Clarify the Effectiveness and Safety of Melatonin

Getting back to school will raise questions about melatonin for insomnia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), etc.

Effectiveness. Generally feel comfortable recommending melatonin for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder in blind individuals or delayed sleep phase syndrome...it’s likely effective for these conditions.

And it’s possibly effective for insomnia...especially in older adults. Tell patients it may help them fall asleep about 7 to 12 minutes sooner...but its effect on total sleep time is still unclear.