Does anyone have dosage specifically for treating PCa with melatonin.
I know one doc I met years ago that used very high doses of melatonin and also used them in suppository form. They were to be done at a compounding pharmacy.
I've lost the notes I took during our consultation. I'm not looking for those high doses or suppository unless someone out there knows since we never know what we'll need in the future. That would be great. For now, I'm looking for info not for sleep but also for PCa protocol treatment.
thanks very much
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Bluebird11
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My take re: your question is that you're looking for protocols that will fight your PC that are not standard of care (Radiation, Chemo, ATD). You have probably already done or are doing these?
Metabolomics is now receiving much attention as a viable approach to prevention, preventing recurrence and/or controlling cancer progression. I suggest starting with a book by Jane McLelland, "How to Starve Cancer". There is a wealth of information on supplements in this blog and a few (probably many) of our brothers in the fight are well versed on supplements that have been shown to be effective (often only in vitro). This would be a start on a long road toward gaining knowledge that should help you in your personal PC goals.
Yes, melatonin has been studied with positive results on its affect on PC. My personal experience is that it will not directly affect PSA but may have some benefit. I use it to help in sleep so I take it anyway. With supplement dosages, more is not always (perhaps not usually) better. And one must take care to be aware of interactions (counteractions) between substances being taken. Here is some info on melatonin:
Melatonin
Researchers are waking up to the fact that people whose bodies produce more melatonin are more cancer resistant. And they are also finding that, in many cases, giving cancer patients melatonin supplements when they’re being treated increases their chance of surviving and eradicating their tumors. For instance, a study at the Harvard School of Public Health shows that men with a higher level of melatonin circulating in their blood run a reduced risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.1 Researchers at the Tulane University School of Medicine conducted a laboratory study of how breast cancer cells react to tamoxifen – an anti-cancer drug first discovered in the late 1960s. Tamoxifen is still the most frequently used drug that’s given to breast cancer patients.
2. The researchers found that exposure to light at night – which is known to hamper the body’s production of melatonin -- can make breast cancer completely resistant to treatment with tamoxifen.
However, the tests on animals showed that melatonin supplementation, even if the animals didn’t have much melatonin in their bodies (because they were exposed to light at night), could, by itself, without anti-cancer drugs, slow the growth and formation of breast tumors. The lab experiments also demonstrated that melatonin supplements given to melatonin-deficient animals made tamoxifen much more effective at eradicating tumors. According to researcher David Blask, who is with Tulane's Circadian Cancer Biology Group, "High melatonin levels at night put breast cancer cells to 'sleep' by turning off key growth mechanisms. These cells are vulnerable to tamoxifen. But when the lights are on and melatonin production is suppressed, breast cancer cells 'wake up' and ignore tamoxifen.”
In a study of breast cancer patients being treated with tamoxifen, researchers found that adding melatonin to the regimen made the tamoxifen so much more powerful, it was possible to reduce the dose of the drug without a loss of effectiveness.
3. Being able to use a lower dose of tamoxifen is important because the drug, especially in large amounts, can cause serious and even deadly side effects: It can increase the chances of stroke, uterine cancer, vision difficulties and pulmonary embolism. It can also lead to hot
flushes, weight loss and irregular menstruation. In addition, during cancer treatment, cancer cells may grow resistant to tamoxifen, rendering it less effective. Eventually, the cancer cells can resist the drug entirely and keep forming larger tumors.
Building on the research that shows melatonin boosts apoptosis (the process that leads cancer cells to engage in a type of suicide) these researchers believed the hormone could make tamoxifen more deadly to cancer cells and render those cells less likely to develop resistance. And the study confirmed that it does. In this test, cancer patients received their melatonin within an injection of small bubbles called nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). These are designed to provide a time-released dose of melatonin gradually, over a prolonged period of time. Going along with these results, a study at the University of Colorado Cancer Center showed that melatonin can be helpful in fighting malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer that can be life-threatening.5
Take 10 mg a day, at bed time. Ideally mix the melatonin in some whole milk or ½ -and -½ taking it since this will hugely increase its absorption – it is a fat soluble supplement. Swanson has a product, #SWU305, a 10 mg capsule, $5.99 for 60 capsules. Take 1 at bed time. A bottle will last two months.
We insert below another parallel report in support of melatonin. It includes enough new insights to make its inclusion worthwhile.
Melatonin as a cancer fighter
Growing research shows that melatonin is a potent ally in the fight against cancer. It’s a known tumor-suppressor that’s effective against many types of cancer, including breast, prostate, gastric, colorectal, liver, brain, blood, and non-small-cell lung.1,2,3 Often this is true even when the cancer is at an advanced stage.
Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal, with a five-year survival rate so low you don’t want to hear about it. This type of cancer responds poorly to both chemo and radiation -- but a 2017 study shows that melatonin inhibits proliferation of some pancreatic cancer cell lines.4 University of Texas Professor Russel Reiter noted that melatonin inhibits cancer cell development at every stage of cancer and across a multitude of cancer cell lines.5 He & his team also showed that melatonin can help make chemo- or radiation-resistant cancers more sensitive to those treatments, and may also help soften their toxic side effects. He goes so far as to say that the medical profession’s adoption of this remedy is “unethically slow.”6
Another review considered a number of randomized controlled clinical trials using high-dose melatonin (20-40 mg/day) alongside chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or supportive care. The review concluded that melatonin was a “physiological anticancer substance.”7 [CAUTION: You should not use melatonin at such high doses merely to help you sleep.]
Four ways melatonin fights cancer
The best way to beat cancer is with a multi-modal approach.Conveniently enough, melatonin can provide that, since it works via several mechanisms.
1. Pummels pro-cancer cellular activity
(a) Stops angiogenesis (growth of tumor blood vessels)
(b) Stalls tumor growth
(c) Induces apoptosis (the process by which cancer cells commit suicide)
2. Substantially increases survival rates of cancer patients
A review of eight clinical trials showed that melatonin taken alongside conventional treatment increased the one-year survival rate by 45%, compared to those who did conventional treatment alone. And it increased the rate of complete or partial remission by nearly 50%.8 While experts still say more research is needed, those results look extremely promising.
Lissoni, an Italian researcher, found that patients suffering from glioblastoma, a lethal type of brain cancer, and receiving conventional radiotherapy plus 10 mg of melatonin reaped the benefit of a 43% one-year survival rate, compared to a survival rate of less than 1% for the placebo (supportive care only) group. Those are astounding results. Similarly, metastatic breast cancer patients who took 20 mg of melatonin alongside Tamoxifen had a one-year survival rate of 63%, in contrast with a mere 24% survival rate for the placebo group.9
3. Alleviates the debilitating side effects of chemo and radiation
Conventional treatments usually come with a host of nasty side effects. In fact, chemotherapy is so painful to endure that many patients end their treatments early. Studies show that melatonin may alleviate side effects such as nausea and vomiting, low white blood counts, cachexia [wasting away], neurotoxicity, and more.10,11,12
4. Boosts your immune system
Melatonin is a natural antioxidant, boosts production of certain immune cells, & reduces oxidative stress.
In summary, the research on melatonin’s effectiveness is truly astonishing… as is oncologists’ refusal to use it in treating cancer. Ben Williams [ author of the book Surviving Terminal Cancer: Clinical Trials, Drug Cocktails, and Other Treatments Your Oncologist Won’t Tell You About] indicated that melatonin was one of the therapies that allowed him to be alive 23 years later, an incredible accomplishment.
There are even more ways to maximize your melatonin levels:
1. Sleep. In total darkness, deeply. For seven to nine hours per night.
2. Limit your EMF exposure. We discussed this extensively in issues #861, #862 and #863.
3. Lower your stress levels. The stress hormone cortisol fights against melatonin. They’re mortal enemies.
4. Eat melatonin-rich foods. Some of the best high-melatonin foods are Goji berries, tart cherries (or better yet, cherry concentrate), walnuts, almonds, pineapple, asparagus, tomatoes, bananas, oranges, and broccoli.
5. Eat tryptophan-rich foods. Tryptophan is a precursor to melatonin. So enjoy some spirulina, cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and yogurt. Garbanzo beans are the best of the best in terms of tryptophan content.
6. Go easy on the coffee. Coffee beans are loaded with melatonin, but the caffeine cancels out the melatonin benefits.
7. Take time to pray or meditate. Studies show that this improves melatonin production.
References [to the additional Report]
1 Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2012 May;69(5):1213-20.
3 Sainz RM, Mayo JC, Tan DX, Leon J, Manchester L, Reiter RJ. Melatonin reduces prostate cancer cell growth leading to neuroendocrine differentiation via a receptor and PKA independent mechanism. Prostate. 2005 Apr 1;63(1):29-43.
6 Reiter et al. Melatonin, a full service anti-cancer agent: Inhibition of initiation, progression and metastasis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2017). 18(4), 843
7 Cutando, A. et al. Role of melatonin in cancer treatment. Anticancer Research (2012) 32: 2747-54.
8 Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2012 May;69(5):1213-20.
Tennisforlife left a very long detailed reply. Very impressive with supporting weblinks, etc. Believe what you may, but I don't believe in melatonin for advance PC treatment. I am not a doctor , just a PCa survivor.
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