India Sees Surge In Melatonin Demand

HYDERABAD: Melatonin has raised alarms this month for a possible link with heart failure, yet people across countries continue to use it as if it were harmless. India shows the same pattern and Hyderabad is no exception either. People who struggle to sleep in these urban pockets now reach for melatonin and they speak about it as a harmless neuromodulator. Search data shows the term shooting up in recent years. Pharmacies stock shelves with gummies and tablets sold freely, often in doses far higher than what the body produces.

Google Trends over five years shows that interest in the drug in India has nearly doubled and remains high. Telangana ranks tenth, while Karnataka ranks higher. Hyderabad falls neatly within this national curve. Searches have shifted from the word “melatonin” to very specific terms such as “melatonin 3 mg”, “melatonin 10 mg”, “melatonin tablet uses in Hindi” and “magnesium glycinate”. This suggests dose trials and self-directed experimentation. Another dataset showed a six-fold jump in “sleep gummies”.

“Yes. Reports document a marked rise in melatonin use and accidental ingestions since around 2017 to 2020. Sales went up and emergency cases followed,” said Dr E. Ravi Shanker, senior endocrinologist at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills. He said melatonin is a hormone, not a vitamin. “Short-term use is usually safe for most adults. Some long courses have shown mild effects, yet new observational work has raised concerns about higher rates of heart failure with prolonged use,” he explained.

Reddit threads show people talking about heavy reliance on melatonin and its abuse. One user said it helped him sleep “like a baby” for a few weeks, then the effect faded and he wanted more. He said that stopping it made natural sleep feel harder, as if his internal clock had forgotten how to switch off. Others wrote about intense dreams that left them drained the next day. One user summed up the trade-off bluntly and said he would rather risk problems from melatonin than lie awake through another night. These stories now appear in offline conversations too.

Ayush Singh, a young professional in Hyderabad, said he often sleeps barely three hours and views melatonin as temporary support during chaotic work hours. “My sleep cycle is messed up; if there is any chance of sleeping, it is through supplements.” He has seen 10 mg gummies on counters and said that dose is “no joke”. “People think it is a vitamin. They pick it up without knowing what it is.” He also spoke about placement near billing desks, which turns a hormone gummy into a last-minute impulse buy. He said the ads mislead people. Another user said his mother once ate several Vicks ZzzQuil gummies, thinking they were sweets and only realised when dizziness began. He said the packaging made it look harmless.

“As per guidelines, you are supposed to start very low, around 0.3 to 1 mg, and increase only if needed. Many experts recommend 1 to 3 mg for adults. Some suggest 0.5 to 2 mg for older people. The NHS often prescribes 2 mg slow-release for short courses. Most adults rarely need more than 5 mg and routine 10 mg without medical review is discouraged and not necessary, especially owing to the side effects,” Dr Ravi added.

The pattern mirrors other lifestyle drugs. People worry about the toll of long-term insomnia on the heart and mind, so they reach for a pill that feels mild and accessible and stay on it for months. Sleep specialists repeat that melatonin should be a short-term aid taken at the lowest dose while people work on routine, light and screens.