Delirium
Supplements studied for delirium.
Overview
Melatonin is the most studied supplement (10 studies, WA 56), but results conflict on preventing hospital delirium. Some ICU and post-surgical studies reported lower delirium rates; others found no benefit in general inpatients. Duration effects are similarly uncertain.
Taurine showed a large delirium reduction in one liver transplant ICU study, though causality is unclear. Valerian with lemon balm did not improve agitation in one small ICU trial. Evidence remains low trust across all three. The heatmap and evidence reviews below summarize each entry.
Effect graph
Relevant supplements
Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.
Studies
Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.
3 supplements for and rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.
MelatoninView supplement →
Reconsider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- It is unclear whether taking melatonin by mouth helps prevent delirium in hospital patients, as research results conflict.
- Some studies find that melatonin reduces the chance of delirium in very sick ICU patients, especially those having heart procedures or surgery, but other studies do not show the same benefit in general hospital patients.
- Melatonin may not consistently shorten how long delirium lasts, though a few small studies suggest it could reduce delirium duration by about two days.
- Doses used in studies usually range from half a milligram up to 10 milligrams daily, often for about one to two weeks.
- More research is needed to know if melatonin is helpful for preventing or treating delirium in different types of hospitalized patients.
Browse 10 studies·4 meta-analyses
RCTEfficacy of melatonin in decreasing the incidence of delirium in critically ill adults: a randomized controlled trial2024n=108
An RCT of 108 critically ill adults found enteral 3 mg melatonin daily for 7 days did not significantly reduce 24-hour delirium incidence (29.6% vs 46.2%, RR 0.60, p=0.11) vs standard care.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 7 days
- Dose
- 3 mg/day
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 108
- Ages
- 18–65
RCTMelatonin does not reduce delirium severity in hospitalized older adults: Results of a randomized placebo-controlled trial2024n=20
An RCT of 120 hospitalized older adults found 5 mg melatonin for 5 nights did not reduce delirium severity (MDAS change 4.9 vs 5.4) vs placebo, though length of stay was shorter in the melatonin group.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 5 nights
- Dose
- 5 mg/day
- Population
- Older adults
- Participants
- 20
MetaMelatonin and Ramelteon for the treatment of delirium: A systematic review and meta-analysis2023n=1,211
A systematic review of 3 RCTs and 6 observational studies (1,211 patients) found melatonin/ramelteon may shorten delirium duration by 1.72 days, though data quality remains limited.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Participants
- 1,211
MetaMelatonin intervention to prevent delirium in the intensive care units: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials2023n=2,374
A meta-analysis of 6 ICU trials (2,374 patients) found melatonin did not significantly reduce overall delirium incidence (OR 0.71) but did reduce it in cardiovascular care unit patients (OR 0.52).
- Effect
- Benefit
- Population
- ICU patients
- Participants
- 2,374
RCTEffects of Melatonin for Delirium in Elderly Acute Heart Failure Patients: A Randomized, Single-Center, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Trial2022n=249
An RCT of 497 elderly acute heart failure patients found 3 mg/day melatonin for 7 days reduced delirium incidence (27.0% vs 36.9%, p=0.021) and shortened hospital stay.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 7 days
- Dose
- 3 mg/day
- Population
- Older adults
- Participants
- 249
- Ages
- >60
MetaProphylactic melatonin for delirium in critically ill patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis2022n=2,538
A meta-analysis of 12 ICU trials (2,538 patients) with trial sequential analysis found melatonin associated with lower delirium prevalence (RR 0.77), though high-quality subgroup analysis and TSA did not confirm conclusive benefit.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 2,538
RCTEffect of Melatonin on Delirium After on-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial2021n=60
An RCT of 60 on-pump CABG patients found 3 mg melatonin reduced postoperative delirium on day 1 (13.3% vs 36.6%) and day 2 (10% vs 46.6%) and lowered delirium severity vs placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Dose
- 3 mg
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 60
- Ages
- 30+
RCTEffects of Melatonin on Postoperative Delirium After PCI in Elderly Patients: A Randomized, Single-Center, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial2021n=149
An RCT of 297 elderly PCI patients found 3 mg/day melatonin for 7 days reduced postoperative delirium (27.0% vs 39.6%, p=0.02) and shortened hospital stay vs placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 7 days
- Dose
- 3 mg/day
- Population
- Older adults
- Participants
- 149
- Ages
- >60
MetaMelatonin for delirium prevention in hospitalized patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis2021n=1,712
A meta-analysis of 14 studies (1,712 hospitalized patients) found melatonin/ramelteon reduced delirium incidence by 39% overall (RR 0.61), with 49% reduction in surgical and 34% in ICU patients.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Population
- Older adults
- Participants
- 1,712
RCTEffect of Exogenous Melatonin Administration in Critically Ill Patients on Delirium and Sleep: A Randomized Controlled Trial2020n=80
An RCT of 33 critically ill ICU patients found a sustained-release melatonin regimen achieved high plasma levels but did not improve sleep architecture or reduce delirium prevalence vs placebo.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 5 years
- Dose
- 3 mg/day
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 80
ValerianView supplement →
Reconsider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- In a small study examining ICU patients with delirium, taking valerian and lemon balm did not improve agitation compared to placebo.
Browse 1 study
RCTAddition of Valerian and Lemon Balm Extract to Quetiapine Reduces Agitation in Critically Ill Patients with Delirium: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial2021n=53
An RCT of 53 ICU patients with delirium found that valerian plus lemon balm adjunct to quetiapine significantly reduced agitation and shortened ICU stay versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Dose
- 5 mL valerian and lemon balm syrup every 12 hours
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 53
TaurineView supplement →
Do not purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- It is not clear if taurine supplements help prevent delirium in very sick patients in intensive care.
- One large study in liver transplant patients found that taking taurine reduced the chance of delirium by about 70% and shortened the time on ventilators and in the hospital.
- However, it is uncertain if taurine caused these benefits or if other factors were responsible.
- More research is needed.
Browse 1 study
RCTThe effect of taurine supplementation on delirium post liver transplantation: A randomized controlled trial2022n=23
In liver transplant patients, taurine supplementation did not significantly reduce postoperative delirium incidence versus standard care in this randomized trial.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 30 days
- Dose
- 2 g/day
- Population
- Pregnant women
- Participants
- 23
- Ages
- 18+
Evidence visualised
Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.