FAQs

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone secreted by your body’s pineal gland. At nighttime, your body begins to secrete melatonin to help make you sleepy. In the morning, your body lowers the amount of melatonin in your system to help you wake up. ZzzQuil™ PURE Zzzs™ not only has melatonin, but it also contains a unique drug-free blend of botanicals, like chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root and lavender.

Because melatonin may help you get to REM sleep more quickly and stay there longer, you may experience more vivid and memorable dreams. You should not experience frightening dreams. If you are experiencing unpleasant dreams, discontinue use and talk to your health care provider.

Most side effects of melatonin use are mild and will go away on their own. They may include headaches, upset stomach, grogginess, sleeplessness, irritability and dizziness. The likelihood of these side effects increases with the dosage, which is why we recommend you take no more than 2mg of melatonin per night.

The possible side effects of melatonin use are rare and mild. While most people report no side effects from melatonin use, possible side effects can include mild headaches and nausea. If your child experiences side effects, stop use and ask your pediatrician about solutions to sleeplessness. Click here for a complete list of possible side effects of melatonin.

Melatonin may interact with other medications that are also metabolized by the same liver enzymes, leading to higher plasma melatonin concentrations. It is recommended to consult with your healthcare provider if you are currently on a prescription medication and plan on using melatonin supplements.

While severe side effects are unlikely, taking too much melatonin at once can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle and could result in next day grogginess. Because each person’s sleep cycle is different, as well as each person’s height, weight and sensitivity to hormones, there is no one-size-fits-all dose of melatonin that will work for everyone. Our ZzzQuil PURE Zzzs™ have an optimal 1-2 mg of melatonin in each dose. It’s best to start with a low dose of melatonin as experts, from researchers from MIT to Dr. Oz, recommend. If you give your body more than it needs, it’s possible to have the opposite effect and disrupt your sleep-wake rhythm, making it even more difficult to fall asleep.

Studies have shown that taking melatonin nightly is safe and effective. However, you should talk to your health care professional about long-term solutions.

Yes. You do not need to taper off your use of melatonin. You can discontinue use at any time as well as use it only when needed. Because of this, it’s an excellent choice for travelers to help them negate the effects of jet-lag. If you have a long flight, you can take it beforehand to help yourself go to sleep on the plane.

Because there have not been sufficient studies on the effects of melatonin while pregnant or breastfeeding, we recommend talking to your doctor (just like we say on the back of our label).