Sleep · OTC and Supplement choices + compounded

Calm down, fall asleep, stay asleep.

Eight evidence-leaning OTC and Supplement choices that hit GABA, NMDA, the HPA axis, and core body temperature — plus our compounded SLEEPMAXX for nights when the OTC and Supplement choices aren't enough. We don't lead with melatonin alone; most people don't need it nightly.

See the stack SLEEPMAXX details
Compounded · Rx

SLEEPMAXX — for the nights when OTC isn't enough.

A three-component compounded blend that hits cortisol (ashwagandha), the circadian signal (melatonin), and sleep maintenance via selective H1 antihistamine block (doxepin, microdosed). Provider-prescribed, taken 30–60 minutes before bed.

FLAGSHIP
Compounded · provider-prescribed · customizable
SLEEP
MAXX

SLEEPMAXX™ — Bedtime Compound

One sublingual troche, 30–60 minutes before lights-out. Two actives, picked to cover two different sleep failure modes:

  • Melatonin 15 mg — high-dose for circadian-shift work and severely delayed sleep phase. This is well above the typical 0.3–3 mg "physiologic" dose; use only as your provider directs, and not as a nightly forever drug.
  • Doxepin 1 mg → 3 mg (titratable) — at these microdoses doxepin is a near-pure histamine-H1 blocker (Silenor® approval reference at 3 mg / 6 mg for sleep maintenance). Patients start at 1 mg and titrate to 3 mg. 6 mg is reserved for patients who have been on the medication on-platform for > 6 months with documented benefit and a clean check-in record.
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Compounded by 503A state-licensed pharmacies; not FDA-approved as a finished drug. Doxepin contraindications: active narrow-angle glaucoma, urinary retention, severe untreated obstructive sleep apnea, MAOIs (or within 14 days of stopping one). Cautions: SSRIs / SNRIs (the ashwagandha can mildly raise serotonergic tone), thyroid medication (ashwagandha can affect TSH — your provider checks levels), pregnancy / breastfeeding, and any other sedating medication. The melatonin dose here is intentionally supraphysiologic; if you feel hungover, drop the dose.

OTC and Supplement choices

Eight ingredients, picked for complementary mechanisms.

None of these are sedatives in the benzodiazepine sense — they're calming inputs that lower arousal so your own sleep system can run. Stack them, don't pile them.

Amino acid · α-wave

L-Theanine 200 mg

Amino acid from green tea. Crosses the blood-brain barrier; raises α-wave EEG within ~30 minutes — the same calm-but-alert state seen in early-stage meditation. Pairs well with magnesium and glycine for a non-sedating wind-down.

  • 200 mg, 30–60 min before bed
  • Mechanism: glutamate / GABA modulation + α-wave promotion
  • Non-sedating — won't leave you groggy
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Botanical · GABA

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) 300 mg

Mild GABA-A receptor agonist via rosmarinic acid; reduces the "wired-but-tired" cognitive arousal that keeps people awake despite physical fatigue. Subtle — works best stacked with theanine or magnesium, not alone.

  • 300 mg standardized extract, 30–60 min before bed
  • Inhibits GABA transaminase (slows GABA breakdown)
  • Clean side-effect profile; very low next-day grog
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Botanical · GABA-A

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) 250 mg

Positive allosteric modulator at the GABA-A receptor — same family of binding site as benzodiazepines but at a tiny fraction of the potency. The original 19th-c eclectic-medicine "nervine." Best for anxious presentation of insomnia.

  • 250 mg standardized extract
  • Mechanism: GABA-A positive allosteric modulator
  • Can mildly impair morning fine-motor reaction time — keep dose low if driving early
from $26/mo Add to stack
Botanical · GABA + adenosine

Valerian Root 400 mg

Valerenic acid is a partial GABA-A agonist plus an adenosine A1 modulator. The most-studied OTC botanical for sleep onset; meta-analyses show ~15-minute reduction in time-to-sleep. The smell is famously bad — it's in a coated capsule.

  • 400 mg, 60 min before bed
  • Strongest evidence base for sleep latency among the botanicals here
  • Can cause vivid dreams; some users feel mildly groggy in the morning
  • Don't combine with prescription sedatives
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Flavone · GABA-BZD

Apigenin 50 mg

Chamomile-derived flavone; binds the benzodiazepine site of the GABA-A receptor as a positive allosteric modulator. Calming without strong sedation. Bonus mechanism: aromatase inhibition (lowers estrogen conversion in some tissues — a feature for some users, a flag for others).

  • 50 mg, 30–60 min before bed
  • Mechanism: GABA-A BZD-site PAM + aromatase inhibitor
  • Pairs well with magnesium for a calmer downstream effect than either alone
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Mineral · NMDA + GABA

Magnesium Glycinate & Threonate Complex

Two magnesium forms in one capsule. Glycinate for systemic relaxation and lower morning cortisol; L-threonate is the only form shown to actually raise CSF magnesium — i.e. it gets across the blood-brain barrier and affects central NMDA tone. Most adults are mildly deficient.

  • 200 mg glycinate + 144 mg threonate per dose
  • Mechanism: NMDA modulation, GABA-A potentiation, lower nighttime cortisol
  • Glycinate component doubles as a glycine donor
  • Take 60–90 min before bed; loose stools mean dose-too-high
from $28/mo Add to stack
Adaptogen · cortisol

Ashwagandha (KSM-66®) 600 mg

Standardized Withania somnifera root extract, ~5% withanolides — the workhorse adaptogen for HPA-axis modulation. Lowers nighttime cortisol, improves subjective sleep quality.

  • 600 mg, evening
  • Mechanism: HPA-axis modulation, lower nighttime cortisol
  • Caution: hyperthyroidism (can shift TSH), autoimmune disease (immune-modulator)
from $29/mo Add to stack
Amino acid · core body temp

Glycine 3 g (sublingual)

Sublingual amino acid. Drops core body temperature ~0.4°C — one of the strongest physiologic sleep-onset signals — via vasodilation of distal extremities. Improves subjective sleep quality + reduces next-day fatigue in clinical studies (Yamadera 2007, Bannai 2012).

  • 3 g sublingual, 30 min before bed
  • Mechanism: distal vasodilation → core temperature drop
  • Sweet taste; dissolves quickly
  • Stacks cleanly with magnesium glycinate (which also delivers glycine)
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Safety

What can actually go wrong.

OTC or supplements doesn't mean consequence-free. The dangerous combinations on this page aren't the individual ingredients — it's stacking them with alcohol, with prescription sedatives, or driving the next morning before they've cleared.

!
Alcohol — never with any of these.

Every ingredient on this page potentiates alcohol's CNS depression. SLEEPMAXX with alcohol is genuinely dangerous because doxepin (even at 1–3 mg) plus supraphysiologic melatonin plus ethanol stack into deep sedation and respiratory depression.

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Driving / heavy equipment.

Allow 8+ hours after dosing before operating a vehicle or anything dangerous. The first week on any new sleep stack, give yourself 10 hours.

!
Prescription sedatives.

Benzodiazepines, Z-drugs, opioids, sedating antihistamines (diphenhydramine, doxylamine): adding any OTC GABA-active item on top compounds depression. Don't stack without provider review.

•
Pregnancy & breastfeeding.

Most of these botanicals lack pregnancy safety data. Default to "don't" unless your OB has cleared a specific item.

•
SLEEPMAXX-specific.

Doxepin (the H1 arm) is contraindicated in active narrow-angle glaucoma, urinary retention, severe untreated obstructive sleep apnea, and current MAOI therapy (or within 14 days of stopping one). Disclose every prescription, including any antidepressant or anti-Parkinson's drug, at intake.

If you're not sure what to start with

Start with magnesium glycinate + threonate plus L-theanine for a week. Both are extremely well-tolerated, both move the needle for most people, and the combination won't compromise driving or work the next morning. Add valerian or passionflower only if those two aren't enough. Reserve SLEEPMAXX for nights where the OTC and Supplement choices consistently fails.

When to escalate to your provider

If you've used a daily sleep aid (any kind, OTC or Rx) for more than 4 weeks without identifying the underlying cause — get evaluated. Insomnia often has a treatable upstream cause (sleep apnea, anxiety, depression, hyperthyroidism, perimenopause, restless-legs) and chronic suppression of sleep with sedatives is its own risk factor.

FAQ

Common questions.

If you're dealing with chronic insomnia (>3 months) — please see a sleep specialist, not just our supplements.

Full safety information
Why is melatonin not the headline product?

Melatonin is a circadian-shifting hormone, not a sedative. For most adults sleeping in their normal time zone, supplemental melatonin doesn't help fall-asleep time and can blunt your own pineal output if used nightly. It's genuinely useful for jet lag, shift work, delayed sleep phase, and (at the dose in SLEEPMAXX) for specific compounded use cases — but it's not the first thing you should reach for on a normal Tuesday.

Can I take SLEEPMAXX every night?

It's not designed as a nightly forever drug. The supraphysiologic melatonin dose can downregulate your own production over time; provider-managed cycling (e.g., 3–4 nights per week, or two-weeks-on / two-off) is the typical pattern. Your provider sets the cadence at intake.

What about Benadryl / diphenhydramine?

We don't sell it and we don't recommend it for sleep. Anticholinergic burden is associated with measurable cognitive decline at chronic use, especially over age 50. The OTC and Supplement choices on this page are specifically designed to give you alternatives that don't carry that risk.

Will any of these show up on a drug test?

The OTC items: no. SLEEPMAXX contains microdose doxepin, which is a tricyclic antidepressant — at 1–3 mg systemic exposure is very low, but a comprehensive forensic panel that explicitly screens for tricyclics may flag it. Tell your testing administrator if relevant.

Are these available outside the U.S.?

The OTC and Supplement choices ship globally where local supplement law allows (see NoTimeRx WORLD). SLEEPMAXX, like all our compounded products, stays U.S.-only because of FD&C Act §503A.