Life Extension Melatonin Review: The Low-Dose Line, Sorted

Most melatonin on Amazon is sold at 5 or 10 mg; this capsule is sold at 0.3. Life Extension Melatonin 300 mcg states 300 micrograms per capsule, 100 capsules, at $7.50 (verified via the Amazon Creators API on September 5, 2026). Many sleep clinicians cite 0.5 to 3 mg as a sensible starting range and note that more is not better; a 300 mcg capsule sits below even the bottom of that range, which is why it comes up whenever the conversation turns to the smallest amount that helps. That is general guidance, attributed, not a prescription.

What the title does not state, we do not either: the capsule material, the other ingredients, and whether the label directs one capsule or more. The Supplement Facts panel does. Life Extension also sells a 500 mcg value size at $13.50, which the title describes as low dose, non-GMO and gluten-free but does not give a count for, so we cannot say whether it is the better buy per night. The whole low-amount field is ranked in best low-dose melatonin, and the argument for starting small is laid out in how much melatonin should I take.

One milligram, four dollars and change. Life Extension Melatonin 1 mg states 1 mg per capsule and 60 capsules, at $4.39 (verified September 5, 2026). That is about 7.3 cents a night, essentially the same per-night cost as the 300 mcg capsule for more than three times the amount, and the lowest sticker price on this page.

The 60-count bottle is the trade-off: two months at one capsule a night, so a regular user reorders more often than with the 100-count 300 mcg. The rest of the 1 mg field, including Natrol's 1 mg Fast Dissolve ($6.97 for 90) for people who would rather not swallow a capsule, is ranked in best melatonin 1 mg.

Two release curves, one modest amount. Life Extension Melatonin IR/XR 1.5 mg states 1.5 mg per capsule and 60 capsules, at $9.00 (verified September 5, 2026). The larger listing in the same family, Melatonin IR/XR 120 capsules at $17.75, describes the design as immediate and 7 hour extended-release; its title does not state the milligram amount, so we report the 1.5 mg only for the 60-count.

At about 15 cents a night it is the most expensive per night of the Life Extension capsules with a published count, and twice the 300 mcg. The 120-count at $17.75 works out to about 14.8 cents, so the bigger bottle saves almost nothing. Compared with the time-release field, where Natrol's 3 mg Time Release is about 11 cents a night, the IR/XR costs more and delivers half the amount; whether that is a feature depends on whether you wanted the lower amount in the first place. The whole slow-release shelf is in best time-release melatonin.

Low amount, slow release, and a title that keeps the count to itself. Life Extension Melatonin 6 Hour Timed Release 750 mcg is $6.00 (verified September 5, 2026) and the listing describes it as an extended-release formula. The count is not published in the title, so we do not compute a cost per night and we would not trust anyone who did from the title alone; the bottle states it.

Two honest notes. "6 Hour" is the maker's description of the release design; it is not a promise about your night. And the 300 mcg timed-release costs more than the 750 mcg at our check, which is a pricing quirk rather than a quality signal. Best melatonin for seniors covers why lower amounts are often favored for older adults, who are the buyers most often asking for this kind of capsule.

Three milligrams is where most brands start; for Life Extension it is the upper-middle of the line. Life Extension Melatonin 3 mg is $6.00 (verified September 5, 2026). The title states the amount and that the capsule is gluten-free; it also carries the maker's own phrases, "Optimal Sleep Support" and "Cellular Defense," which we quote as the brand's words and not as findings. The count is not published in the title.

Above 3 mg, Life Extension sells a 10 mg capsule at $15.00 that the brand itself titles "Our Highest Available Dosage." Its count is also not published. Ten milligrams is the top of the mainstream range and the amount most associated with next-day grogginess in owner reports; the case for and against it is in best melatonin 10 mg. For a liquid at 3 mg, the brand's Fast-Acting Liquid Melatonin, citrus-vanilla, 2 fl oz, is $9.00.

Same idea, very different price. Pure Encapsulations Melatonin 0.5 mg states 0.5 mg per capsule and 60 capsules, at $12.50 (verified September 5, 2026). $12.50 divided by 60 is about 21 cents a night. Life Extension delivers 300 mcg for 7.5 cents and 1 mg for 7.3 cents, so Pure Encapsulations costs roughly three times as much per night for an amount between the two.

The 180-count Pure Encapsulations bottle at $31.00 brings the per-night cost to about 17 cents, still more than double. The full line is covered in the Pure Encapsulations melatonin review, and the direct matchup is Life Extension vs Pure Encapsulations.

A milligram from NOW, for about the same per night. NOW Melatonin 1 mg states 1 mg per tablet, 100 tablets, and "with Co-Factor Nutrients" in the title, at $7.95 (verified September 5, 2026). The title does not say which nutrients, so we do not either; the Supplement Facts panel lists them. $7.95 divided by 100 is about 8 cents a night.

Where NOW pulls ahead is at 3 mg, where its 3 mg veg capsules (180 count, $9.17) are about 5 cents a night with a published count that Life Extension's 3 mg listing lacks. The whole line is in the NOW melatonin review, and the value field is ranked in best cheap melatonin.