Circadin (Melatonin) 2mg Tablets

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Circadin (Melatonin) 2mg Tablets
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About Circadin (Melatonin) 2mg Tablets

Circadin 2mg tablets contain the active ingredient melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps to control the body clock and acts at chemical receptors in the brain to promote sleep. When taken correctly it can help you to adjust your body clock and sleep at the correct time when you have travelled across time zones.

  • Suitable for age:18 years +
  • Maximum per order:3
  • Consultation required?Yes

Circadin Information

  • What is Circadin and what is it used for?

    Circadin (melatonin) 2mg tablets ease symptoms of jet lag in people travelling over three or more time zones. To learn more about jet lag, visit our Jet Lag Advice page. Circadin 2mg tablets are available from The Independent Pharmacy Online Doctor service, following a free consultation.

    Jet lag usually only occurs if you travel across three or more time zones, otherwise, you should not need to take melatonin. Jet lag can be particularly bad when travelling east. Plan for melatonin treatment on your return home in addition to arrival at your destination. 3 nights’ treatment upon arrival and return home is should be enough to help you adjust to your new time zones.

    Unlike some other ‘sleep’ medications, Circadin does not result in tiredness or grogginess in the morning. This is because it does not depress your central nervous system like other hypnotic drugs and sleeping tablets. For this reason, it is not advisable to use traditional sleeping medicines to treat jet lag.

    How does Circadin work?

    Circadin 2mg tablets contain the active ingredient melatonin, a hormone that the body releases when it is dark, letting your body know it is time for sleep. Melatonin helps to regulate the body’s clock (circadian rhythm) and acts on chemical receptors in the brain to promote sleep. Melatonin in Circadin 2mg tablets will help alter your normal circadian rhythm, allowing you to sleep when it is dark in your new time zone and ease the symptoms of jet lag.

    What does 'off label' mean?

    Circadin is used to treat Jet Lag as 'off label'. This means that the medicine is being used to treat a condition other than those that it was initially licensed to treat. For example, Circadin has been licensed to treat insomnia but can also be used 'off-label' to relieve jet lag.

    This means that there is less established data regarding the effectiveness of this treatment for the condition for which it is prescribed and means that the instructions contained in the product information leaflet will not match the condition you are treating. You should always follow the instructions on the dispensing label on your medicine and contact us if you have any questions.

    Benefits of Circadin

    • Decreases the time to fall asleep
    • Improves sleep quality
    • Improves daytime functioning
    • No evidence of rebound insomnia, dependence or withdrawal effects

    Alternative methods to treat Jet Lag

    Circadin is a natural choice to help improve symptoms of Jet Lag. Taking other forms of sleeping tablets at night may also improve how quickly and how soundly you sleep after flying, but they can also cause side effects and can be addictive.

    Practical ways to reduce symptoms of jet lag:

    • Avoid napping.
    • Try to sleep at a normal hour in your new time zone
    • Try to stay outdoors as much as possible, natural light will help speed up the process.
    • Try to eat at normal hours for your new time zone and not the one you're used to at home.

    Sources

  • Circadin warnings

    Read the following warnings carefully to ensure you select an appropriate product.

    Do not take Circadin

    • If you have allergies to melatonin or any of the other ingredients.

    Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Circadin:

    • If you suffer from liver or kidney problems. Studies on the use of Circadin in people with liver or kidney diseases have not been performed. Speak to your doctor before taking Circadin.
    • If you have an intolerance to some sugars.
    • If you suffer from an autoimmune disease. No studies on the use of Circadin in people with auto-immune diseases have been performed; therefore, you should speak to your doctor before taking Circadin.
    • Circadin can cause drowsiness and it may impair your ability to drive.
    • Smoking may decrease Circadin’s effectiveness because the components of tobacco smoke can increase the liver’s breakdown of melatonin.

    Other medicines and Circadin

    Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medications.

    These medicines include:

    • Fluvoxamine (for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder)
    • Psoralens (for skin disorders e.g. psoriasis)
    • Cimetidine (for stomach problems such as ulcers)
    • Quinolones and rifampicin (for bacterial infections)
    • Oestrogens (used in contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy)
    • Carbamazepine (for epilepsy)
    • Adrenergic agonists/antagonists (to control blood pressure)
    • Opiate agonists/antagonists (for the treatment of drug addiction)
    • Prostaglandin inhibitors (such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines)
    • Antidepressant medication, tryptophan and alcohol
    • Benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics (for inducing sleep)
    • Thioridazine (for schizophrenia)
    • Imipramine (for depression)

    Circadin and alcohol

    Do not drink alcohol while taking Circadin, because it reduces the medication’s effectiveness.

    Circadin, pregnancy and breast-feeding

    Do not take Circadin if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, trying to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medication.

    Circadin, driving and using machines

    Circadin may cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate machinery if this affects you. If your drowsiness continues, consult your doctor.

    Please read all packaging and the Patient Information Leaflet before taking any new medicine and inform your doctor of medicines you take or intend to take.

  • Circadin directions

    1. Take 1 Circadin tablet after food, 1-2 hours before bedtime for 2 to 4 nights on arrival in the new time zone for a maximum of 13 weeks.
    2. Swallow the tablet whole – do not chew, crush or divide it as doing so will interfere with the prolonged-release properties.
    3. Circadin should not make you suddenly drowsy – you should feel natural sleepiness between 1-2 hours after taking it.
  • Circadin ingredients

    The active ingredient in each Circadin Tablet: 2mg of Melatonin.

    Inactive ingredients: ammonio methacrylate copolymer type B, calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate, silica (colloidal anhydrous), lactose monohydrate, talc and magnesium stearate.

  • Circadin side effects

    Like other medications, taking Circadin may cause some people to develop side effects. If you experience an allergic reaction or any serious side effects you should seek immediate medical attention.

    The following side effects are the most common when taking Circadin:

    • Headaches
    • Drowsiness
    • Dizziness
    • Irritability
    • Abdominal pain

    Please read the Patient Information Leaflet for full details regarding side effects.

Circadin (Melatonin) 2mg Tablets reviews

Circadin (Melatonin) 2mg Tablets FAQs

  • Circadin tablets contain melatonin 2mg as the active ingredient in a modified-release form. It is prescribed to treat jet lag for people who are travelling across three or more time zones.

    Modified-release means the active ingredient is released from the tablet slowly over time. This is usually between 8-10 hours and mimics your own natural melatonin release and helps to promote sleep. It is important to swallow the tablets whole with water and not to chew or halve the tablets. Splitting or chewing the tablets will destroy the prolonged release formulation and make them less effective.

  • Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone, which is released from the pineal gland to help you sleep. The release of melatonin is dependent on darkness and is your body's natural way of promoting sleep at night time. It can be attributed to us feeling a little sluggish in the winter when the days are shorter.

    Melatonin release also usually occurs in a regular (circadian) rhythm, hence why you start to get tired at a similar time each evening.

  • When you arrive at your new destination, take one tablet at bedtime. The number of days treatment is the number of times zones divided by 2, then add one extra day. For example if you have crossed 4 times zones, you would need divide four by two (equalling two), and then add an extra one. Therefore you would need treatment for three days.

    This is a rough guide, some people may find that they need treatment for a day more or less depending on their normal sleeping habits and how well they adapt to their new environment.

    Swallow the tablets whole and do not crush, chew or split them in half.

  • Circadin tablets have a special prolonged release formulation that delivers the melatonin dose over 8-10 hours. The melatonin you can buy in health food shops is released immediately in to the system in one go. This immediate release of large doses of melatonin does not mimic your body's normal hormone levels and is less likely to be effective and may be more likely to produce side effects.

    Circadin is a medicine and has a product license. This means that it has undergone testing and is subject to standards set by the MHRA (Medicines Health Regulatory Authority) in the UK. As such it is mandatory to have a batch number and expiry date and be subject to strict manufacturing regulation. An audit trail from manufacture to consumption is traceable and thus ensures it contains what it states. Health foods are not subject this strict regulation.

  • The medication is best taken an hour or two before bedtime starting on the first day in your new destination and at the same time each day.

    It will make you feel drowsy but not dizzy or sedated like traditional sleeping tablets.

  • Although the effects of alcohol and Circadin have not been studied, the manufacturer advises to avoid the combination. Alcohol disrupts your normal sleeping pattern and will counteract the aim of the Ciracdin to establish a new sleeping pattern in your destination.

  • Circadin does not contain gluten and can be taken by coeliacs.

  • Yes, Circadin does not contain any animal products and is suitable for vegetarians.

  • Take it as soon as you remember. It is not advisable to double the dose or take more than one tablet per day.

  • Circadin can be taken when you need it and is not habit forming. You need to take it continuously for it to have an effect.

  • As with any medicine there is the potential or side effects. Circadin is well tolerated and side effects are mild as it is usually well tolerated.

    If you were to experience side effects these are likely to be headache, back pain and increased sex drive.

  • Melatonin is a hormone released from the brain’s pineal gland during the night and facilitates night time drowsiness and the ability to maintain sleep. Individual levels of melatonin may vary, but it has been found that people suffering from insomnia often have lower melatonin levels than people without insomnia. Melatonin therapy can improve the symptoms of insomnia.

    Circadin is prolonged-release melatonin, which adds synthetic melatonin to the naturally occurring melatonin throughout the night. This facilitates the feeling of sleepiness.

  • Circadin is a melatonin-based treatment that helps regulate sleep patterns. Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the brain and plays an essential role in regulating when you feel awake or sleepy. Melatonin-based medications can help with sleep disruption because they supply the body with a synthetic version of the hormone when sleep would otherwise be disturbed.

  • If you are using Circadin only to fight jet lag, take it for 2 to 5 days. You can stop using Circadin at any time.
    Jet lag affects most long-distance travellers and can cause various sleep-related problems. Circadin naturally changes your internal body clock and eases symptoms of jet lag.

  • Though it is only temporary, jet lag is a particularly annoying condition because it can spoil the beginning of a holiday or trip and disrupt sleeping when you return. The symptoms, such as lack of energy and tiredness, can take days to fade. Circadin can help you to avoid such symptoms, leaving you better able to enjoy your travelling experience.
    Melatonin adjusts sleep patterns more naturally than is achieved through sleeping pills, which have risks such as addiction and side effects.
    In clinical trials, 32% of patients reported large improvements in sleep quality compared to a placebo.

  • Circadin comes in a standard, 2mg dosage. It is a prolonged release tablet, which means the tablet releases medication slowly after you’ve taken it.

  • Jet lag occurs when you fly through different time zones and your body struggles to adjust, leaving you feeling tired and confused. It becomes more serious the more time zones you cross. Jet lag upsets your sleeping pattern and makes you feel tired.

  • The body clock is your body’s response to sunlight during the day and lack of it at night. Darkness at night causes the body to generate a natural hormone called melatonin. Melatonin regulates your internal clock, helping you rest and get ready for sleep. Daylight prevents the production of melatonin so you are more active and energetic.

  • If you travel to a different time zone, it disturbs the cycle of when melatonin is produced in your body. The production and inhibition of melatonin affects sleeping patterns. This is where melatonin tablets can help.

Still unsure about this treatment?

Ask our medical team for impartial information and advice about any treatment we provide or medical condition that we treat before you buy.

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