Experience with sustained-release melatonin for the treatment of sleep disorders in depression

Abstract

The data available in the literature on the role of melatonin in the regulation of circadian rhythms and sleep disorders in the population and in patients with mental diseases are analyzed. The cause of insomnia may be circadian rhythm disorders due to the age-related decline in the elaboration of the endogenous hormones that are responsible for the quality and duration of sleep, one of which is melatonin. Sustained-release melatonin is a synthetic analogue of the endogenous human pineal hormone melatonin. According to clinical findings, the main proven clinical effects of sustained-release melatonin 2 mg are a reduction in the latency of sleep, improvement of its quality, and lack of daytime sleepiness. The drug causes no dependence on its long use and rebound symptoms (increased insomnia symptoms), positively affects cognitive functions, and lowers nocturnal blood pressure in hypertensive patients. The paper describes a clinical case of a female patient with recurrent depressive disorder, in whom sustained-release melatonin 2 mg has demonstrated high efficacy and good tolerability in the combination therapy of sleep disorders in the pattern of depression.