Melatonin for jet lag in the UK is a prescription-only medicine, not a shop supplement. The NHS says it may help with jet-lag symptoms in adults: usually one 3mg tablet at bedtime on arrival, not before 8pm or after 4am, for up to 5 days. The NHS also says it may not be available on NHS prescription.
This is an evergreen explainer rather than a news story. The ranking pages for “melatonin for jet lag uk” are mostly online pharmacies restating a patient leaflet without naming whose leaflet it is. So this desk went to the documents instead: the three NHS melatonin pages, and two summaries of product characteristics (SmPCs) on the electronic medicines compendium (emc) that list jet lag as an indication, all read on 3 October 2026.
What do the NHS and the licences say about melatonin for jet lag in the UK?
The NHS page About melatonin says melatonin “is available on prescription only” and that it “may also help with symptoms of jetlag”. It lists five brand names: Circadin, Adaflex, Ceyesto, Slenyto and Syncrodin. We read the indications for one of those, Ceyesto, and for one unbranded product. We did not read the other four.
The two SmPCs read are Colonis Pharma Ltd’s Melatonin 3 mg film-coated tablets, updated 7 April 2025, and Alturix Limited’s Ceyesto 3 mg tablets, updated 1 May 2025. Both list “short-term treatment of jet-lag in adults”. Ceyesto adds insomnia in children aged 6 to 17 with ADHD, where sleep hygiene has not been enough.
The NHS and two jet-lag SmPCs, side by side
| Term | NHS, how and when to take | Colonis Pharma SmPC | Ceyesto SmPC (Alturix) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard dose | One 3mg tablet a day | 3 mg daily | One 3 mg tablet daily |
| Maximum days | Up to 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Higher dose | Up to 6mg (two tablets) | 6 mg (two tablets together) | Refers to other manufacturers for over 3 mg |
| Timing | Bedtime on arrival, not before 8pm or after 4am | Not before 20:00 or after 04:00 | Not before 20:00 or after 04:00 |
| Food | Standard tablets 2 hours before or after food | None 2 h before or after | None about 2 h before or after |
| Courses a year | No more than 16 | Maximum 16 treatment periods | Not in the text read |
| Under-18s | Jet-lag section is for adults | Should not be used | Not established for jet lag |
| Last dated | Reviewed 13 Feb 2023, review due 13 Feb 2026 | 7 Apr 2025 | 1 May 2025 |
Why do two jet-lag SmPCs disagree?
Because each SmPC describes one product, not melatonin in general. The Colonis document allows five days and a step up to 6 mg if 3 mg “does not adequately alleviate symptoms”. The Ceyesto document stops at four days and, for anything above 3 mg, says “other dosages from other manufacturers are available”. The NHS dosing page follows the five-day, 6mg pattern.
The Colonis SmPC also advises against alcohol, which can worsen jet-lag headache and morning fatigue, and flags that fluvoxamine raises melatonin levels. All three NHS melatonin pages read show a next-review date of 13 February 2026, which has passed. That makes them overdue for a scheduled check, not wrong.
For the routes to a prescription, see whether you can buy melatonin over the counter in the UK; for the rules on carrying it home, bringing melatonin into the UK from abroad; and for the legal category itself, whether melatonin is a food supplement or a medicine.
Frequently asked questions
Is melatonin licensed for jet lag in the UK?
For two products, the documents read here point that way. Two summaries of product characteristics on the emc, Colonis Pharma’s Melatonin 3 mg film-coated tablets and Alturix’s Ceyesto, both list short-term treatment of jet lag in adults as an indication. The NHS calls melatonin prescription-only. We did not read the licence numbers or the documents for Circadin, Adaflex, Slenyto or Syncrodin, so we say nothing about their indications.
Can you get melatonin for jet lag on the NHS?
Not reliably. The NHS page Common questions about melatonin says plainly that melatonin for jet lag may not be available for you on NHS prescription. That is a statement about who pays, not about whether the use exists: the same page describes jet lag as a short-term use in adults. A private prescription, dispensed by a pharmacy, is the other route a traveller will meet.
Does melatonin actually work for jet lag?
The NHS says there is some evidence that melatonin makes jet-lag symptoms less severe, and that it can help reduce recovery time after a long flight by a day to a day and a half. This desk did not read a trial or evidence review this run, so we print no effect size beyond the NHS’s own wording. Timing matters: both product documents warn that a dose at the wrong time may have no effect.
Nothing here is medical advice; a GP, prescriber or pharmacist is the right person to ask about your own trip.