Out of Pod Experience

Non-prescription melatonin-- it's the 8th wonder of the world. It saved my insomniac autistic son's happiness, and the rest of the family's too. Not available in all countries though, I don't think. Here in the U.S. we have it in chewable gummies fun shapes.

National Sleep Foundation
Chances are good that you have seen melatonin in health food stores or in an advertisement or article. No other hormone is available in the United States without a prescription. Because melatonin is contained naturally in some foods, the U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 allows it to be sold as a dietary supplement (e.g., vitamins and minerals). These do not need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or controlled in the same way as drugs.

Because it is not categorized as a drug, synthetic melatonin is made in factories that are not regulated by the FDA. Listed doses may not be controlled or accurate, meaning the amount of melatonin in a pill you take may not be the amount listed on the package. Most commercial products are offered at dosages that cause melatonin levels in the blood to rise to much higher levels than are naturally produced in the body. Taking a typical dose (1 to 3 mg) may elevate your blood melatonin levels to 1 to 20 times normal.

Like anything else, best to do it in moderation and not overdo things.

I , and apparently, one my older friend, or acquaintance, worked in a company which test drugs.
However, his work there was different than mine, as he worked there as a technician.
Drug or Medication lab technician not only test drugs, but most likely process it to be packaged before being sold.
They are probably responsible to make sure that the product is what it is supposed to be , and is as it said it is.

The part of the work where the tests are conducted to verify the effects of the product, drug, medication, etc, is a more medical aspect and requires more scientific work than just , say , a technician does or has to do.

The medical tests conducted to verify that (the) drug or product doesn't cause abnormal results in normal people include blood, test, hourly tests, verification, and, at certain intervals, up to 4 times an hour, or every 15 minutes.
Certain subject get side-effect from the product, which are recorded and analysed for further studies, and/or research.
Most of the part of my work consists of, and is implied with, studies.

The more scientific research part is often done in universities where atomic model for physics and chemistry are often used with newer bio-chemistry (chemotherapy) is used to develop and invent new products.
They also do testing, however, field test are conducted by other companies.

The company I worked at were charged by the US FDA for falsifying documents, by trying to fix test results to be more positive than normal , either by omitting processes or some other form of error or omission.
The company rectified it's practice, and modified the parts they may have done wrong, and most likely improved on other parts that required updated standards.

I suffer from 1st degree AV Block which is an Arterio-Vascular (Atrioventricular block) block in the blood flow to the heart from the arteries, following testing on drugs for diabetic, which deals with control of blood sugar and so on.
It is the lowest level of abnormality with a difference of about 10% to 20%.
If my condition does not improve, it risks to degrade into a 2nd degree AV Block which is a worst heart disease.
Many aviation jet pilot, and dog-fighting pilots suffer from 1st degree AV Block and perform their duty as expected or normally.
However, it seems pretty odd that, given the level of competition involved (literally warfare level condition), I also end up with this.

Of course, smoking for 30 years is a great part on how my arteries work, but still...

The test are to make sure that the product doesn't cause harm, and if it does, how and why and so on.
There are many more details involved which are reviewed and are beyond the scope of this forum (not to say perhaps even trade secret).
Most if not all of those products are patented for obvious intellectual property reasons.

It's not one of those profession were lying is a good thing to try to get away with.
It would most likely result in unwarranted deaths.

To sell, or offer to sell, products which are illegal may lead to fines, imprisonment, or worst.
Liability of death caused by poisoning is very old.

Don't overdo the melatonin - I accidentally took too much of it over the course of a week and it gave me the worst diarrhea for a fortnight. After it passed, I went back to it, taking really, really small doses to re-acclimatise myself to it.


e: I must also say that the coherence and readability of your post is much improved, Buzz. Well done!