Indicated to treat sleep disorders, until very recently, melatonin was only sold in compounding pharmacies and with a doctor’s prescription. Starting in December, however, you may start coming across the hormone in the dietary supplement section of the drugstore near your home. And the temptation to simply shop to get rid of sleepless nights can arise. Something that has been worrying doctors.
“Melatonin is a hormone, not a food supplement”, says Bruno Halpern, a member of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism. “Therefore, it must be seen carefully so as not to cause metabolic changes.”
The consequences of misuse can range from fatigue and sleep during the day to changes in liver function and glucose and insulin levels. According to the Federal Council of Pharmacy, the substance deficit is also harmful and causes changes that lead to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
Ideally, the melatonin level is balanced.
“The orientation is that (the prescription) should be made by a qualified professional: doctor, pharmacist and nutritionist”, says Priscila Dejuste, member of the board and a pharmacist specializing in food supplements.
Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at USP, José Cipolla also warns that one of the common misuses of the substance is that it is used in the morning, a time when the hormone is not naturally produced by the body. This can lead to internal “confusion”. “Melatonin is produced when we are at night, without light, and that is why it must always be used at night”, he says.
For supplements sold in the United States, the recommendation for nighttime use of melatonin is on the package. According to Cipolla, this information also needs to be clear in Brazilian products.
He fears that, with unrestricted use, there will be misinformation. On the internet, for example, there are people who recommend melatonin to lose weight, without any scientific evidence.
Businesswoman Ana Paula Montanha, 47, lives in the United States. Vice president of a multinational, she takes melatonin daily before bed. “Because I work at a multinational, I deal with different time zones during meetings and I had a lot of difficulty sleeping because of that”, says she, who bought the product as a food supplement.
In a statement, the Pharmaceutical Industries Union states that it is not yet possible to measure the impact on the sector with the release of melatonin. “Few industries are operating in the market with this product”, he says.
Despite the interest and the start of production by some companies, the substance has not yet started to be marketed. The industry’s perspective is that the first products reach pharmacies next month.
Release
The decision to release the hormone from medical prescription was taken by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in October. The recommended dosage is 0.21 mg per day for people aged 19 years and over – use is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women.
According to Anvisa, it is a safe dosage, as it is close to the amount found naturally in foods such as strawberries, cherries and chicken meat, as well as in wine. The Federal Council of Pharmacy considers the dosage approved by Anvisa safe, but defends specialized help.
In countries like the United States and Germany, melatonin is sold as a food supplement in larger doses, ranging from 0.3 mg to 5 mg.
In Brazil, the approval of higher amounts did not occur because it was considered that few studies were presented that explored the longer use of the substance as a food supplement in greater concentration.
But researchers warn that even a dosage considered low can have consequences and advocate the search for a prescription. Information is from the newspaper The State of São Paulo.
The post Use of ‘sleep hormone’ requires care first appeared in ISTOÉ MONEY.
#sleeping #hormone #requires #care #ISTOÉ #MONEY