Melatonin

The Basics

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone that plays a role in sleep. The production and release of melatonin in the brain is connected to time of day, increasing when it’s dark and decreasing when it’s light.

Brand names for Melatonin

Na

How Melatonin is classified

Complementary Therapies, Central Nervous System Depressants, Antioxidants

Melatonin During Pregnancy

Melatonin pregnancy category

Category N/ANote that the FDA has deprecated the use of pregnancy categories, so for some medications, this information isn’t available. We still think it’s useful to list historical info, however, given what a common proxy this has been in the past.

What we know about taking Melatonin while pregnant

N/A

Taking Melatonin While Breastfeeding

What are recommendations for lactation if you're taking Melatonin?

Melatonin is the hormone produced by the pineal gland that plays a role in regulating sleep and circadian rhythm as well as a possible role in gut-brain signaling.[1] It is a normal component of breastmilk, with concentrations higher during nighttime than daytime.[2] Some authors suggest that mothers should nurse in the dark at night in order to avoid reductions in the melatonin content of breastmilk, which could disturb infant sleep patterns.[3] Differentiating milk pumped during the day from milk pumped during darkness has also been suggested for women pumping milk for their infants.[2][4] Some studies have attributed longer sleep time in breastfed infant than in formula-fed infants to melatonin in breastmilk.[5][6] Another study found higher colostrum melatonin levels at night which appeared to increase the phagocytic activity of colostral cells against bacteria.[7] Exogenous administration of melatonin has no specific use during breastfeeding and no data exist on the safety of maternal use of melatonin during breastfeeding. However, doses higher than those expected in breastmilk after maternal supplementation have been used safely in infants.[8] It is unlikely that short-term use of usual doses of melatonin in the evening by a nursing mother would adversely affect her breastfed infant, although some authors recommend against its use in breastfeeding because of the lack of data and a relatively long half-life in preterm neonates.[9] Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products.

Maternal / infant drug levels

Melatonin is the hormone produced by the pineal gland that plays a role in regulating sleep and circadian rhythm as well as a possible role in gut-brain signaling.[1] It is a normal component of breastmilk, with concentrations higher during nighttime than daytime.[2] Some authors suggest that mothers should nurse in the dark at night in order to avoid reductions in the melatonin content of breastmilk, which could disturb infant sleep patterns.[3] Differentiating milk pumped during the day from milk pumped during darkness has also been suggested for women pumping milk for their infants.[2][4] Some studies have attributed longer sleep time in breastfed infant than in formula-fed infants to melatonin in breastmilk.[5][6] Another study found higher colostrum melatonin levels at night which appeared to increase the phagocytic activity of colostral cells against bacteria.[7] Exogenous administration of melatonin has no specific use during breastfeeding and no data exist on the safety of maternal use of melatonin during breastfeeding. However, doses higher than those expected in breastmilk after maternal supplementation have been used safely in infants.[8] It is unlikely that short-term use of usual doses of melatonin in the evening by a nursing mother would adversely affect her breastfed infant, although some authors recommend against its use in breastfeeding because of the lack of data and a relatively long half-life in preterm neonates.[9] Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products.

Possible effects of Melatonin on milk supply

Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Possible alternatives to Melatonin