Snorting Melatonin: Side Effects, Risks, And Dangers

Melatonin is a natural hormone made by a small gland in your brain called the pineal gland. This hormone helps control your sleep cycle by telling your body when it’s time to feel sleepy and when to wake up. It works with your body’s internal clock to keep your sleep schedule on track.

You can buy melatonin supplements at most stores without a prescription to help with sleep problems or to reduce withdrawal symptoms when quitting smoking or certain medications, such as benzodiazepines. However, some people try to snort melatonin powder thinking it will work faster or stronger. This dangerous practice can cause serious health problems and is not how melatonin is meant to be used.

Why Would A Person Snort Melatonin?

People might snort melatonin if they were using it to treat anxiety, depression, or symptoms associated with benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms and detoxification.

People often believe that snorting a drug creates faster uptake and more intense effects. This is generally true for some drugs which can be absorbed through the nasal passage ways. However, snorting melatonin is harmful to the body and has not been proven to increase the substance’s effects. It is most effectively taken sublingually or in pill form. People may take it in conjunction with other sedatives or central nervous system depressants, which can have dangerous results.

Effects Of Snorting Crushed Up Melatonin Pills

Snorting melatonin is both dangerous and pointless. This method doesn’t make the supplement work better or faster, but it can cause serious harm to your nose, throat, and face. When you put crushed pills or powder into your nasal passages, you’re introducing harmful substances that your nose wasn’t designed to handle.

Physical side effects of snorting crushed up melatonin may include:

• trouble swallowing
• throat damage
• ear pain
• facial swelling and pain
• nose bleeds
• damage to the nasal cavity and septum
• damage to nasal passages
• nasal congestion
• constantly runny nose
• oral ulcers
• trouble speaking

The risks of snorting melatonin far outweigh any imagined benefits. These physical side effects can be painful, long-lasting, and may require medical treatment to heal. Melatonin works best when taken as directed, and snorting it only puts your health in danger.

Is Melatonin Addictive?

Melatonin is not known to be addictive or cause dependence or withdrawal symptoms. This is why it is considered preferable to many prescription sleep aids.

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People regard melatonin positively because there are very few negative effects when used appropriately, especially since it doesn’t tend to create tolerance or a sleep “hangover” in people. While melatonin can be used safely in a regulated manner, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate these pills as strenuously as over-the-counter medications. Melatonin use, especially as a self-medication or recreational substance, can still have negative side effects and be dangerous if used to intensify other drugs.

Getting Help For Sleep Disorders And Substance Misuse

While melatonin itself is not addictive, people who snort it are often doing so in the context of a broader substance use issue, such as benzodiazepine dependence, prescription drug misuse, or polydrug abuse. In these cases, the underlying substance use disorder is what requires professional treatment. Attempting to self-medicate sleep problems or withdrawal symptoms with melatonin, especially through dangerous methods like snorting, is a sign that professional support may be needed.

Treatment options that may help include:

• medical detoxification for those withdrawing from benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants, where symptoms can be dangerous without supervision
• inpatient or outpatient treatment programs tailored to the severity of the underlying substance use disorder
• cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) a highly effective, non-medication approach to treating chronic sleep problems
• dual diagnosis treatment for those dealing with co-occurring anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions driving substance misuse
• medication management to safely address sleep disorders without the risks associated with habit-forming substances
• aftercare and relapse prevention planning to maintain healthy sleep habits and sobriety long term

If you or someone you know is misusing substances to manage sleep or withdrawal symptoms, reaching out to a healthcare provider or browsing our directory may help you find the help you need.

Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff