Does using melatonin raise heart failure risk? A preliminary (not peer-reviewed) conference abstract reported that adults with insomnia with ≥1 year of documented melatonin use had a 90% higher 5-year rate of heart failure and 3.5x more hospitalizations than adults without a documented use of melatonin. There are some... major caveats: this is observational (an association, not causation), the database mixed countries where melatonin is over-the-counter vs prescription, and insomnia severity and other psychiatric conditions weren’t captured. Importantly, randomized trials in people with established heart failure show no harm from melatonin use and some signals of benefit including better quality of life and improved ejection fraction. This is an interesting real-world signal that merits peer review and careful follow-up, but it is not proof that melatonin causes heart failure.show more

Observational signals like this often reflect underlying risk in the population using the drug, not harm from the drug itself

No, melatonin doesn't provenly raise heart failure risk that preliminary abstract shows association only (insomnia itself is a HF risk factor). Observational data, not causation. RCTs in HF patients show melatonin safe, even improves ejection fraction & QoL. Don't panic wait for peer review. Sleep tight!

What about using 100mg two hours before a CT scan?

This is a good example of why association without context can mislead. Clinically, long-term melatonin use is often a marker of underlying risk rather than a cause. People taking melatonin for years frequently have chronic insomnia, circadian disruption, depression, sleep apnoea, cardiometabolic disease, or polypharmacy - all independent risk factors for heart failure. That’s classic confounding by indication. A few practical points from practice: •Melatonin at physiological doses (0.3–1 mg) behaves very differently from chronic high-dose use (5–10 mg+) •Exogenous melatonin can mask poor sleep hygiene, untreated OSA, alcohol use, or circadian misalignment rather than fixing them •In heart failure populations, controlled trials showing benefit suggest melatonin itself isn’t cardiotoxic The real takeaway isn’t “melatonin is dangerous,” but: If someone needs melatonin nightly for years, the problem isn’t melatonin - it’s why sleep never recovered. Melatonin should be a bridge, not a crutch. Fix light timing, sleep apnoea, alcohol, stress, glucose control, and circadian rhythm - and most people don’t need it long-term.

People with chronic sleep issues are already sicker. Melatonin may just be tagging higher baseline risk, not causing it. Reply 3

this is how a disciplined mind handles information. most men read a headline and form a permanent opinion. few slow down to ask what the data actually proves. correlation is not causation. nuance is not weakness. thinking clearly means holding conclusions loosely until the evidence earns your certainty.

And remind me... melatonin is legal?

Why on earth would anyone attempt to attribute this to melatonin? You have to be real clueless to not stop to ask how they controlled for being in a population with something as unhealthy as sleep issues to begin with......

Lack of sleep also causes heart issues, no? I remember seeing articles about Daylights saving time causing heart attacks when they lose 1hr, so difficult to know if its the melatonin or the people using it having sleep issues.

all i know when i see headlines like this is that something is off … they’re already waging a war on melatonin by reducing the dosages that are being sold originally i could buy 15mg pills and now you only get 0.5 … and they are marketing them as “high dosages” when things like these happen it’s usually because they’re trying to sell other sleeping pills … and now there are “reports” of how dangerous it potentially is … you can’t make this sh*t up

Stop using melatonin if you want good-quality sleep. It’s a waste of money, and you’re disrupting your health. If you actually want high-quality sleep, start supplementing glycine. Why glycine improves sleep quality: - Lowers core body temperature - Calms the nervous system - Helps you fall asleep faster - Deepens slow-wave (restorative) sleep - Stabilizes REM cycles - Reduces nighttime awakenings - Improves next-day alertness - Supports GABA without sedation - Lowers nighttime cortisol - Shifts the body into parasympathetic mode

Would love to know through what kind of mechanism melatonin causes heart failure Rhonda. Melatonin use has been around for decades and I have never heard of this connection.

Melatonin is way too much associated with sleep so we forget the relationship with serotonin, testosterone, autism, etc. Would be nice to have a bigger picture

Can hardly wait for magnesium glycinate to show up in papers as a source of death next

Thank you for this information as I saw a report on Good day Ny stating melatonin linked to heart failure.

This is an intriguing discussion! While correlations between melatonin and heart failure risk are being explored, it's crucial to distinguish between preliminary findings and peer-reviewed evidence. What other factors might contribute to these outcomes in the study group? #Medicine For in-depth analyses and reliable literature on such topics, consider using It's a comprehensive platform for generating detailed biomedical reviews, perfect for both practitioners and curious individuals seeking well-rounded insights.

I remain totally unconcerned with using melatonin.

are you changing your use of meletonin? I know you mentioned taken 9mg a night for night terrors.

Was there anything about dosage in the study?

I have a short writing on this that dittos some of what Dr Patrick is saying:

This is like obese people using diet coke

I stopped taking melatonin since I started waking up with headaches. Used it off and on for years, but can’t anymore. I still take mag glycinate though. No negative side effects with that.

I wouldn't listen to anyone other that Dr Russel Reiter when it comes to melatonin research. If you can't see what is going on here, then you need to wake up.

Further.mechanistically, I find it difficult to digest. Melatonin actually may help. This needs investigation

I’ve been taking as-needed (fairly regularly) melatonin for years and my HR and BP have been normal. I just need drastically less than most default doses sell. 1-3 mg is more than enough for me when I need it. But I also take 400 mg of magnesium glycinate daily and the occasional 5-htp dose around 4-800 mg for sleep or 1-200 mg with a cup or 2 of coffee (for the caffeine) and a b-vitamin electrolyte drink if I’m trying to focus/study.

Just curious . Are you TANNING because we ALL know how DANGEROUS that is … 🤷🏻‍♀️

@ArAIstotle decentralized fact check please

It's like literally plastic poisoning. I didn't know such a thing could exist

Dr, Any info on Ambien. I’ve taken in every day for the past 21 years.

This feels like a classic example of indication bias. People with long-standing insomnia often have higher baseline cardiometabolic risk, higher stress load, autonomic dysregulation, and more psychiatric comorbidity — all of which independently increase heart failure risk.

Did you hear about microplastics raising heart disease in mice I think about %635

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