A pharmacist is welcoming the approval of melatonin for purchase over the counter, saying it is “about time” New Zealand fell in line with other countries.
Yesterday it was announced the drug melatonin – used to treat insomnia and jet lag – would be available for purchase in pharmacies without a prescription in due course.
The medicine has previously been tightly restricted in New Zealand. Currently, only a handful of melatonin products were approved for people aged over 55.
Westmere pharmacy owner Sam Tibshraeny told Breakfast “it’s about time”.
“Melatonin is available over the counter in other countries like Australia, and the US, so I think it’s about time we widen the access for New Zealanders.
“We see lots of scripts for melatonin coming from people’s GPs, so to free up their time, [with] the way our healthcare system is at the moment, it’s going to be really valuable.”
She said it would be good for New Zealanders to have a product approved by MedSafe, rather than buying them from overseas to ship over.
“We know exactly what’s in it, we know what the quality is like, and that they can have that really good consultation with their pharmacist or their healthcare practitioner about it.”
She said MedSafe and health experts had previously been cautious before making it widely accessible.
“I think now probably is a good time to say that there is some safety data to show that there is a really good side effect profile, there is a good safety profile, so now is the time I think to make it more available.”
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Tibshraeny said there were “lots of benefits”, particularly as people age and the body produces less melatonin naturally.
“They say from the age of 40, your melatonin production starts to decline so for people as they start to get older, supplementing is a really good option for their sleep.”
Some people take it every night, while others more sporadically without developing tolerance or dependency issues, Tibshraeny said.
“In saying that, it’s not for everyone. If you have complex health conditions, it’s still something you need to check with your GP or pharmacist if it will be suitable.
“Or if you’re on lots of other medicines, we know blood thinners you need to be careful with, so its still worth checking if you have other health conditions.
“For otherwise fit and healthy people it’s going to be a good option.”
