These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT
be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An indi
vidual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
[posted 08/25/1999]
Question: I have been taking melatonin for several years and it has
very successfully cured my insomnia. I am thinking of taking
DHEA but am worried about any possible conflict with
melatonin. I have read that DHEA levels decrease at night
and melatonin increases, thus producing sleep, and vice
versa in the morning. Will taking DHEA make the melatonin
less effective, or will I need to take more melatonin to
produce sleep if my body has more DHEA in it? Does taking
melatonin reduce or increase the amount of DHEA produced?
I realise that the answers to these questions may not be
known yet, but thanks anyway. P.S. I was very alarmed to read
the question about a woman giving melatonin to her young
children. Children naturally produce large amounts of melatonin
so increasing this could be dangerous. It could lead to a
dramatic lowering of DHEA levels and this has been implicated
in sudden infant death syndrome.
Answer: I am not aware of any interaction.
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