title: Melatonin treatment for rhythm disorder.
abstract: We tried melatonin treatment in two patients with non-24 h sleep-wake syndrome, who did not respond to treatments by vitamin B12, bright light therapy, or hypnotics. In one patient, melatonin 5-10 mg improved difficulty in falling asleep and in waking, although it failed to improve the sleep-wake rhythm. In another patient, melatonin 3 mg successfully changed the sleep-wake rhythm from free-running pattern to delayed sleep phase pattern. However, melatonin re-administration after a 4-month drug-free interval failed to improve his free-running sleep-wake rhythm. These results suggest that melatonin acted as a sleep inducer in one patient and as a phase setter in the other, although the effect on the latter patient was transient.
authors.affiliation: National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kajimura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekimoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D008550:Melatonin