melatonin & onc problem

I've been sleeping better for the past week. It's like a small miracle -- there suddenly doesn't seem to be a hot flash waiting for me every single time I wake up. I think it might be the melatonin. I'd bought a bottle and tried it once and decided it did nothing. I've always had sleep issues, but they were not helped by melatonin. But now I have new sleep issues, and maybe they are....

I googled it, and I see that it's an endocrine hormone, and that it lowers body temp (that's why I think it might be what's making the difference; my sleep problems now are all about tempterature....) I also read that it might have antioxidant properties, and interact positively with the immune system, and help with cancer and HIV. Also it raises prolactin levels, lowers FSH levels, and the effects of long term use (>3 months) are not known.

ANyone know anything about these things? I've been having hot sweaty sleep disturbances for a year and a half, which I fully expect to continue the 3.5 remaining years that I'm going to be using tamoxifen (and who knows what side effects the aromatase inhibitor I'm to take for the NEXT 5 years will bring?) I was thinking I have perhaps found the solution -- but pretty sure I'd need to continue taking it for the 3.5 years -- if not 8.5. And HEY, it might help other things. Or not. ANyone know?

I wish I could get in touch with my onc to ask him. I wish he did email. At the moment I've been off the bisphosphonate for the past 2 weeks, because I got the shakes again (like when I was nauseous all the time -- the nausea was accompanied by the shakes. The combo made it feel like a low blood sugar reaction, but eating didn't help at all.) I don't know if he agrees with this decision, though, because I can't reach him. It's the only problem I have with this doctor but it's getting bigger...... and will get bigger still as the time between my appointments lengthens. I've asked about email before but I guess I have to make a serious case for it. Maybe I have to write him a LETTER, as in snail mail. It feels so slow, but it's got to be better than telephone tag..... Besides, at this point, if he calls me back I won't have all my questions present anymore. They were all in the email I sent his secretary, which she said she'd print out and give him...... he did call me back once, at the home number, during the day when I wasn't home. I called and asked his secretary to ask him to call my cell. That was over a week ago.....