Can you stop melatonin without a bad week of sleep?

Melatonin is one of the easiest things to start and one of the strangest to stop. This episode walks through why that is: melatonin does not create physical dependence, so what keeps people taking it nightly is habit, expectation and a conditioned bedtime ritual. It is a timing cue rather than a sedative, which changes what stopping actually asks of you.

We go week by week through a four-week step-down. Week zero changes no dose at all and sets the frame instead: one wake time every day, within about 30 minutes, and 10 to 20 minutes of outdoor light within an hour of waking. Week one cuts the dose roughly in half, 10 mg down to 5 mg, taken 60 to 90 minutes before your target bedtime rather than as you climb into bed. Week two halves it again, to around 1 to 2.5 mg, with the option to hold an extra week if sleep has been rocky. Week three drops to the smallest dose you can make, a quarter tablet or a 0.5 mg product. Week four alternates nights, then stops.

We also cover what the first week off commonly feels like: lighter sleep, taking longer to drift off, and more awareness of the time. The advice is to give it seven to ten nights before drawing conclusions, and to keep the wind-down ritual exactly as it is, because you are removing the pill and not the routine.

Read the full guide: How to Safely Come Off Melatonin. To find a provider trained in deprescribing, see the MyDeprescriber.com directory. The hosts of this episode are AI-generated from the written guide.

Educational only, not medical advice. Never stop a medication without your provider. If you are in crisis in the US, call or text 988.