Circadin (Melatonin)
Circadin (Melatonin) is an important hormone that is produced naturally in the body and helps control sleeping patterns. For people with short-term sleeping problems such as insomnia, they can take Melatonin or Circadin to regulate their sleep. Circadin is the branded version of this drug and it contains the active ingredient Melatonin. This drug is often prescribed to patients over 55 years’ old who have difficulty sleeping or who have poor quality of sleep. Sometimes, this drug is recommended for children who have sleeping problems and for adults who have recurring headaches.
Circadin is characterized as white prolonged-release tablets which are available in strengths of 2 mg. Prolonged-release tablets refer to tablets that slowly release the substance inside it over a few hours. This means that patients don’t have to take several of it in a single day. Circadin is available as prescription-only medication, which means that you can only buy it once you’ve been to the doctors and you’re given a prescription.
How does Circadin work?
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that is produced by the pineal gland in the brain. This hormone is crucial in coordinating the body’s sleeping cycle. It coordinates the cycle by targeting cells in specific areas of the brain and bringing in the need to sleep. This hormone normally increases when darkness sets in and is active in the middle of the night. This is because light decreases Melatonin production and is a signal that the body needs to wake up.
However, as people get older, the brain produces less Melatonin, which is why adults tend to sleep less. However, this can also lead to sleeping problems such as insomnia. To fix this problem, patients take Circadin to replace the Melatonin that the body needs and makes it easier for them to sleep later on. Because it is a prolonged-release tablet, Circadin mimics the natural production of this hormone, which is what helps people return to a normal sleeping schedule.