Chronic Pain? Melatonin May Provide Some Relief, Study Finds

Melatonin alleviated chronic pain about as effectively as over-the-counter painkillers, a new study found. Grace Cary/Getty Images. A new study found melatonin eased chronic musculoskeletal pain about as effectively as over-the-counter painkillers. The benefit was clearest for chronic pain, but results for post-surgical pain were less clear, the study found. The study reported that melatonin is safe in the short term at low doses, defined as less than 3 months and less than 5 milligrams. Experts advise talking with a doctor before trying melatonin for pain, particularly if you don’t currently have trouble sleeping or take other medications. Poor sleep and pain often reinforce each other. Pain can make sleep harder to come by, and lost sleep can make pain feel more intense. Research has linked lost sleep to increased inflammation and a weakened pain-control system. That relationship is one reason researchers have begun studying whether melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, might also help manage pain. A study published June 30 in the journal PAIN found that melatonin supplements reduced chronic musculoskeletal pain with effects comparable to over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen and aspirin. The research examined both chronic pain — pain lasting three months or longer — and acute, short-term pain following surgeries for conditions like knee and hip replacements, spinal procedures, and fractures. Here’s what they found. How melatonin helps ease chronic pain The researchers say that melatonin’s effects may depend on the type of pain. For chronic pain, the reduction was large enough to rival common painkillers. For post-surgical pain, the results were less clear. Lead study author Kangchao Wu, a PhD candidate, physiotherapy researcher, and faculty member at the University of Sydney’s School of Health Sciences, explained the two ways melatonin can help reduce pain. The first is in the makeup of the hormone itself. &#8