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Prolonged-release melatonin, licensed for short-term insomnia in adults aged 55 and over
Order before 3pm — same-day dispatch (MON - FRI)
~5 min consultation
Secure & confidential · Reviewed by a UK prescriber
Suitable age
18 years + (licensed from 55)
Max per order
2 packs
Consultation
Yes — free online consultation
Melatonin is the hormone your body uses to signal that it is time to sleep. Levels rise in the evening as light fades, peak overnight, and fall towards morning. As people get older that evening rise tends to flatten, which is one reason sleep often becomes lighter and more broken with age.
These tablets are the prolonged-release form, sometimes called modified-release. Rather than producing one sharp peak, they release melatonin slowly across the night, so the aim is to help sleep hold together rather than only to help you drop off.
In the UK this formulation is licensed for the short-term treatment of primary insomnia characterised by poor quality of sleep, in patients aged 55 and over. That is its licensed use. A prescriber can still decide it is the right choice for someone aged 18 to 54, but that is prescribing outside the licence, so the reasoning has to be recorded and you have to agree to it during your consultation.
It is a different medicine from immediate-release melatonin 3mg, which is the formulation licensed for jet lag. That one gives a short, sharp peak to shift the body clock after travel. The two are not interchangeable, so if travel is the problem rather than ongoing poor sleep, the immediate-release product is the one to ask about.
| Active ingredient | Melatonin 2mg |
| Formulation | Prolonged-release (modified-release) tablet |
| Licensed for | Short-term primary insomnia in adults aged 55 and over |
| Standard dose | One tablet, 1 to 2 hours before bedtime and after food |
| Maximum dose | 2mg in 24 hours |
| Length of treatment | Up to 13 weeks, then reassessment |
| Use under 55 | Off-label — prescribed only with your recorded consent |
| Legal status | Prescription-only medicine (POM) |
Take one tablet 1 to 2 hours before you go to bed, after food.
Swallow it whole with water. Do not crush, break or chew it, as that would release the whole dose at once and defeat the point of the prolonged-release coating.
Take it at roughly the same time each night. Melatonin works with your body clock, so a consistent time does more for you than a bigger dose would.
Treatment runs for up to 13 weeks. Your prescriber will review how you are getting on before any further supply.
Avoid alcohol while you are taking it. Alcohol reduces how well melatonin works on sleep, and it worsens sleep quality in its own right.
Melatonin can make you drowsy and has a moderate effect on the ability to drive and use machines. Do not drive or operate machinery if you feel at all affected, and only take it when you can have a full night of sleep before you next need to be fully alert.
Use the sleep advice from your consultation alongside the tablets rather than instead of them: a regular bedtime, a dark, cool and quiet bedroom, no caffeine after early afternoon, and no screens for an hour before bed.
Very little. Circadin is the original brand of prolonged-release melatonin 2mg. This is the same medicine in generic form: melatonin 2mg in a prolonged-release tablet, with the same UK licensed use, which is short-term primary insomnia in adults aged 55 and over.
One to two hours before you go to bed, after food. Try to keep to roughly the same time each night. Melatonin works with your body clock, so consistency matters more than the size of the dose.
Up to 13 weeks, and your prescriber will review how you are getting on before any further supply. If your sleep has not improved, carrying on is usually not the answer. Insomnia lasting three months or more is better treated with a talking therapy called CBT-I, which NICE recommends ahead of any sleep medicine.
Possibly. The UK licence for prolonged-release melatonin covers adults aged 55 and over, so prescribing it below that age is outside the licence. A prescriber can still do it where they judge it appropriate, but the reason has to be recorded and you have to consent to it, which is one of the questions in the consultation.
No. Jet lag is treated with immediate-release melatonin 3mg, which gives a short, sharp peak that shifts the body clock after travel. This prolonged-release tablet releases melatonin slowly through the night and is not licensed for jet lag.
It can. Melatonin has a moderate effect on the ability to drive and use machines. Do not drive or operate machinery if you feel at all affected, and take it early enough to allow a full night of sleep before you next need to be fully alert.
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