Melatonin

[SpitFire]

Is melatonin a safe supplement to take for breast cancer patients? Doesn't it alter estrogen levels?

[donocco]

Spitfire

You have to talk to your doctor first. My educated pharmacist guess is yes. Not only is it probably safe, it may well be beneficial. Melatonin has been used to treat cancers at very high doses. Metastatic Melanoma pts (in one experiment got (I think) 700mg daily. If this figure is not correct I can tell you the dosage was very high.

As far as breast cancer goes, there was an article in a medical journal (it may well have been the New England Journal of medicine) that found a higher breast cancer rate
in nurses who worked the night shift. Normally melatonin secretion greatly increases in the night. It was believed the increase in breast cancer seen was due to the decreased
melatonin surge in these night shift working nurses.

This may be a non sequiter but my springer spaniel developed a tumor on his flank. We had it removed. It wasnt cancer but it contained spindle cells. If a benighn lesion is given a value of 1 and a malignant lesion, 10 a spindle cell tumour is a 6. It doesnt metastasize but it regrows, wraps itself around the tissues and is difficult to eradicate.
I gave my dog (Beethoven- my wife loves me but she adores Beethoven-sometimes I actually get jealous) 5mg melatonin chewable (Beethoven likes the taste) every night as
a preventative

Well the tumor grew back. We had it removed and biopsied. No spindle cells at all!
This is pathologically, almost impossible. I cangt say for sure it was the Melatonin but I do think it was. One case proves nothing. Yet Spindle cell tumours virtually always come back as spindle cell tumours. Still you have to discuss tis with the oncologist

Paul

[donocco]

The melatonin dose given for melanoma was 200mg at night. The article stated that 700mg per square meter (700mg X1.73) or about 1200mg was no more effective than the lower dose although not toxic. Sorry for the error.

Paul

[SpitFire]

donocco - Thanks for the info, but I am just talking about normal doses. All my doctors say it is safe. I used to take 3mg every night. I thought it was an antioxidant, anti-cancer and would help me sleep. I never noticed anything from it, but took it because it was "healthy." I have an app "About Herbs'" and it says that it alters estrogen levels. I did a little bit of research, (but it may not be reliable). Some people claim that excess melatonin increases estrogen. I thought that was bad for breast cancer patients (and everyone else too). The nurses's study, I think, proves the importance of sleep and also highlights blood sugar problems. Doesn't stress increase estrogen? If you are not sleeping at night, that is a stress. How does your body know the difference of insomnia verses working? Just because you have an important job doesn't mean you don't need to sleep. The 200mg for anticancer is a whole different ballgame (very interesting)and I would think would need to be under a doctor's supervision.

[donocco]

Spitfire

Glad you did some research. I wasnt suggeesting 200mg melatonin daily. Actually in a lot of the studies used when melatonin was used as an add on treatment for cancer, the dose was usually 20mg at bedtime.

Paul

[SpitFire]

donocco - Thanks for the clarificiation. I was wondering if other breast cancer patients took melatonoin as a supplement as I did. I was confused why my doctors would tell me it was safe to take. I was taking 3mg at night. I thought we were to avoid extra sources of estrogen as much as possible.