Analgesic effects of melatonin: a review of current evidence from experimental and clinical studies.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to review the evidence regarding melatonin's analgesic properties in animals and humans with chronic pain.
Results Summary
Melatonin demonstrated potent analgesic effects in experimental studies and showed clinical benefits in patients with chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraine. The mechanism may involve melatonin receptors, opioid μ-receptors, or GABA-B receptors, with potential secondary benefits from improved sleep and reduced anxiety.
Population
Animals and humans with chronic pain (fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
melatonin | neutral | chronobiotic, antioxidant, antihypertensive, anxiolytic and sedative properties | - | - | has been proven to have | #1 |
melatonin | increase | analgesic effects | experimental studies | dose-dependent manner | shows potent analgesic effects | #2 |
melatonin | increase | analgesic benefits | patients with chronic pain (fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine) | - | has been shown to have analgesic benefits | #3 |
melatonin | decrease | anxiety and pain | - | - | reduction in | #4 |
repeated administration of melatonin | increase | sleep | - | - | improves | #5 |
repeated administration of melatonin | decrease | anxiety | - | - | may reduce | #6 |
repeated administration of melatonin | decrease | pain | - | - | leads to lower levels of | #7 |
Melatonin is an endogenous indoleamine, produced mainly by the pineal gland. Melatonin has been proven to have chronobiotic, antioxidant, antihypertensive, anxiolytic and sedative properties. There are also experimental and clinical data supporting an analgesic role of melatonin. In experimental studies, melatonin shows potent analgesic effects in a dose-dependent manner. In clinical studies, melatonin has been shown to have analgesic benefits in patients with chronic pain (fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine). The physiologic mechanism underlying the analgesic actions of melatonin has not been clarified. The effects may be linked to G(i) -coupled melatonin receptors, to G(i) -coupled opioid μ-receptors or GABA-B receptors with unknown downstream changes with a consequential reduction in anxiety and pain. Also, the repeated administration of melatonin improves sleep and thereby may reduce anxiety, which leads to lower levels of pain. In this paper, we review the current evidence regarding the analgesic properties of melatonin in animals and humans with chronic pain.