Melatonin Tablets: The Complete India Buyer's Guide

This is the pillar piece: everything that matters before buying melatonin tablets
in India, in the order it matters.
If you read one thing on this site about melatonin, read this.

1. Decide whether melatonin is the right tool

Before comparing products, confirm you have the problem melatonin solves.
It helps when your body clock is misaligned — jet lag, shift work, a genuinely
delayed sleep phase, or a schedule your clock has not adjusted to.
It does not help much when you fall asleep fine but wake at 3am, when anxiety
or pain keeps you awake, or when the real issue is an untreated condition such
as sleep apnoea.
Buying melatonin for a problem it does not address is the most common way
people conclude it does not work.

2. Choose the dose — lower than you think

Most Indian products come in 3 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg.
• Start at 3 mg, or split it to 1.5 mg
• Much of the supporting research used 0.5 mg to 5 mg
• 10 mg sits largely outside the studied range
• Higher doses mainly produce morning grogginess rather than better
sleep
• Older adults generally need less, since clearance slows with age
Buy a splittable tablet. It gives you dose flexibility no other format offers.

3. Choose the format

• Immediate-release tablets — for difficulty falling asleep. The default and
the most flexible.
• Extended-release — for waking during the night. Discuss with a doctor.
• Gummies — better adherence, but added sugar, less consistent dosing,
and not splittable.
• Combination products — magnesium or L-theanine pairings are
reasonable if individual quantities are stated.

4. Check the label

• FSSAI licence number present
• Milligrams per serving, and units per serving, both stated
• Full ingredient and excipient list
• Manufacturer, country of origin, batch and expiry
• Vegetarian mark
• Individual quantities for any combination ingredients rather than a
'blend' total

5. Price expectations in India

Melatonin is inexpensive to manufacture, and prices reflect that.
A reasonable domestic product typically works out at a low per-day cost.
Calculate price divided by servings rather than comparing pack prices,
and be sceptical of premium pricing unless there is a genuine formulation
difference such as extended release or a well-dosed combination.
Imported products at several times the price are rarely worth the premium,
and carry the labelling and authenticity issues covered elsewhere.

6. Use it properly

• Take it 60 to 90 minutes before your target sleep time
• Dim the lights afterwards — this is not optional, bright light undoes it
• Keep timing consistent night to night
• Do not combine with alcohol
• Do not drive until you know how it affects you
• Take breaks rather than using it nightly indefinitely
• Pair with morning light exposure, which does half the work

7. Know who should not take it

• Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding
• Children and adolescents, unless doctor-directed
• Anyone with an autoimmune condition or epilepsy
• Anyone taking anticoagulants, immunosuppressants, diabetes or blood
pressure medication
• Anyone with a diagnosed hormonal disorder
This list is longer than for most supplements because melatonin is a hormone
rather than a nutrient.

8. Know when to stop and see a doctor

If you have had difficulty sleeping for more than three months, melatonin is not
the answer and continuing to self-treat delays a better one.
Ask your doctor about cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia — it has
stronger evidence than any medication for chronic insomnia, its benefits persist
after treatment ends, and it is significantly under-used in India.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Consult a
qualified doctor before starting melatonin, and about any persistent sleep
difficulty.