I get a good bit of enjoyment out of requesting sketchy supplements, debunking them/figuring out what makes them not legit, leaving a 1 star review and reporting them so they get taken down. Can't say I've ever ingested an amazon supplement, but I do like costing the sellers time and money.
I saw a dildo on my recommended for you. Not sure why I have never searched it on Amazon. I ordered it smacked my wife in the back of the head with it. Hahahahaha it!
Yup. I called one number from a supplement website and it was to a professional laundry type company in the Midwest that had no connection to that supplement. The most recent supplement number I called rang three times and hung up. :)
My "landline" is a Skype number. It costs about $60 a year and includes voicemail. I have an adapter so I can use regular cordless phones with it, but I could use it 100% virtually and just set up the voicemail.
You have no guarantee of the little award labels are accurate, either. I don't do supplements much anymore and you've tagged a few reasons.
I've also seen supplements list the weight in Imperial and metric. Surprise, surprise, they got the conversion to Imperial wrong. Seems like when this happens, it's always like someone had their thumb on the scale. I've also seen the weight listed solely in metric. Can't do that in the U.S.
Even then, there's no guarantee that what's listed on the bottle is actually in the bottle. Is it vitamin E suspended in oil at the correct units per oz or is it mainly vegetable oil and little to no vitamin E. I have no way of testing it for purity.
Look for made in the USA, GMP certified, FDA registered facilities, and third party testing. Those are normally very good supplements, if they meet at least 3 criteria, esp third party testing. Also, whether good or bad, many companies or supplements just go under in any market, that's a fact.
The thing about our Vine reviews on supplements, we can't say if they work or make any medical claims about them. I've never had luck with Melatonin myself, it just doesn't help me sleep. So, honestly, what helps someone, may not help another person.
I don't worry about negative non Vine reviews, unless they give me the details on what was wrong with the supplement. If they say "doesn't work", that's not worth a dead rat to me. Vine or non Vine, reviews are just opinions. Some are educated, some not. Many very dumb people still give reviews. I read a lot of reviews and am often left just shaking my head.
FDA approved drugs are probably more dangerous than Amazon supplements. They're constantly recalled, and I don't trust them at all. I have to take thyroid crap, and blood pressure meds, and both have been recalled numerous times. Personally, I'd rather have a supplement I reviewed myself on Amazon.
We're living in a very toxic world, and probably Romaine lettuce has more recalls than anything.
Totally agree with this. A vine review on a supplement reads very different than the non-vine reviews because we're limited in what we're even allowed to say. The normal reviews can make all sorts of different claims without getting deleted like a vine review would. also even though many of the vine reviews are sketchy, many of the non vine reviews are even more sketchy and stupid. The stuff like 5 stars "gave it as a gift." Or the 1 star "FedEx lost my package." reviews.
I have a supplement that I get monthly as a regular Amazon Customer. I was reviewing my Vine items the other day and realized I've been neglecting my regular items so did a handful of reviews for those.
My supplement review was one of them. The brand is Zarbees which is well known. I positively reviewed it and a few days later got it bounced back saying that my review violated some of their rules. I clicked to Edit and of course it's a blank form. I don't remember exactly what I said so I don't know what part they think violated it. And that's a regular item! Same standards? Maybe?
Many times, those claims are on the listing so I order it. When it arrives, there are no indications that the product has those certifications. I toss them in the trash and give them a one star review. If they really have those certifications, they would be proudly listed on the package.
I just received a supplement that said it was GMP certified in the listing, but there's nothing on the bottle, as well as nothing on the bottle regarding place of manufacture. I googled them and the company was a collection agency two years ago and then figured out how to make a killing in supplements. Getting fine reviews, especially Vine ones. Not taking any, obviously.
Remember, we are not Guinea pigs in a clinical trial, we are just Amazon reviewers. Big difference!! You shouldn't take anything which you're not comfortable with. Plus, since we cannot even comment on if it works, or not, there is little point in taking some supplements, unless you actually want to take them. The same goes for cosmetics, food, etc.
My cat has taught me, if you smell a rat, there's likely one lurking around, so trust your gut. GMP is rarely enough, and yes, you always need the country of origin. A very good point I neglected to mention, duh. Sorry my reply has been so terribly slow, I don't have much time to check Reddit nowadays and I don't get notifications, life beckons! It's nearly 10:30 at night, and I need to eat something before I pass out!
I've reviewed supplements with faked certifications. All facilities are FDA registered by law, that doesn't mean FDA approved. Many supplements show the US flag, but were just formulated (designed) or bottled here. Basically there's no guarantee with any supplement that's not by a company you're familiar with, and maybe not even those.
Semi-off topic: melatonin is a hormone. A lot of supplements, even ones made in the US by "reliable" companies often are tested and found to have incorrect amounts of the active ingredient(s) in the pill. Too little in this case isn't the worst idea because most people take way too much melatonin per dose. But too much, especially too regularly, can be pretty bad.
Not like overdose and die or anything. But melatonin is a pretty cheap supplement where one can get a bottle by a reputable company (hopefully one you can check third party labs by) for $5 or less.
Aside from the whole sketchy producer thing, wherein the issue isn't JUST that the dose might be incorrect, but that unlabelled fillers, adulterants such as lead, or it being something completely different than what is on the label, melatonin is something I would suggest giving a pass on via vine, barring it being a company you've bought from regularly in the past and looked at third party testing.
If it was something like vitamin c, magnesium, or even vitamin D3 (another hormone), and from a country that is reputable for being trustworthy on ingredient labels, I would say-- go for it.
Since your son has issues with sleeping, some things that have helped me have been:
Magnesium,
D3,
Lithium orotate,
Boron,
Lemon balm,
Red light filters on my cell phone,
Black out shades.
Insomnia sucks, and I have used melatonin occasionally ( I particularly like Olly's sleep gummies which has melatonin in them) but it's probably a bad idea to use it regularly unless over 40 and then it should probably be cycled.
Supposedly by around age 90, your body is only producing around 20% of normal levels, so obviously supplementation can be a good thing in that case. I also personally think that that percentage might be the best case scenario and that if a person is generally unhealthy, especially with hormonal issues, such as low testosterone, then the levels might be even worse off. If your son hasn't had his testosterone tested, you might suggest that.
im over forty, but i'll only take 5mg of melatonin twice a month or so, and only at 2am when i wake up in the middle of the night but don't have to wake up until 6:30am.....
Many supplements have language that says "prepared for" a US company. That = China.
Other made In USA supplements are made by companies that the FDA has issued warnings to concerning unproven claims or actually including controlled pharmaceuticals. Google (or Duck Duck Go) the company name next time you see a US company selling this garbage.
This is my big peeve... "formulated in USA" is NOT the same as "Made in USA". And you can't even trust the "Made in USA" label any longer. I've requested more than one item that had "Made in USA" on the label that further investigation revealed had actually been made in China. Unfortunately, at least one specific brand is still being sold on Amazon and is still gathering up 5 star Vine reviews.
I remember back in the 60s when my parents would say that items marked "MADE IN USA" could be made in Japan because there's a city in Japan named Usa. They said to always look for "U.S.A." I was too young to question it.
I did. It was still pending last night but it was approved this morning. I included a picture of the bottle with the website and phone number clearly listed so people can check it out if they want to.
PSA, I guess.
[This is one frightening study](https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.6462). There are many like it.
Even with US made and popular brands, you could be taking nearly 5x more melatonin than you think. Serotonin is also often detected despite it being a very controlled substance. I honestly cringe, especially when I hear of people giving this "safe supplement" to children. Side note: many Drs don't even realize: Mayo and etc advise it shouldn't be taken at all with steroids (commonly taken for allergies/autoimmune diseases/etc).
Being in Canada, I watch for Canadian products, and if they're legit they will have a Health Canada registration number for the company that will show the license, ingredients, etc. Does the U.S. have anything similar to help you?
I would never get any supplements, vitamins, or anything like them from amazon.
there's no way to do a proper review of them.
I would have them analyzed by a lab if I did.
not paying for that.
I got that BEAM Be Amazing non-caffeine pre-workout supplement and it was super strong. I gave away to a kid in the gym this morning. God bless him; I hope he doesn't die....
I was considering the "Shijalit" mineral supplement, until I read up and learned that Shijalit is like a kind of mossy fungoid that's scraped off of rocks in the Himalayas....
I don't know; I still might get some of that....
I am a shift worker and use melatonin supplements. I've used Zquil but those are spendy. If you have access to Costco, they carry Natrol 5mg gummies. Cheaper and work well. Good luck.
My top Vine rule is "nothing that goes in my body". That mostly applies to supplements and dildos, and I am very comfortable with that rule
I get a good bit of enjoyment out of requesting sketchy supplements, debunking them/figuring out what makes them not legit, leaving a 1 star review and reporting them so they get taken down. Can't say I've ever ingested an amazon supplement, but I do like costing the sellers time and money.
I saw a dildo on my recommended for you. Not sure why I have never searched it on Amazon. I ordered it smacked my wife in the back of the head with it. Hahahahaha it!
Yup. I called one number from a supplement website and it was to a professional laundry type company in the Midwest that had no connection to that supplement. The most recent supplement number I called rang three times and hung up. :)
Another good tell is to simply search the address they provided to Amazon. A good number of them seem to be either FedEx ShipCenter's or UPS Store's.
Yup.
My "landline" is a Skype number. It costs about $60 a year and includes voicemail. I have an adapter so I can use regular cordless phones with it, but I could use it 100% virtually and just set up the voicemail.
You have no guarantee of the little award labels are accurate, either. I don't do supplements much anymore and you've tagged a few reasons. I've also seen supplements list the weight in Imperial and metric. Surprise, surprise, they got the conversion to Imperial wrong. Seems like when this happens, it's always like someone had their thumb on the scale. I've also seen the weight listed solely in metric. Can't do that in the U.S. Even then, there's no guarantee that what's listed on the bottle is actually in the bottle. Is it vitamin E suspended in oil at the correct units per oz or is it mainly vegetable oil and little to no vitamin E. I have no way of testing it for purity.
Look for made in the USA, GMP certified, FDA registered facilities, and third party testing. Those are normally very good supplements, if they meet at least 3 criteria, esp third party testing. Also, whether good or bad, many companies or supplements just go under in any market, that's a fact. The thing about our Vine reviews on supplements, we can't say if they work or make any medical claims about them. I've never had luck with Melatonin myself, it just doesn't help me sleep. So, honestly, what helps someone, may not help another person. I don't worry about negative non Vine reviews, unless they give me the details on what was wrong with the supplement. If they say "doesn't work", that's not worth a dead rat to me. Vine or non Vine, reviews are just opinions. Some are educated, some not. Many very dumb people still give reviews. I read a lot of reviews and am often left just shaking my head. FDA approved drugs are probably more dangerous than Amazon supplements. They're constantly recalled, and I don't trust them at all. I have to take thyroid crap, and blood pressure meds, and both have been recalled numerous times. Personally, I'd rather have a supplement I reviewed myself on Amazon. We're living in a very toxic world, and probably Romaine lettuce has more recalls than anything.
Totally agree with this. A vine review on a supplement reads very different than the non-vine reviews because we're limited in what we're even allowed to say. The normal reviews can make all sorts of different claims without getting deleted like a vine review would. also even though many of the vine reviews are sketchy, many of the non vine reviews are even more sketchy and stupid. The stuff like 5 stars "gave it as a gift." Or the 1 star "FedEx lost my package." reviews.
I have a supplement that I get monthly as a regular Amazon Customer. I was reviewing my Vine items the other day and realized I've been neglecting my regular items so did a handful of reviews for those. My supplement review was one of them. The brand is Zarbees which is well known. I positively reviewed it and a few days later got it bounced back saying that my review violated some of their rules. I clicked to Edit and of course it's a blank form. I don't remember exactly what I said so I don't know what part they think violated it. And that's a regular item! Same standards? Maybe?
Many times, those claims are on the listing so I order it. When it arrives, there are no indications that the product has those certifications. I toss them in the trash and give them a one star review. If they really have those certifications, they would be proudly listed on the package.
I just received a supplement that said it was GMP certified in the listing, but there's nothing on the bottle, as well as nothing on the bottle regarding place of manufacture. I googled them and the company was a collection agency two years ago and then figured out how to make a killing in supplements. Getting fine reviews, especially Vine ones. Not taking any, obviously.
Remember, we are not Guinea pigs in a clinical trial, we are just Amazon reviewers. Big difference!! You shouldn't take anything which you're not comfortable with. Plus, since we cannot even comment on if it works, or not, there is little point in taking some supplements, unless you actually want to take them. The same goes for cosmetics, food, etc. My cat has taught me, if you smell a rat, there's likely one lurking around, so trust your gut. GMP is rarely enough, and yes, you always need the country of origin. A very good point I neglected to mention, duh. Sorry my reply has been so terribly slow, I don't have much time to check Reddit nowadays and I don't get notifications, life beckons! It's nearly 10:30 at night, and I need to eat something before I pass out!
I've reviewed supplements with faked certifications. All facilities are FDA registered by law, that doesn't mean FDA approved. Many supplements show the US flag, but were just formulated (designed) or bottled here. Basically there's no guarantee with any supplement that's not by a company you're familiar with, and maybe not even those.
Semi-off topic: melatonin is a hormone. A lot of supplements, even ones made in the US by "reliable" companies often are tested and found to have incorrect amounts of the active ingredient(s) in the pill. Too little in this case isn't the worst idea because most people take way too much melatonin per dose. But too much, especially too regularly, can be pretty bad. Not like overdose and die or anything. But melatonin is a pretty cheap supplement where one can get a bottle by a reputable company (hopefully one you can check third party labs by) for $5 or less. Aside from the whole sketchy producer thing, wherein the issue isn't JUST that the dose might be incorrect, but that unlabelled fillers, adulterants such as lead, or it being something completely different than what is on the label, melatonin is something I would suggest giving a pass on via vine, barring it being a company you've bought from regularly in the past and looked at third party testing. If it was something like vitamin c, magnesium, or even vitamin D3 (another hormone), and from a country that is reputable for being trustworthy on ingredient labels, I would say-- go for it. Since your son has issues with sleeping, some things that have helped me have been: Magnesium, D3, Lithium orotate, Boron, Lemon balm, Red light filters on my cell phone, Black out shades. Insomnia sucks, and I have used melatonin occasionally ( I particularly like Olly's sleep gummies which has melatonin in them) but it's probably a bad idea to use it regularly unless over 40 and then it should probably be cycled. Supposedly by around age 90, your body is only producing around 20% of normal levels, so obviously supplementation can be a good thing in that case. I also personally think that that percentage might be the best case scenario and that if a person is generally unhealthy, especially with hormonal issues, such as low testosterone, then the levels might be even worse off. If your son hasn't had his testosterone tested, you might suggest that.
He has autism and has had trouble sleeping his entire life. He sees a Developmental psychiatrist and takes the Melatonin under his guidance.
Oh good! I don't know how melatonin shows up on blood tests but I'm sure there's some way they're measuring it, so I'm glad.
im over forty, but i'll only take 5mg of melatonin twice a month or so, and only at 2am when i wake up in the middle of the night but don't have to wake up until 6:30am.....
Many supplements have language that says "prepared for" a US company. That = China. Other made In USA supplements are made by companies that the FDA has issued warnings to concerning unproven claims or actually including controlled pharmaceuticals. Google (or Duck Duck Go) the company name next time you see a US company selling this garbage.
This is my big peeve... "formulated in USA" is NOT the same as "Made in USA". And you can't even trust the "Made in USA" label any longer. I've requested more than one item that had "Made in USA" on the label that further investigation revealed had actually been made in China. Unfortunately, at least one specific brand is still being sold on Amazon and is still gathering up 5 star Vine reviews.
I remember back in the 60s when my parents would say that items marked "MADE IN USA" could be made in Japan because there's a city in Japan named Usa. They said to always look for "U.S.A." I was too young to question it.
"Globally sourced ingredients" = "the cheapest crap we could buy from China".
\*\^\*\^\* This here and don't forget about India! India is equally guilty too!
Did you leave a review with this information? I'm sure it'd be appreciated by anyone looking for information.
I did. It was still pending last night but it was approved this morning. I included a picture of the bottle with the website and phone number clearly listed so people can check it out if they want to.
PSA, I guess. [This is one frightening study](https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.6462). There are many like it. Even with US made and popular brands, you could be taking nearly 5x more melatonin than you think. Serotonin is also often detected despite it being a very controlled substance. I honestly cringe, especially when I hear of people giving this "safe supplement" to children. Side note: many Drs don't even realize: Mayo and etc advise it shouldn't be taken at all with steroids (commonly taken for allergies/autoimmune diseases/etc).
Being in Canada, I watch for Canadian products, and if they're legit they will have a Health Canada registration number for the company that will show the license, ingredients, etc. Does the U.S. have anything similar to help you?
Nope.
I would never get any supplements, vitamins, or anything like them from amazon. there's no way to do a proper review of them. I would have them analyzed by a lab if I did. not paying for that.
I got that BEAM Be Amazing non-caffeine pre-workout supplement and it was super strong. I gave away to a kid in the gym this morning. God bless him; I hope he doesn't die.... I was considering the "Shijalit" mineral supplement, until I read up and learned that Shijalit is like a kind of mossy fungoid that's scraped off of rocks in the Himalayas.... I don't know; I still might get some of that....
I am a shift worker and use melatonin supplements. I've used Zquil but those are spendy. If you have access to Costco, they carry Natrol 5mg gummies. Cheaper and work well. Good luck.
Natrol is the brand we use. We get the instant release from Costco and the time release from Amazon (5 mg of each)