癌症患者的褪黑激素：安全吗？

If you’ve ever struggled with insomnia, you’ve likely heard of melatonin. This nutritional supplement has been widely available in drug stores, health food stores and grocery stores for years, and touted as a natural sleep aid. It even comes in doses meant for children.

But what is melatonin? And is it safe for cancer patients to take duringtreatment?

We checked in with pulmonologistSaadia Faiz，医学博士for answers.

What is melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone that’s produced naturally by the body. It’s secreted by the pineal gland, which is located deep inside the brain. It’s thought to help regulate the sleep cycle.

How does melatonin work?

确切的机制尚不清楚，但是褪黑激素被认为可以通过控制昼夜节律，即许多生物拥有的自然24小时睡眠/唤醒周期来促进睡眠。

松果体的分泌褪黑激素直接与夜晚的长度联系在一起。通常，随着黑暗的下降，褪黑激素的水平上升，然后在夜间保持高高和稳定，并在黎明破裂或人们暴露于明亮的光线时再次下降。

Where do melatonin supplements come in?

补充剂中的褪黑激素（例如软糖或药丸）通常是在实验室中制成的，而不是源自自然来源。

Typically, they are taken a few hours before bedtime. And some clinical studies suggest that melatonin supplements may help users fall asleep more quickly and increase the amount of time they spend asleep.

However, there is controversy about the use of these supplements for insomnia. And the American Academy of Sleep medicine does not recommend the use of melatonin supplements for the treatment of insomnia, due to unanswered questions about appropriate dosage, contamination and lack of regulation of over-the-counter preparations.

Is one type of melatonin product better, more effective or more quickly absorbed than others?

不必要。产品的有效性更有可能取决于其褪黑激素的浓度，而不是其形式。

非处方补充剂的一个主要局限性是不受食品药品监督管理局（FDA）的调节，因此尚不清楚每种补充剂中含有的褪黑激素量。对于使用褪黑激素的人，我至少要确保该产品被标记为“ USP验证”，这表明该配方符合美国药物公约的要求。

褪黑激素上瘾吗？

据我们所知。但是，同样，没有长期研究。

Is it safe for patients to use melatonin during cancer treatment?

Melatonin is generally regarded as safe. But data on long-term and high-dose use are scarce.

That’s why we strongly recommend talking to your health care team before taking anysupplements— including melatonin — because they could potentially interact with your other medications and affect how they work.

睡眠障碍在接受癌症治疗的人中是一个普遍的问题。失眠症涉及入睡，睡着或醒来的困难。对于短期失眠的人来说，采用健康的睡眠习惯并促进睡眠卫生可能比补充剂更有帮助。对于患有慢性失眠的人，认知行为疗法是推荐的治疗方法。无论如何，首先，对于失眠或其他睡眠问题的任何人，都建议将睡眠专家推荐给睡眠专家。

What are the side effects of melatonin?

Side effects are very rare. They occur in less than 2% of cases and may include:

• daytime sleepiness
• 头痛
• 头晕
• hypothermia (low body temperature)

重要的是要记住，白天的嗜睡也可能是一些高级癌症的症状，这会通过减少褪黑激素的正常分泌来破坏睡眠周期。

有什么原因为什么有人在癌症治疗期间不应该使用褪黑激素？

No. But again, we encourage patients to discuss all of their medications — including over-the-counter and herbal supplements — with their oncologists.

要求约会MD Anderson在线的or by calling 1-877-632-6789.