Key Points
- Insomnia scores decreased
- Depressive symptoms were significantly reduced
- Seizure control remained stable
- Melatonin treatment was well tolerated
Findings suggest that melatonin may support sleep and mood in patients with epilepsy.
Overview of Methods
25 adults with epilepsy and insomnia took 2 mg melatonin PR orally, 30 minutes before bed each night for 12 weeks.
Researchers measured insomnia using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and depressive symptoms using a version of the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory (K-NDDI-E) for Epilepsy.
Seizure status was also compared before and after.
Melatonin Reduced Insomnia Severity
After 12 weeks of treatment, the average ISI score decreased from 16.0 at baseline to 12.2.
“ISI scores demonstrated a statistically significant improvement compared to baseline, indicating a meaningful reduction in insomnia severity.”
Insomnia is highly prevalent in epilepsy and may worsen seizures, quality of life, and daytime function.
Melatonin may help address one of the modifiable contributors to poor neurological health in this population.
Depressive Symptoms Improved
Depressive symptom scores also improved. Average depression scores decreased from 11.3 to 9.8 after 12 weeks of melatonin.
“K-NDDI-E scores also showed a significant reduction following treatment… suggesting that melatonin PR was associated with improvement in depressive symptoms.”
Poor sleep can affect mood, making sleep problems harder to manage.
The improvement in both sleep and mood suggests that supporting nighttime sleep may also benefit emotional well-being.
Seizure Control Remained Stable
Melatonin did not worsen seizures during the study. Before treatment, 13 of 25 participants were seizure-free. After 12 weeks, 14 of 25 were seizure-free.
“Prior to melatonin PR treatment, 52.0% were seizure-free and 48.0% had persistent seizures. After 12 weeks, 56.0% were seizure-free and 44.0% had persistent seizures.”
Individuals with epilepsy have to be careful with sleep aids. In this study, melatonin did not appear to worsen seizures.
Conclusion
This study suggests melatonin taken at night may improve sleep and mood in adults with epilepsy, without worsening seizure control.
“Our study demonstrates that melatonin PR significantly improved both sleep quality and depressive symptoms, as evidenced by significant reductions in ISI and K-NDDI-E scores following treatment, without significant adverse reactions.”
The findings link melatonin to healthy aging research because it supports circadian signaling, antioxidant defenses, and neurological resilience.
“Our study suggests that melatonin PR appears to be an effective and well-tolerated therapeutic option for managing comorbid insomnia and depression in patients with epilepsy.”
Larger studies may confirm melatonin could be useful for people with epilepsy-related insomnia to improve sleep, mood, quality of life, and long-term neurological health.
“Notably, no patient experienced seizure aggravation during the treatment period, and one patient who had previously had persistent seizures achieved seizure freedom.”
