Melatonin 3mg Tablets for Jet Lag (10 or 20 Tablets)

Melatonin 3mg is a prescription-only medicine used for the short-term treatment and prevention of jet lag in adults taking long-haul flights, especially across several time zones. At Ways Pharmacy it is supplied only after a pharmacist has reviewed your health, other medicines and travel plans and confirmed that it is suitable for you. It is not supplied for sleep problems that are not linked to travel.

How to access this medicine

1. Choose and pay. Select 10 or 20 tablets and check out. Please order in good time before you travel.
2. Online health questionnaire and ID check. After payment you complete a short questionnaire and confirm your identity by uploading photo ID or showing it on a video call.
3. Pharmacist speaks with you. A GPhC-registered pharmacist contacts you by phone or video to go through your answers and confirm whether the medicine is suitable.
4. If suitable, supplied the same day. Orders approved by 3pm on a weekday are posted the same day (see our shipping policy), or you can collect from Holborn once approved. If the medicine is not suitable — including when the pharmacist recommends self-care instead — you receive a full refund.

There is no separate consultation fee. If the medicine you chose is not suitable, the pharmacist may suggest another option.

About this medicine

Dosage

• Adults: one 3mg tablet a night for no more than 5 nights after you arrive, and the same for up to 5 nights after your return flight
• Take the first tablet on the night you arrive, at your usual bedtime in local time. On the following nights, take it about 30 minutes before bed
• Only take it between 8:00pm and 4:00am local time. Taken at the wrong time, melatonin may not work or can make it harder for your body clock to adjust. Do not take it on the plane
• Avoid food for 2 hours before and 2 hours after each dose. Swallow whole — do not crush or chew
• If one tablet does not help enough, the pharmacist may advise two tablets (6mg) taken together. Use the lowest dose that works, for the shortest time
• Melatonin can be used for up to 16 trips (treatment periods) a year

Avoid alcohol while taking melatonin, and avoid smoking where possible, as both can make it work less well. Melatonin can make you drowsy, so do not drive or use machinery if you feel sleepy. Getting enough sleep before you travel, eating light meals on the flight, moving to local time quickly and spending time outside in daylight also help. See our jet lag service for more information.

Warnings and who should not take this medicine

• Anyone under 18
• People who are pregnant, think they could be pregnant, or are breastfeeding
• People with epilepsy, who have ever had a seizure, or who take medicine for epilepsy
• People with an autoimmune condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease or myasthenia gravis
• People with diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance
• People with moderate or severe kidney or liver disease
• People with a rare hereditary problem with galactose or lactose
• Anyone allergic to melatonin or any ingredient of the tablets

Tell the pharmacist about every medicine you take. Melatonin should not be taken with fluvoxamine, and needs extra care with cimetidine, quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, carbamazepine, rifampicin, methoxsalen (psoralen), and oestrogens such as the combined contraceptive pill or HRT.

Possible side effects

The most common side effects are headache and drowsiness. Less common effects include irritability, restlessness, unusual dreams, dizziness, stomach ache, indigestion, dry mouth, feeling sick and rash. Stop taking it and get medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction, such as a rash, swelling or difficulty breathing.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.