Melatonin supplements should be taken with care
Melatonin supplements should be taken with care
It’s absurd. In fact, it’s borderline insulting.
It might also be dangerous.
Sleep Pretty in Pink is the brand name of a supplemental formula that includes chamomile herb, l-tryptophan, valerian root extract, and other herbs that have been shown to help induce sleep.
But it also contains melatonin – a supplement that needs to be taken with care because it’s a hormone. It should NOT be considered a one-size-fits-all sleep aid.
For instance, women who are pregnant, breast feeding, or taking hormone replacement therapy are generally cautioned against using melatonin – not because it’s necessarily dangerous, but because there isn’t enough research yet to fully establish safety parameters. Melatonin may also prompt changes in blood pressure in some users.
In a previous e-Alert, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., offered these melatonin guidelines: “I don’t recommend it for anyone under 40, except when addressing jet lag, for which it works well. As we age, melatonin production decreases, so I’m not as nervous for someone over age 40 using it. The cautious types talk about 1.5 mg at bedtime (never anytime but bedtime), for ages 40 to 50, then 3 milligrams for people over age 50. I subscribe to that. Those who take lots more I think are swimming in uncharted waters.”
And that’s the problem with Sleep Pretty in Pink: The information panel doesn’t list the amounts of each ingredient, so there’s no way to know how much melatonin you’re getting.
To cap it off, this product is packaged in a little pink cardboard box that’s fashioned to look like a purse. I guess this will strike some consumers as adorable, but I find it a little insulting that someone apparently thinks a pink “purse” package will draw women like catnip. This is medication, not eye makeup!
The Sleep Pretty in Pink package also contains two pink foam earplugs, giving the overall effect of childlike harmlessness.
