU!
BYE BYE MELATONIN! God bless you all.

Oh my God I cannot believe and I'm just realizing that my undiagnosed autoimmune disease which seems to be like fibromyalgia has been affected terribly on the days I've taken melatonin. I have taken once in a while sometimes for a few days over 4 years... Debilitating pain stiffness in my joints of my feet and hands which traveled to my shoulders and my hips, thumgb/trigger thumb really bad... I've been telling my doctor that once in awhile I get severe debilitating pain... so severe that I want to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night!!! I feel like a moron that I didn't figure this out sooner!! I'm wonder if she's caused my initial issue with the pain and stiffness or it's dishes made what I have worse? has anyone taking it long term having pain stopped for a while and is getting better? Or if I ruined my body for good!

I wish I had found this thread sooner
I'm off work with horrible pain in my shoulder joints and muscles in my back.
I'm on tramadol and sleeping tablets.
In the day its not so bad but gets worse at night.
Last night I didnt take my normal dose of melatonine and woke up at 3 Am
No pain anywhere
I wanted to get some more sleep so took melatonin.
After a short while the muscle pain started again.
Never realised this was a side effect as it doesn't state it on the packaging or any official websites.
Throwing it in the trash and hoping this will give me my life back.

How long does it take to get over muscular leg symptoms?

I'm 62, male.. I've been taking melatonin for almost three weeks now. For five days now, I have been sufferring knee, hip, shoulder, wrist and feet joint pains, so I decided taking B-complex might help. But this morning the excruciating pains all over are simply too much, I feel like an elderly suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.. until I discovered this thread..

Thanks to all for sharing their own experience with melatonin.

Melatonin pills need get off the market now cant hardly walk now. My joint and legs in so much pain 😞😣

Thank God I came to this site. I have been taking melatonin for the past month. Started getting horrible knee pain, now wrists, ankles, awful. Was just starting down path of arthritis solutions, and by the grace of God found this thread. Thank you to everyone who posted here. This is a little known side effect, one that more people should be aware of! P.s - I also am not a bot! Lol!

So thankful I came across this site!!! I am up in the middle of the night because of the pain in every joint of my body. I just figured out that it has to be the melatonin. I started taking it days ago and that is exactly when the pain started. It also made me retain water and has made my fibromyalgia so much worse! Just thankful to know I have hope if I stop the melatonin!!!!!

I am so grateful for coming across this information and listening to other peoples comments. I have been using melatonin 10 mg daily for the past eight years. It has been the worst eight years of my life that's completely destroyed my health and my social life , I even lost my job because of the consequences. first of all, I have been a poor sleeper the majority of my adult life and I thought by using melatonin which is sold in health food stores as a healthy "natural alternative" to a prescription sleeping pill. Prior to using melatonin I was a healthy competitive natural bodybuilder and 1/2 marathon runner for almost 30 years . I don't drink, I don't smoke ,I don't do drugs, Never! Anyways, I was using melatonin regularly for eight years now and I thought just because I got older my body would hurt naturally from years of wear and tear but I starting retain a lot of water(80lbs) just assuming as I got into my 40s it was because of lowering natural GH levels and testosterone levels. In other words just getting older. I am 50 years old now. I stopped working out 8 yrs ago because of lack of energy all the pain and stiffness and water weight gain I was embarrassed to be seen by those people who knew me when I was health. Some people thought I was lazy and became overweight to the point I can no longer do my physical job as a resident manager of a luxury condominium complex which I was employed for 24 straight years while I was healthy. I have been unemployed for six months now trying to deal with why I look and feel horrible. Went to the doctors but with this coronavirus going around is it not easy to visit your GP or see a specialist because the clinics are closed. After six months of strict dieting even three weeks of fasting and making very little progress also dealing with psychological depression, as a last resort, last night I prayed to God with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart to help me and give me knowledge on how to fix what is been plaguing me for so long. This morning I stumbled across this forum and I feel my prayer was quickly answered . Thinking back now, It only makes sense that one common denominator in the last eight years was melatonin. all signs point to melatonin. Today is a new day and tomorrow will be an even better day because I will never use that supplement again.! It was the worst eight years of my life. I know I will never get back the lost time. So, I've got some living to do, and it starts now ! To anybody who is considering using melatonin, buyer beware!, The consequences is not worth it !!!

Oh my goodness I've been taking this stuff telling everyone how awesome it is and fast forward 3 months I'm in constant pain, pain I've never had before in every joint. Tonight I'm stopping and praying it is melatonin that's the culprit, i caN survive on little sleep but not pain.
Numbness in fingers at night Such bad aches I'm taking so much anti inflammatory medicine...and I take collagen every day. Thank god for this feed as I was suspicious because I rarely suffered from joint pain 😊🙏🏽

I`m 62 and I have taken melatonin, 3 mg, for a few years now. I`m relieved to find this thread! I have had rather intense pain bilaterally in my thumbs, also in my shoulders. The thing is that about two weeks ago I changed my dose for 3 to 4.5. It never occurred to me that the recent pain in my shoulders and thumbs may be from the melatonin. Thank you for pointing this out.

So many of these comments sound just like me!! My question to those who have discontinued taking the Melatonin, what is your experience that you may want to share, did you recover fully, partially, gradually, quickly? I hope I haven't triggered permanent damage to my joints, added to the already identified osteoarthritis I have. Very thankful to have found this forum and thanks to all for sharing this information!

I hope you're all correct about this as I have had horrendous knee, hip and lower back pain and sciatica for the last 12 months which has been destroying my life, all whilst taking melatonin, but also, mainly for its sedative effect, mirtazapine which is also associated with pain problems. I will stop taking them both and see what happens. I will report back in few weeks...

Thanks to this thread and really pondering of why I have real bad knee, elbow, and back pain lately... i thought about what I have been taking for the past months everyday that may have caused this all of a sudden stiffness and pain for the past 2 months and Bingo!!! Melatonin!!!! As I will admit it did help with my sleepless nights, specially during this lockdown and craziness happening right now, but I think is the cause for my pain and feeling tired all day. I have experienced this all more than ever and I'm only 40 and I don't do anything that can be messing my joints but feeling like I'm 70 or more (no offense). After reading the threads I've come to realize I have been messing up my body by taking 10mg a night 🤯 only because I became dependent on melatonin thinking it was safe, but now I know it is not... Tonight, will be my first night without it even if I don't sleep... I am hoping that I Can flush all the melatonin out of my system so I can feel like myself again... I will journal my progress and will keep y'all updated I hope I did not mess up my body and still have time to recover from the side effects. 😔

Thanks for this thread, I am (a as far as I know) healthy and not overweight 42 year old male, but was a little bit stressed out late Aug 2020 and had difficulties sleeping longer than 5-6 hours, so I bought 1mg Melatonin capsules. Here in Austria they are OTC while in Germany you can only get them by prescription. It really helped me to fall asleep and improve overall sleep time to 7 hours+. After 1 week it started with pain in my knees, in the second week my ankles started to hurt and in week 3 my shins started to hurt. Especially in the morning and when I was resting. It got really bad that I thought I had to orthopedist, when I thought maybe it is a side effect of the melatonin capsules. This thread was the first result that came up and I did some PubMed searches as well and stopped taking Melatonin. Now second night without it, sleep is again not the best, but I feel already how my knees are getting better and I rather sleep a little bit bad, then having this enourmous pain in my knees and ankles.

It is so strange to read all these comments about melatonin causing joint pain. I take prescribed Melatonin 2mg Prolonged release. Hadn't taken it for about a year. I have knee OA and had a serious flare-up recently. Night time sleeping was difficult due to hip pain and general leg pain in addition to the knee pain. I started the Melatonin again in hopes of getting some sleep. It actually stopped the hip pain. I was so shocked. Over the past 3-4 weeks I have found that when I don't take it - because I think I don't need it, too late at night to take it etc - i have hip pain again such that I have difficulty sleeping. It seems to me to help night time hip pain, rather than cause it.

Ive been taking melatonin for a couple of years now. In the last 8 months I developed this terrible pain in my left hip. I've had X-rays, scans, nothing was found I've spent lots of money on massage, acupuncture, physiotherapists you name it. Last week my doctor said that the only side effect of melatonin was back pain. I thought well I've got pain in the hip so it doesn't apply to me. But decided anyway to decrease the dosage from 2 to 1 and the pain was gone then on the weekend I increased the dosage again and bang the pain is back big time. So I googled it and found this thread which confirms my suspicion. The problem now will be to find a substitute for melatonin. I suffer from PTSD and have trouble to sleep. Some people say that cannabis oil is good but it's illegal to buy in Australia. Not sure what I'm going to do

@LM melatonin? I can't take it because I have terrible headaches the day after, no matter the dose. Have you tried lemon balm? PTSD? Try scuttelaria baicalensis root, or pure wogonin (if you find one... please let me know).

I've had multiple back surgeries and I have been dealing with chronic pain for a couple of years now recently I started taking melatonin to help with sleep but I have been experiencing difficulty getting comfortable at night as well as increased pain during the day I'm beginning to think melatonin is the culprit.

Wow this has been a true roller coaster and hindsight is 20/20!

So I started taking melatonin on October 9th. I stopped on October 25th. At first I had sleep paralysis and then acute stress!

Now the stress has subsided and I feel much better mentally but lord I've progressively been getting joint pain starting on November 6 and it only gets worse.

Will this ever go away?

Apprently my ANA came back positive at 1:80 titre. So theres a chance I developed an autoimmune disease.

Only 17 days of taking melatonin and I developed an autoimmune disease? Apparently so! I'm only 23 years old so right now I am loosing my mind a bit. Eventually I'll accept whatever damage my body has now but it's been over 30 days since I stopped taking them and the joint pain seems to be progressing daily!

Not only that but I've developed rashes and raynaud's syndrome. Truly frightening stuff! Crazy how one little pill can literally upend your life just as it begins.

Is there hope for me?

I've been using melatonin every night for the last 8 or 9 years. I'm 36 but my muscle and joints feel I'm in my 60s. These joint/muscle issues started 6 years ago and have become worst over time. I never suspected melatonin till now. I'm going to stop it to see what will happen.

I took 2.5 mg melatonin for [number of months] and my head fell off and all my children caught fire. Doctor told me thats why I have terrible elbow, knee and hip pain. DO NOT TAKE MELATONIN! Beep boop 11011001110101

I've taken melatonin in doses of under 0.5 mg for a number of years. I now understand that the pain and stiffness throughout my body could be a result of this. It's such a low dose that I've never considered it as the culprit. I also get tinnitus, nightmares, frequent wakings and other problems throughout the night. I am sleep deprived so my days are difficult. Can such a low dose, often no more than 0.2 mg cause this? I find it difficult to sleep at all without the melatonin but seems I need to try.

Given all the clinical evidence for melatonin as being anti-inflammatory and an anti-oxidant I think the above comments are nonsense. Do deeper research people! Here is just one link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912970/

I took ~15 mg of melatonin but didnt sleep and fought through it.
Took another ~20 mg a few 4 hours later and I think I have developed RA. Intense symetrical pain on both shoulders with fever.
Am really hoping it doenst develop into RA.

Same for me.
Severe neck pain every night started days after I started taking melatonin. Cannot sleep because of the pain and stiffness.

33M. Have taken melatonin of varying doses for well over 8 years nightly. Switched to a new branda few months ago and have recently had tons of aches and pains in knees, hips, elbows and ankles. I have been doing PT for a knee injury and nothing seems to have been helping. Last weekend I went on a three night camping trip and forgot melatonin. After a few days, my normal aches and pains were not that severe. I resumed taking melatonin when I got back and they started coming back worse than ever. Didn't take it last night and have been somewhat less inhibited by the pain. I have decided to stop taking it. I will update my progress it in a month.

I take 3mg melatonin chewable tablets and almost every night I take them my legs hurt and it sometimes takes 2 or 3 hours to stop. Luckily I forget to take my melatonin a lot so sometimes I get pretty lucky. I can pretty much say I am definitely no longer taking my melatonin.

I take 3mg melatonin chewable tablets and almost every night I take them my legs hurt and it sometimes takes 2 or 3 hours to stop. Luckily I forget to take my melatonin a lot so sometimes I get pretty lucky. I am not going to be taking my melatonin anymore.
Ps this website should definitely have way less science talk and way more talk that kids can understand

Low dose of melatonin for several years and have developed arthritic pain in knees and lower back. After looking into this and reading the above comments it seems melatonin can exacerbate autoimmune conditions and may even cause them. I'm slowly stopping it now and sleep and pain are beginning to improve. I was influenced by books praising the Miracle of Melatonin but now I have come to understand it's not for everybody and may even do more harm than good. Never returning to this drug again which thankfully is only available on prescription in the U.K.

I know for a FACT that melatonin is BAD for me. My joints swelled up really bad after I took melatonin. Told dr who advised me to take it for insomnia and he seemed surprised.

That tells me that drs are not well educated in all that they prescribe. They can do more harm because of their ignorance that melatonin hurts a lot of people.

Yes. It did make me drowsy, but my pain was awful.

I tried it again many years later to see if it still affected me in same way. Within 3 days my hands were messed up and all joints even more painful.

It takes a long time for the joints to calm down, too, so beware of this affect.

Drs have really hurt my health over the years by their uneducation of prescribing meds or supplements.

Please be aware of any changes when taking any kind of medication or supplement. We have to be our own drs. Each person is different. We are not a one size fits all.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I have tried Melatonin twice this year. First 3mg (?) in the Spring and then 1 mg 2 weeks ago. Both times I've had moderate pain in my left shoulder blade that wakes me in the middle of the night. Thanks to all of you posting, I am certain that Melatonin is the culprit. I will be spreading the news. Thanks again and have a blessed and safe day.

I too have experienced stiffness and joint pain whilst taking melatonin 2mgs which I don't have when I don't take it. Have all the people who have written comments here reported it? In the UK it is through the yellow card system. I have just done this and it wS pretty straightforward to do. We need to report this so that it is highlighted as a possible side effect. Good luck to you all.

I had been having ongoing neck pains (cracking, popping and tightness) for about 6 months. I found this thread and stopped taking melatonin as an experiment and as expected, I have been pain-free ever since. The pain faded over the course of about 5 days and now my neck and joints don't creak and crack anymore.

So thankful to find this feed regarding melatonin. Been taking it a long time. Gradually increasing dosage to 10mg. Sleep well. Past few months I've had excruciating pain in my ankles causing me to awaken long before morning. Thought it might be coldness. Began wearing heavy socks. Seemed to help only a bit. Still have the terrible pain! I'm planning to stop melatonin tonight! Will continue reporting here.

4 days into taking 10mg of melatonin to help sleep. By the 3rd day my hands and feet started aching. Noticed yesterday evening my neck was tight and my knees and hip were very achy. Had some sciatica before from overworking but My knees, ankles and finger joints have never bothered me before. My knees ached so much last night I couldn't get comfortable. The only thing different is taking the melatonin so began looking for joint pain side effects and only found a couple places that mention it. Glad I found this thread because I am stopping using it. It didn't seem to help my sleep pattern that much.

I am desparate to be pain free. If I cant sleep I have on the odd occasion taking Melatonin 2 mgms. I have suddenly realised that this is what causes my left leg pain, throbbing and burning sensations. I stop it and my legs are ready for a painless jog. I am 74 and have no desire to be restricted by silly drugs that I am told will aid sleep; I will have to accept that less sleep is better than pain the next day.
A good nights sleep is got to be better than that; pain the next day1

I have read these comments, and can only speak for myself. I am over 50 years of age, I have been taking between 3-6 mg of melatonin for over 20 years. I have no issues whatsoever. I would imagine there would be more health issues from sleep deprivation, due to the fact I am a hyper individual who never gets tired, and has difficulty winding down at night. I take a sublingual melatonin at lights out. I most likely have normal arthritis for my age which hasn't bothered me for the most part probably because I take daily collagen and turmeric.
Just wanted to share a different viewpoint, after 20 years of nightly dosing I can say matter of factly that it is not at all my experience and this has worked for me. I would agree that I sometimes have wild dreams and am not sure if it is related or not because I remember having dreams prior….

I have been taking melatonin for 3 years. I never expected melatonin to be bad for you. I'm a very healthy strong male but melatonin brought me to my knees. I couldn't walk up stairs anymore had a hard time getting in and out of vehicle's, I couldn't set and have coffee with my friends without moving my legs because they hurt so bad. I thought I had arthritis but after going to 2 different doctors was told I only had a little arthritis. I felt like I was 100 years old but I'm only 50. But legs ached all the time like when you have the flu.I remember thinking maybe it was the melatonin but only found the good things it does. So I kept taking it. It wasn't until I searched melatonin and leg pain did I find anything negative. It's been 2 months now of not taking it. From about the first week my leg pain was gone. I can now set and have coffee without my legs hurting. I'm working on climbing stairs again it's like I have to rebuild my muscles. I don't know what melatonin does to your body but it really messed me up. So if you are taking it or giving to your children please stop.

I'm so relieved to have found this thread. I Googled an inquiry concerning Melatonin on a number of occasions. I was only taking occasionally when I began to use it last year. I tried using it years ago and hated it. What I didn't know then is that the dosage was huge 10mg. I'm a little 115lb woman and that was too much. But I didn't stop to think that it was the dosage amount. So, last year I thought to try it again but I bought a spray. Three full sprays equal 5mg. That was too much for me. Then I tried 2 sprays and was very happy, for a while, with the result.
I'm 72 and have worked out every day most of my adult life. But I was attributing the symptoms I was experiencing to my age. It wasn't that at all. It definitely is the Melatonin. In the summer last year I began taking Melatonin nightly. And I noticed when I was doing yoga my knee joints would skip out of place and cause pain. That never happened before. Then (wouldn't you know it?) my middle finger became swollen, painful and I couldn't bend it. Not good when in public.
Also, my front ribs ache like crazy and the pain does wrap around to the sides and my back. I am kind of crabby feeling, as well,and I'm a cheerful person normally. I get headaches soon after taking Melatonin most of the time. Food doesn't have the flavor it did. I have had nightmares but not all of the time. And, there have been times when I stay up reading too late when I took a larger dose..like 3 mgs and then Melatonin acts in the reverse and I have true trouble falling asleep. To tell the truth, I am neurotic about sleep when I stay up late and since I've retired I stay up late most days. And because it is so late I fear not falling asleep..and that is the entire reason I wanted a sleep aid. So, I have new plan and that is to read during the daylight and to go to bed early and fall asleep using my body's own production of that old hormone Melatonin!
I remember when I was in my 20's not being able to sleep for 2 days. It was something that never happened before or since. I was panicky over it and my father just looked at me, smiled and laughed saying, "It's just sleep." Thanks again, to all the people who have posted here!

Well glad I found this thread!
Started melatonin prob 3 months ago only 2mg, has been helping with sleep, don't take it every night, prob 5 out of 7 nights.
About 6 weeks ago I developed terrible elbow pain that radiates down my left arm ( non dominant arm). Dr. Thinks it's tennis elbow, I'm like yeah right it's my LEFT arm?! Had an ultrasound last week and nothing showing up?
Speaking to Dr Monday but in the meantime after reading all the comments I'm not taking the melatonin and will see if arm improves...

Read through all the comments and found a disturbing trend. All these people blaming melatonin, while many pointed out they only had an issue when they changed brands. This means it isn't the melatonin, it's whatever additives are being added to cheaper brands.

When buying supplements, don't cheap out and always read the ingredients. These comments aren't a warning about melatonin, it's a warning against cutting corners without looking first.