Category: Parkinson's Disease: Non-Motor Symptoms
Objective: Determine the efficacy of melatonin in patients with Parkinson’s disease suffering from insomnia.
Background: Parkinson disease (PD) is a degenerative disease manifested by motor and nonmotor symptoms. Nonmotor symptoms have become better appreciated over time and can be as debilitating as the motor symptoms, they include cognitive decline, depression, anxiety, dysautonomia, and sleep disturbances [1]. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in Parkinson’s disease, the etiology is considered multifactorial. The most widely used pharmacological strategies, due to their low cost and easy acquisition, are based on melatonin [2].
Method: A retrospective cohort study was carried out from 2013 to 2021 in 138 patients with Parkinson’s disease at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico. Each patient underwent two visits with a one-year follow-up. Through a self-administered questionnaire, patients were assessed by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Scale Modified by the Movement Disorders Society (MDS-UPDRS). Data were obtained where patients describe whether they have insomnia and whether or not they take melatonin to improve sleep quality. Student’s t test and analysis of variance were used to explore the association between these aspects.
Results: The analysis showed that of the 138 patients, 58 of them did not suffer from insomnia and 80 did suffer from insomnia. Of the patients who suffered from insomnia, 11 of them were taking melatonin and 69 were not taking melatonin. On the other hand, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women, with a mean age of 63.94 ± 12.99 years. The insomnia group not taking melatonin improved their score at one year with 1.67 ± 1.24 on the UPDRS item 1.7 scale compared to the insomnia group taking melatonin with a score of 1.45 ± 1.29.
Conclusion: We found no significant difference in patients taking melatonin, however sleep quality emerged to be better in patients not taking melatonin.
References: 1. Hayes MT. Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism. Am J Med [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2023 Mar 16];132(7):802–7. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30890425/
2. Ospina García N. Sleep disorders and pain in Parkinson’s disease. Acta Neurol Colomb [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2023 Mar 16];35(3 suppl. 1):63–8. Available at: https://acnweb.org/es/acta-neurologica-colombiana/1741-trastornos-del-sueno-y-dolor-en-la-enfermedad-de-parkinson.html
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
A. Domínguez-García, DR. Aguila-Godinez, AA. Herrera-Ruiz, EC. Santiago-Delacruz, LG. Lira-Juárez, MAG. Medrano-Delgado, MA. Ruiz-Mafud, AJ. Hernández-Medrano, AY. Regalado-Mustafá, DP. Romero-Terán, MF. Medina-Pérez, GI. Cerda-Hernández, M. Rodríguez-Violante, A. Cervantes-Arriaga, G. Hernandez-Armesto, A. Abundes-Corona, A. Alcocer-Salas, K. Talavera-Lagunas. Efficacy of melatonin in patients with insomnia and Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2023; 38 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/efficacy-of-melatonin-in-patients-with-insomnia-and-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2023 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/efficacy-of-melatonin-in-patients-with-insomnia-and-parkinsons-disease/