MELATONIN
Strength3 mg
Formoral.solid
0.5-5 mg taken at the target bedtime at the destination (roughly 22:00 to midnight local time), starting on the day of arrival and continuing x 2-5 days after arrival
Not established for jet lag in children. Melatonin in childhood is a specialist prescription for sleep disorders in neurodevelopmental conditions, not something to give a healthy child after a flight.
AAFP - Can Melatonin Prevent or Treat Jet Lag? (Am Fam Physician 2002;66:2087)
Worth using for flights crossing five or more time zones, and the benefit is larger going east than west - eastward travel asks the body clock to advance, which it does badly on its own. The dose is wide because the trials found little difference across it; 5 mg got people to sleep faster than the lower doses. What matters more than the number is the clock.
- Timing is the whole treatment. Taken early in the day it makes jet lag worse - it causes daytime sleepiness and delays the body clock adapting.
- Case reports of harm in epilepsy and in patients taking warfarin. Avoid in both unless a specialist has agreed it.
- Do not drive or operate machinery for several hours after a dose.
- Melatonin is sold in Egypt as a supplement as well as a medicine, and content has been found not to match the label in some commercial products. Prefer a registered pharmaceutical pack.
| Egyptian brand | Manufacturer | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| MELATONIN 3 MG 20 CAPS. | > HELIAN | 60.00 EGP (3.00/unit) |
| MELATONIN SHAHD PHARMA 3 MG 30 CAPSULES | ORGANIX > SHAHD PHARMA | 120.00 EGP (4.00/unit) |
| DEVART MELATONIN 3 MG 30 TABS | DEVARTLAB > BIOERA | 125.00 EGP (4.17/unit) |
| AXIOM MELATONIN 3 MG 30 TABS. | > AXIOM | 150.00 EGP (5.00/unit) |
| VEE MELATONIN S.R. 3 MG 30 TABS. | VEEXIA PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES | 181.00 EGP (6.03/unit) |
| VEE MELATONIN 3 MG 10 TABS. | VEEXIA PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES | 88.00 EGP (8.80/unit) |
| VEE MELATONIN S.R. 3 MG 10 TABS. | VEEXIA PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES | 99.00 EGP (9.90/unit) |
| MELATONIN 3 MG 60 VEG. CAPS. (NOW) | NOW FOODS > SOFICOPHARM | 500.00 EGP |
| MELASNOZ 1MG/ML SYRUP 60 ML? strength differs? different route - not oral solid | ORGANIX > PHARMA TECNOPROF | 60.00 EGP |
| MELATONIN 30 ML ORAL DROPS? strength differs? different route - not oral solid | ORGANIX > EVOKA PHARMA | 78.00 EGP |