"Remember melatonin In the s this overthecounter dietary supplement httptopics.nytimes.comtopnewshealthdiseasesconditionsandhealthtopicsdietarysupplementsandherbalremediesindex.htmlinlinenytclassifier was all the rage among frequent fliers promoted as the miracle cure for jet lag. Now it is back in vogue this time as a prominent ingredient in at least a halfdozen baked goods that flagrantly mimic the soothing effects of hash brownies  and do so legally. At least for now. With names like Lazy Cakes Kush Cakes and Lulla Pies these products are sold online and at stores like Eleven Walgreens smoke shops and even at the Harvard Square Coop the universitys student bookstore for roughly  to  each. A bottle of  milligram melatonin tablets costs about . At some places the drugpacked desserts can be paid for with food stamps. Although the Food and Drug Administration httptopics.nytimes.comtopreferencetimestopicsorganizationsffood_and_drug_administrationindex.htmlinlinenytorg has not approved melatonin as a food additive or deemed it safe the dessert makers are marketing their products as a harmless way to promote relaxation. And the snacks are increasingly being endorsed by fans on Facebook and Twitter as an antidote to stress and sleep deprivation. Who needs yoga httptopics.nytimes.comtopreferencetimestopicssubjectsyyogaindex.htmlinlinenytclassifier On the Facebook page http for Lazy Cakes one woman who said she has bipolar disorder httphealth.nytimes.comhealthguidesdiseasebipolardisorderoverview.htmlinlinenytclassifier wrote that the treat helps a lot with my sleeping and panic attacks httphealth.nytimes.comhealthguidesdiseasepanicdisorderoverview.htmlinlinenytclassifier I can lay off my Xanax a little. Gabby Bevel  a writer from Norman Okla. and an insomniac who took Ambien and Lunesta in high school said in an interview that she slept  hours after eating one Lazy Cakes snack recently. I dont like the idea of needing something unnatural to help me with anything she said. Really I think part of the appeal is it does come in a brownie. But these snacks contain roughly  milligrams of melatonin per brownie or cookie so selling them is similar to a parent serving an unsuspecting child applesauce containing a crushed aspirin tablet to make it go down easier. Its making it much more difficult for the consumer to recognize that they are taking a drug said Dr. Charles A. Czeisler the chief of the division of sleep medicine at Harvards Brigham and Womens Hospital. Nick Collado a yearold insomniac and the founder of Lulla Pies argued that the melatonin they contain while synthetic is more natural than the Ambien he used to take. I realized theres got to be more people like me who dont want to take prescription drugs anymore who want to take an alternative Mr. Collado said. But Dr. David S. Seres the director of medical nutrition at Columbia Medical Center cautioned that consumers should consult their doctors before trying such products. The promoters of these are appealing to people who think its better to do things outside of the medical establishment he said adding that the desire to help people is an extremely strong motivator but so is money. He pointed to a section of the National Institutes of Healths Web site that lists several drugs including sedatives httptopics.nytimes.comtopnewshealthdiseasesconditionsandhealthtopicssedativesindex.htmlinlinenytclassifier like clonazepam and birth control httphealth.nytimes.comhealthguidesspecialtopicbirthcontrolandfamilyplanningoverview.htmlinlinenytclassifier pills whose efficacy might be altered by melatonin. A hangover effect has been reported with large doses said Anna Rouse Dulaney a toxicologist with the Carolinas Poison Center. But she added I dont want to go on the record saying this drug can cause respiratory issues that should be a may.  Lazy Cakes appear harmless even amusing with swirly purple packaging Kush Cakes have a tiedyeprinted wrapper. But they are not to be underestimated. Of melatonin Dr. Seres warned If you take it while youre driving a car you will find yourself in a ditch. Maybe. Dr. Alfred J. Lewy http a professor of psychiatry httptopics.nytimes.comtopnewshealthdiseasesconditionsandhealthtopicspsychiatry_and_psychiatristsindex.htmlinlinenytclassifier at Oregon Health and Science University who has studied melatonin a neurohormone estimated that only a third of the population is susceptible to its effects in a supplement. Photo  And yet Tracy Evans who owns a bar where musicians perform in Erie Pa. that has sold hundreds of Lazy Cakes said she instructs employees to tell partygoers I highly recommend you wait to where youre going to be at the end of the night before eating. Why It knocks you out  in a good way not a bad way said Ms. Evans . For me its not to chill. For me its to get a good nights sleep. Yet the products intended for adults only are being marketed as a novel way to relax in a stressedout wired world. Labels on Lazy Cakes and Mary Js brownies that were bought online urge users to Take  brownie two times a day. With tiny type the labels warn against operating heavy machinery or driving. Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form But some medical professionals are concerned that the chocolate taste might encourage indiscriminate gobbling. Its a colossally bad idea to put melatonin in food Dr. Czeisler said. It should not be permitted by the F.D.A. Technically it is not. Stephanie Yao a spokeswoman at the F.D.A. wrote in an email that any item that uses melatonin as an additive may be subject to regulatory action. That is why the makers of these new baked goods label them Not for food use. They want them to be considered dietary supplements which do not need the F.D.A.s premarket approval and are not required to be proved safe or effective. It sounds to me like they are trying to claim that the entire brownie is like a tablet which is of course preposterous Dr. Czeisler said. Tim Barham the vice president of HBB the maker of Lazy Cakes said We look at the brownie as a supplement. News reports have classified Lazy Cakes as dietary supplements but last month Douglas Karas an F.D.A. spokesman said in an email that the agency has not made a determination on Lazy Cakes status as either a food or a dietary supplement. In January last year the F.D.A. sent a warning letter to Peter Bianchi the creator of Drank http a purple drink with  milligrams of melatonin in each can that went on the market in  spawning several competitors. The letter cited safety concerns about melatonin in food specifically research indicating that melatonin reduced glucose tolerance for people with Type  diabetes httphealth.nytimes.comhealthguidesdiseasetypediabetesoverview.htmlinlinenytclassifier and that some men using it had reported enlarged breasts. It also warned that women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should avoid melatonin based on possible hormonal effects. Dranks bottle now say it is a dietary supplement. Dr. Lewy dismissed the idea that harm might lurk in a melatoninlaced brownie. It really doesnt have any documented side effects except for making you sleepy at bedtime which is good he said. That said he would not advise eating Lazy Cakes partly because he was not sure that their other purportedly sleepinducing ingredients like valerian root work and partly because food delays rather than hastens the absorption of melatonin. Also Dr. Lewy said I dont need the calories httphealth.nytimes.comhealthguidesnutritiondietcaloriesoverview.htmlinlinenytclassifier."