Question to the FF: Does Melatonin help against jetlag? If yes, how many tablets and when to take it? Before, during or after the flight?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum94/HTML/001272.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum94/HTML/000061.html

doc:

Thanks for the links.

I have tried 5 mg melatonin for 3 days prior to my arrival in the US on previous transpacific flights.I must say that I have been a little disappointed with the results.
A small but signifigant reduction occurred in jet lag symptoms but I , on 2 occasions , I had quite severe memory loss ( funny to my friends at the time)
The origin of the "jet lag" syndrome is , I think , quite multifactorial. Sure ,after the transpac haul, there is day / night disorientation (for me worst going east ) but there is also the difficulty having any kind of reasonable sleep, there is dehydration (remember the aircraft is pressurised to 10,000 feet ), ? alcohol indulgence, and alteration in usual caffeine intake ( I would normally have 7 cups of tea per day )
I make an effort to go to sleep on the plane at the bedtime at my destination ,PLUS, on arrival , to walk in the sun , drink a couple of cups of tea and stay awake as long as possible the day of arrival.That night ,I take some form of benzodiazepam type sedative (eg oxazepam or temazepam )to ensure that I don't get wide awake at 2 AM and stay that way.
I do not think that there is an easy answer.
One thing I am certain about is the necessity to take some form of anti blood clotting drug to avoid leg clots (which are painful and debilitating enough )but can lead to an early demise from lung blood vessel obstruction.These tablets,such as low dose aspirin, need to be started a few days prior to departure as they only work on platelets formed after the tablets have been started.Of course there may be medical reasons why would not suit a particular individual .The other option is to wear anti embolism stockings ( they don't look good though if you are in short trousers)
Please excuse me going on and on here!
Ozflier

I have tried 5 mg melatonin for 3 days prior to my arrival in the US on previous transpacific flights.I must say that I have been a little disappointed with the results.
A small but signifigant reduction occurred in jet lag symptoms but I , on 2 occasions , I had quite severe memory loss ( funny to my friends at the time)
The origin of the "jet lag" syndrome is , I think , quite multifactorial. Sure ,after the transpac haul, there is day / night disorientation (for me worst going east ) but there is also the difficulty having any kind of reasonable sleep, there is dehydration (remember the aircraft is pressurised to 10,000 feet ), ? alcohol indulgence, and alteration in usual caffeine intake ( I would normally have 7 cups of tea per day )
I make an effort to go to sleep on the plane at the bedtime at my destination ,PLUS, on arrival , to walk in the sun , drink a couple of cups of tea and stay awake as long as possible the day of arrival.That night ,I take some form of benzodiazepam type sedative (eg oxazepam or temazepam )to ensure that I don't get wide awake at 2 AM and stay that way.
I do not think that there is an easy answer.
One thing I am certain about is the necessity to take some form of anti blood clotting drug to avoid leg clots (which are painful and debilitating enough )but can lead to an early demise from lung blood vessel obstruction.These tablets,such as low dose aspirin, need to be started a few days prior to departure as they only work on platelets formed after the tablets have been started.Of course there may be medical reasons why would not suit a particular individual .The other option is to wear anti embolism stockings ( they don't look good though if you are in short trousers)
Please excuse me going on and on here!
Ozflier

Every time I travel east, I take 5mg of melatonin about 30-45 minutes before my usual bedtime. This helps my body get over the time zone difference. I awake at my normal time and am good to go for the day.

Jet lag, or as some researchers call it, �circadian disynchronism,� has certainly had an effect on world history.
When diver Greg Luganis hit his head on the 10-meter platform during the Moscow Olympic trials, he claimed to be suffering from jet lag. Ronald Reagan�s trips to world summits were carefully restructured around worries about the effects of jet lag. Furthermore, some diplomats have even blamed jet lag for some of their negotiating mistakes. Before he died, former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles actually blamed some of his questionable decisions on jet lag.

OK, enough already about blame.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/471292.asp

Doc .. I always wondered what Reagan's excuse was.

When Melatonin first hit the headlines I really went for it. Each end I personally got fuzzy headed and very zapped. Taking that for ME was worse than nothing.

Most of my flying is severe west/east or east/west and about 20-25 hours at a time. Maybe on shorter trips it is OK - I never bothered on those.

All I have used for 5 years is Temazepam. Sleep like a baby WHEN I want, for 6 or 7 hours, and wake with a clear head and no jetlag.

Highly Recommended.

------------------
~ Glen ~

My experience:

For about the last 5 years, I have been taking 2 of the small (3mg or 5 mg?) tablets about 30 minutes before going to bed at my destination (after trans-Pacific or trans-Atlantic flights). I continue this for the first 5 days after arrival (including day of arrival).

I have found this helps me sleep through the night, instead of waking up at 2 AM and staring at the ceiling. In short, seems to work for me.

Although perhaps it's just the placebo effect. I am awfully gullible.