4 ms·

A quick google gives me a big bunch of options for buying Melatonin in the UK - http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/HealthNotes-Search?search=%2Fassets%2Fnutrition

A quick google gives me a big bunch of options for buying Melatonin in the UK - http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/HealthNotes-Search?search=%2Fassets%2Fnutritional-supplement%2Fmelatonin%2F~default http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/HealthNotes-Search?search=%... for example. Doesn't seem to be prescription-only unless I'm misunderstanding.

joosters 13y ago
That page only describes melatonin, I can't see any products containing it for sale?
DanBC 13y ago
Wikipedia suggests prescription only in the UK. I think this is because it was banned as a food supplement in the 1990s, and only one medication got a licence, and that was a POM. Thus, any melatonin product is either an unlicensed medication (illegal) or prescription only. The page you link to doesn't allow me to buy any product. Entering [melatonin] in their search box doesn't return any products containing melatonin. (http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Licensingofmedicines/Legalstatusandreclassification/Listsofsubstances/index.htm http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Licensingofme...) "You can't buy melatonin over the counter in the UK" (http://www.webmd.boots.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia-in-adults-melatonin http://www.webmd.boots.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia-in-adult...) MHRA does regulate melatonin sales and prescriptions. Here are two examples: UK website has prescription only melatonin, being advertised for off-label use (jet lag) and is told to stop (http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Advertisingofmedicines/Advertisinginvestigations/CON140628 http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Advertisingof...) (Even though Cochrane found it's excellent for jetlag) Also, unlicenced product (http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Advertisingofmedicines/Advertisinginvestigations/CON044048 http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Advertisingof...) EDIT: also, a web search for [buy codeine uk] returns many hits for offshore pharmacies selling into the UK.
- thenomad 13y ago
  Thanks for the detailed reply! Having looked into it a bit further - yep, you're right.
  - robhu 13y ago
    You can buy melatonin online in the UK from Biovea http://www.biovea.com/uk/product_detail.aspx?NAME=MELATONIN-5mg-180-Tablets&PID=21500#.Uk7192R4aoo http://www.biovea.com/uk/product_detail.aspx?NAME=MELATONIN-...
    - thenomad 13y ago
      Interesting! Any idea how they get around the legal issue?
      - polshaw 13y ago
        It is legal to import prescription-only medicine into the UK, providing it does not have a higher level of scheduling too.
codev 13y ago
That link shows some automated content brought in from healthnotes/aisle7 which is a Portland, Oregon based company. If you search Amazon UK for melatonin you'll find lots of supplement that are described as 'melatonin-like' but don't contain any active ingredients. I buy it when I'm in the US which is fine for me as I take it for jet lag but I know GPs (family doctors) I talk to are often confused to learn they can prescribe melatonin and will often prescribe much more powerful and, in my opinion, dangerous hypnotics. I think that's probably because there's no patent on melatonin so not much marketing push to inform GPs of its uses - though I believe there's a patented slow release version of melatonin that might get a bit of marketing behind it.

joosters 13y ago

That page only describes melatonin, I can't see any products containing it for sale?

DanBC 13y ago

Wikipedia suggests prescription only in the UK. I think this is because it was banned as a food supplement in the 1990s, and only one medication got a licence, and that was a POM. Thus, any melatonin product is either an unlicensed medication (illegal) or prescription only. The page you link to doesn't allow me to buy any product. Entering [melatonin] in their search box doesn't return any products containing melatonin. (http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Licensingofmedicines/Legalstatusandreclassification/Listsofsubstances/index.htm http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Licensingofme...) "You can't buy melatonin over the counter in the UK" (http://www.webmd.boots.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia-in-adults-melatonin http://www.webmd.boots.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia-in-adult...) MHRA does regulate melatonin sales and prescriptions. Here are two examples: UK website has prescription only melatonin, being advertised for off-label use (jet lag) and is told to stop (http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Advertisingofmedicines/Advertisinginvestigations/CON140628 http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Advertisingof...) (Even though Cochrane found it's excellent for jetlag) Also, unlicenced product (http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Advertisingofmedicines/Advertisinginvestigations/CON044048 http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Howweregulate/Medicines/Advertisingof...) EDIT: also, a web search for [buy codeine uk] returns many hits for offshore pharmacies selling into the UK.

thenomad 13y ago
Thanks for the detailed reply! Having looked into it a bit further - yep, you're right.
- robhu 13y ago
  You can buy melatonin online in the UK from Biovea http://www.biovea.com/uk/product_detail.aspx?NAME=MELATONIN-5mg-180-Tablets&PID=21500#.Uk7192R4aoo http://www.biovea.com/uk/product_detail.aspx?NAME=MELATONIN-...
  - thenomad 13y ago
    Interesting! Any idea how they get around the legal issue?
    - polshaw 13y ago
      It is legal to import prescription-only medicine into the UK, providing it does not have a higher level of scheduling too.

codev 13y ago

That link shows some automated content brought in from healthnotes/aisle7 which is a Portland, Oregon based company. If you search Amazon UK for melatonin you'll find lots of supplement that are described as 'melatonin-like' but don't contain any active ingredients. I buy it when I'm in the US which is fine for me as I take it for jet lag but I know GPs (family doctors) I talk to are often confused to learn they can prescribe melatonin and will often prescribe much more powerful and, in my opinion, dangerous hypnotics. I think that's probably because there's no patent on melatonin so not much marketing push to inform GPs of its uses - though I believe there's a patented slow release version of melatonin that might get a bit of marketing behind it.