Melatonin 3mg Tablets

Melatonin is a hormone your body produces naturally to signal that it is time to sleep. These 3mg immediate-release tablets hold a UK licence for the short-term treatment of jet lag in adults. They work by delivering an artificial evening melatonin surge at bedtime in your destination, which helps shift your body clock into line with local time more quickly than it would adjust on its own.

After a long flight your internal clock is still running on departure time, so your body produces melatonin at the wrong point in the local day. An immediate-release tablet produces a sharp, short-lived rise in melatonin that mimics your body's own evening surge. Taken at local bedtime over a few nights, this pulls your body clock forward. The timing of the dose matters more than the size of it.

Take one tablet at your target bedtime in the destination time zone, starting the day you arrive. Swallow it whole with water, preferably on an empty stomach, as food slows absorption. If one tablet is not enough, the dose can be increased to two tablets (6mg) taken together. Continue for a maximum of 5 days per trip, and no more than 16 treatment periods a year. Do not take it after 4am local time, as a late dose can shift your body clock the wrong way and prolong jet lag.

They are different medicines with different licences. Prolonged-release melatonin, such as Circadin, is a 2mg tablet that releases slowly through the night to help maintain sleep, and is licensed for short-term insomnia in adults aged 55 and over. These 3mg tablets are immediate-release and licensed specifically for jet lag, producing a sharp evening peak that shifts circadian timing. They are not interchangeable, and using one in place of the other will not give the same result.

It is not suitable for anyone under 18, or during pregnancy, breastfeeding or while trying to conceive. Tell your prescriber if you have an autoimmune condition, epilepsy, liver or kidney problems, or if you take fluvoxamine, warfarin or another anticoagulant, ciprofloxacin, carbamazepine, rifampicin, cimetidine, oestrogens including the contraceptive pill or HRT, or medicines for diabetes or epilepsy. Melatonin is not recommended in liver impairment.

The most commonly reported effects are headache, drowsiness, dizziness and disorientation. Less commonly people notice vivid dreams, irritability, nausea or a dry mouth. Because melatonin causes drowsiness, do not drive or operate machinery for several hours after a dose. Seek medical advice promptly for chest pain, palpitations, blurred vision, fainting, or swelling of the face, lips or throat.

Do not take melatonin if you are allergic to melatonin or to any of the other ingredients in the tablet.

It is not suitable if you are under 18 years of age. Access Doctor supplies melatonin to adults only.

It is not recommended if you have liver disease, as there is a lack of safety data in liver impairment, or if you have an autoimmune condition, where clinical data is also lacking. There is only limited experience of its use in kidney impairment.

It is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or if you are trying to conceive.

Some brands contain lactose. If you have been told you have an intolerance to some sugars, check the patient information leaflet supplied with your medicine or ask our pharmacy team before taking it.

If you have ongoing difficulty sleeping that is not related to travel, that should be assessed in its own right rather than treated with melatonin intended for jet lag.

Yes, melatonin can interact with some other medicines. You should always tell your doctor or pharmacist about any other medicines you are taking, including those bought without a prescription.

Important interactions include: fluvoxamine (an antidepressant) – this can increase melatonin levels in your blood by up to 17 times, which can make side effects much more severe; other antidepressants (such as citalopram), sleeping tablets (such as zolpidem), and epilepsy medicines, which may interact with melatonin; caffeine, which can reduce melatonin levels; alcohol, which can reduce the effect of melatonin on sleep; and smoking (tobacco), which can make melatonin less effective, as components of tobacco smoke increase the breakdown of melatonin in the liver.

If you are taking warfarin or other blood‑thinning medicines, you should speak to your doctor before taking melatonin.

There is limited safety data on the use of melatonin during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Melatonin passes into breast milk, and a risk to the breast‑fed child cannot be excluded.

Melatonin is not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding, speak to your doctor before taking this medicine.

Store below 25°C (room temperature) in a dry place, away from direct sunlight and heat. Keep the blister pack in its outer carton to protect it from light and moisture. Keep the medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Do not use the tablets after the expiry date printed on the packaging.

If you have any leftover tablets, do not throw them away in household waste or pour them down the sink. Take them to your local pharmacy, where they will be disposed of safely.