5 mgs of melatonin stops hallucinations. Less than 5 mgs won't help.

[parkie13]

healthline.com/health/sleep...

[chartist]

Thank you for posting this, Mary!

I was not aware of some of this nor was I aware of Vasotocin which I must be getting sufficient amounts of as my memory of dreams is almost nothing. If I am having nightmares or very vivid dreams, the Vasotocin must be stopping those memories cold. Very rarely remember my dreams and any memory of dreams fades very fast once I wake up.

Art

[LeharLover62 in reply to chartist]

So how much do you take of Vasotocin? (edit: oh I see it's a byproduct of the melatonin then?) Hubby frequently can't "clear out" the dream world for awhile after he wakes. It's one of the main hallucination symptoms he has.

[chartist in reply to LeharLover62]

LL62,

Yes, Vasotocin is part of the melatonin package and apparently it works as it is supposed to in me.

It may help if he exposes himself to bright morning sunlight every morning as that tends to diffuse melatonin fairly quickly.

Art

[Dap1948]

I have had hypnagogic hallucinations for twenty-five years. Lately it’s people I see leaning over me in bed, standing by my bed etc, but in the past this has been animals in the bed, swarms of insects falling on me etc. I usually rush from my bed, then remember to put the light on at which point the visions disappear. Sometimes i scream and worry my husband! A year ago I discovered a research paper which recommended 10 mg. specifically for night time hallucinations. My doctor, here in U.K., could prescribe 2 mg for three months as a help for sleep. So I started on 2 mg which worked well. I’ve recently found that the dose is not enough and so have increased it to 3 mg. The research might suggest 5 mg but I think it depends on the person. I take it at 8.30 pm but still feel drugged when I get up at 7.00 am. so don’t want to take more.

[chartist in reply to Dap1948]

Dap,

Have you tried experimenting with earlier dosing. Recently I have started my dose segmenting at 6:00 pm and then every hour after that until bedtime when I take the remaining portion of my full dose 106+ mg/night. I am trying to mimic melatonin release from the pineal gland. Earlier dosing has not been a problem for me and I may go even earlier in the winter time. Perhaps this will lighten the melatonin hangover for you?

Art

[parkie13 in reply to chartist]

Art, do you have any information on niacin? It was pretty detailed what she had, she also included the name o f the doctor a n d the paper. It was both for Parkinson's and as a psychiatric tool. Thanks Mary

[chartist in reply to parkie13]

Hi Mary,

I experimented with niacin years ago because of its many purported health benefits, but the heat / flushing was more than I could deal with even though I slowly increased my dose very gradually to try and minimize the flushing effect.

Niacin has many listed potential health benefits that the other forms of vitamin B3 don't have . Schizophrenia is one such use that comes to mind and it is said to be useful for PD in terms of cognitive enhancement. It is probably best known for lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while raising HDL cholesterol. It is also considered to be heart healthy.

The one who reminded me about niacin in recent months is Gio, who I think is well versed about niacin and may be worth talking to about its benefits for PD at a minimum.

Art

Gioc

[parkie13 in reply to chartist]

Thanks Art.

[Dap1948 in reply to chartist]

Thanks Art. I’ll try that. - Daphne

[chartist in reply to Dap1948]

Please let us know if it helps, because I have heard others mention this problem,

Art

[parkie13 in reply to Dap1948]

Art said that he got used to a very high dose that he is taking. Sounds very scary, people leaning over you. I see faces in my big flowered curtains. Don't want to stare for too long at anything. I also scream, haven't been doing it lately.

I guess we can call it fun and games. Do you remember one caregiver that gave her husband niacin? The one that makes you flush. It took care of his hallucinations. I did a search and I could not find it. Mary

[Dap1948 in reply to parkie13]

I want to stress that hypnagogic hallucinations are nothing to do with daytime hallucinations or schizophrenia! The hallucinations only happen during a short period as I’m going into a deep sleep.

[parkie13 in reply to Dap1948]

It didn't come out right. I was just trying to wake the memory.

[gginto in reply to Dap1948]

wow- do you ever talk in your sleep ? My Dad makes verbal sounds and seems very uncomfortable which made me suspect he has hallucinations-he can't really speak so I can't know for sure.

[Dap1948 in reply to gginto]

No I don’t talk in my sleep. Everything else about my sleep is normal! I see things, jump out of their way, switch on the light, am reassured that nothing is there, go back to bed and back to sleep! The whole event lasts a minute or two, but I’d still rather not have them!

[parkie13]

I did a different search and found it. The doctor's name is Abram Hoffer. md phd

[LeharLover62]

Thanks for sharing!

Hubbie's been on 5mg melatonin now for a few months, and the vivid dreams/ hallucinations are definitely better, though I was attributing this to the mannitol, which he started last fall and helped enormously with sleep.

Now, I'm wondering if we should increase melatonin a little more on reading this? He still occasionally wakes up, walks to the front door, opens it and looks in the hall to see if there are people there.

We tried niacin a couple of times for daytime hallucinations, and I would like to try it again, but am afraid to as it seemed to exacerbate orthostatic hypotension, so any thoughts on this are welcome, as it's become a big problem some days. He had 4 days this week with no hypotension, then suddenly 1 day where he fainted 3 times!