Substrate ·evidence-based
interventions / Melatonin / migraine frequency

Does Melatonin help migraine frequency? (Grade C evidence)

Melatonin shows a Grade C benefit for migraine frequency: small trials, especially in adults with migraine, prophylaxis suggest a modest effect, low certainty. Dose range commonly 3 mg at night in the trials.

Exact question reviewed

Population
adults with migraine, prophylaxis
Intervention
Melatonin · commonly 3 mg at night in the trials
Comparator
not reported
Outcome
migraine frequency
Time horizon
not reported

Bottom line. Melatonin shows a Grade C benefit for migraine frequency: small trials, especially in adults with migraine, prophylaxis suggest a modest effect, low certainty. Dose range commonly 3 mg at night in the trials. [1 RCT]

Direction
benefit
Magnitude
Systematic review: melatonin showed promise for migraine prophylaxis, reducing attack frequency in several trials, with a tolerability profile comparable to or better than some standard preventives. The evidence base is small and heterogeneous.
Grade
C
Certainty
low
Clinical meaning
small but potentially useful
Who it applies to
adults with migraine, prophylaxis
Dose / form studied
commonly 3 mg at night in the trials
Safety
uncertain_with_ssri
The one limitation
Claim-specific limitation details are not available in this public record.

Reviewed · Evidence last changed · Claim clm_ec_b4-mel-migraine v0

⚠ Safety in context

Grade
C
what does the grade mean?
Certainty
low
what does certainty mean?

Grade C / low: hints of benefit in small trials; a well-run RCT could easily push this to B or to null.

Who it works for

Best-studied in adults with migraine, prophylaxis. Recorded studied dose: commonly 3 mg at night in the trials.

Evidence

StudyDesignRoleCite
Therapeutic role of melatonin in migraine prophylaxis: A systematic review.peer-reviewedsupportsPMID:30653130

Why this grade

Reasoning trace

The current record stores Grade C at low certainty and links 1 publishable source. A claim-specific domain-by-domain grading rationale is not available in this public record, so no reason for upgrading or downgrading is inferred here.

Audit and version

Claim ID
ec_b4-mel-migraine
Claim version
not reported
Governance
legacy, not verified
Last evidence search
not reported
Last editorial review
2026-07-16T15:19:26.568Z

Public receipt · Machine-readable claim · Methodology

Dose & form

Studied intake: commonly 3 mg at night in the trials.

How it stacks up for migraine frequency

Grade history

No grade changes yet. Initial grade assigned; re-reviewed on every 6 months (Grade C+) — next review by . Methodology v1.

Re-review cadence: every 6 months (Grade C+) · next scheduled by · methodology v1.

Frequently asked

How long does Melatonin take to work for migraine frequency?

Trials of Melatonin for migraine frequency typically report effects within 2–4 weeks, though individual response varies. Studies rarely find benefit inside 1 week for chronic outcomes.

What dose was used in studies of Melatonin for migraine frequency?

Studied doses for Melatonin in migraine frequency trials cluster around commonly 3 mg at night in the trials. See the dose block for the specific range and how it varies by form.

Does Melatonin work for migraine frequency if I'm not deficient?

The effect concentrates in adults with migraine, prophylaxis. If your baseline is normal, expect a smaller effect than the trial averages.

Melatonin or the next-best alternative for migraine frequency?

See the compare block above for the head-to-head with the most-cited alternative. Grade + certainty differences matter more than any single trial.

Related

What this is — and is not

Evidence description
Systematic review: melatonin showed promise for migraine prophylaxis, reducing attack frequency in several trials, with a tolerability profile comparable to or better than some standard preventives. The evidence base is small and heterogeneous.
Substrate's interpretation
The current reviewed record assigns Grade C at low certainty. A domain-by-domain rationale is shown only when recorded.
Discuss with a clinician
If you're on medication or have a condition that changes the calculus, bring the interaction & population blocks above to your pharmacist or prescriber before deciding.
Individualized medical advice
Not provided here or on any Substrate surface (API, agent tool, embed) — see YMYL policy.

Cite this page

Citation is encouraged. The proposed reuse license is CC-BY-4.0; status: pending-governance-ratification.

Plain-text citation
Substrate. Does Melatonin help migraine frequency? (Grade C). https://evidencebased.info/interventions/melatonin/migraine. Updated 2026-07-16.
BibTeX
@misc{substrate_onsmelatoninmigraine,
  author = {Substrate editorial},
  title  = {Does Melatonin help migraine frequency?},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://evidencebased.info/interventions/melatonin/migraine},
  note   = {Grade C, evidencebased.info}
}

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