Melatonin Cuts Chronic Pain by 9 Points in 23-Trial Review, but Fails After Surgery
Updated
Updated · The Conversation · Jul 16
Melatonin Cuts Chronic Pain by 9 Points in 23-Trial Review, but Fails After Surgery
3 articles · Updated · The Conversation · Jul 16
Summary
A review of 23 clinical trials involving more than 2,000 people found melatonin modestly eased chronic muscle and joint pain, lowering scores by about 9 points on a 100-point scale.
The benefit appeared alongside better sleep, fitting evidence that melatonin may blunt pain signaling, reduce inflammation and calm overactive nerves, though most chronic-pain participants already had sleep problems.
Post-surgery results were far weaker: melatonin showed no meaningful improvement in pain or sleep, with one analysis finding only a 2.5-point pain reduction.
Doses ranged from 1 mg to 10 mg, leaving the best regimen unclear; researchers said melatonin should be treated as an add-on to physiotherapy, exercise or anti-inflammatory drugs, not a replacement.
Melatonin is generally considered safe for short-term use but can cause sleepiness, dizziness, headaches and nausea, and larger trials are still needed to identify who benefits most.