# Jet Lag (Desynchronosis) - Category: acute - Review status: reviewed (every claim checked against a document named on this page) - Sources: AAFP - Can Melatonin Prevent or Treat Jet Lag? (Am Fam Physician 2002;66:2087) · Riedy SM, Williams SG. Jet Lag Disorder. In: CDC Yellow Book, 2026 edition: Health Information for International Travel [Internet]. Halsey ES, Angelo KM, Barnett ED, et al., editors. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2025 Apr 23. Published online April 23, 2025. NBK620865. - Verified date: 2026-08 ## Verified against - AAFP - Can Melatonin Prevent or Treat Jet Lag? (Am Fam Physician 2002;66:2087) ## Treatment metadata - Melatonin — 3 mg — oral.solid ## Complete treatment card ```text JET LAG (DESYNCHRONOSIS) Sources: AAFP - Can Melatonin Prevent or Treat Jet Lag? (Am Fam Physician 2002;66:2087) · Riedy SM, Williams SG. Jet Lag Disorder. In: CDC Yellow Book, 2026 edition: Health Information for International Travel [Internet]. Halsey ES, Angelo KM, Barnett ED, et al., editors. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2025 Apr 23. Published online April 23, 2025. NBK620865. Review status: REVIEWED against the source listed above (2026-08) 1. MELATONIN [1st line] Adult 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 Peds 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. Source AAFP - Can Melatonin Prevent or Treat Jet Lag? (Am Fam Physician 2002;66:2087) Why 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. Caution 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. Egypt 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 > B... 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 PHARMA... 181.00 EGP (6.03/unit) VEE MELATONIN 3 MG 10 TABS. VEEXIA PHARMA... 88.00 EGP (8.80/unit) VEE MELATONIN S.R. 3 MG 10 TABS. VEEXIA PHARMA... 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 ORGANIX > PHA... 60.00 EGP -> ? strength differs, ? different route - not oral solid MELATONIN 30 ML ORAL DROPS ORGANIX > EVO... 78.00 EGP -> ? strength differs, ? different route - not oral solid Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy. ``` --- Dawaa Reference is a reference for prescribers, not a medical device, and does not replace clinical judgement. [Privacy policy](/privacy)