Jet lag Pills ?

"If you don't take time to sleep and rest when you first get to your destination, you will have jet lag for several days." This might be true for some people, but from what the vast majority report here, it is not true for most. Like others, I prefer an overnight flight so I can fully use my arrival day instead of feeling like I am wasting a whole day traveling. I get checked into my hotel, or get my rental car, and head out. I do get some sleep on the plane, and staying active (outside, preferably) keeps me alert the rest of the day. I generally go to bed a bit earlier than I normally would, and I am fine the next day. If I were to take a nap when I first got there, it would keep me from adjusting to the new time zone. As with other aspects of travel, different things work for different people, but it is not accurate to say that if you don't sleep when you first arrive it will lengthen your jet lag. But to answer your question, no, the pills don't do anything.

Jim, I've tried the homeopathic No Jet Lag product several times in the past, but have concluded that it doesn't work (at least for me). I tried to give it a fair evaluation by comparing how I felt when using it vs. not using it. I couldn't detect any difference. Their website states that the product has been "clinically tested" but I have to wonder whether their subjects were reporting favourable results simply because of the placebo effect. Possibly it works for some people but not all? I found it to be a darn nuisance to have to remember to take the pills before departure and then every two hours or so during the flight. I was sometimes reluctant to take a nap during the flight, in case I missed the appointed time to take the pill. I'm still working to find the best jet lag solution, but will probably stick with more tried & true methods from now on. Cheers!

"Do they work?" I'm sure some people will experience a placebo effect, but after looking them up online, I would say, no. If you're worried about jet lag, search these forums. This is a very frequent topic. Quick summary, everyone has their own routine developed from trial and error. Many of us expect jet lag as a natural consequence of travel. Rather than trying to avoid it all together, many of us incorporate it in our travel plans and try to minimize its effects. But I gave up long ago trying to avoid it all together.

To the same degree that any homeopathic method works - all mental. If you believe it works, it might.

I don't think there are any shortcuts around jetlag, particularly in pill form. If you're in shape, get up early the next morning and exercise by doing a jog or walk - keep active, drink lots of water, and force yourself to adjust (i.e. go to bed and wake up according to the local hours), and you'll be fine within a few days. Caffeine and adrenaline definitely helps as a stop gap measure to get you through the day. Also, homeopathic pills are not tested in clinical trials for effectiveness, nor do they carry the seal of the FDA like other drugs.

Jet Lag Pills do not work, in my experience. What works for me is to leave the U.S. on a flight as early in the morning as I can get it; anytime from 3 AM to 8 AM. Use the day on the plane to do activities such as reading, watching a movie, etc. Do not sleep. Arrive in London at night; sometimes very late. Go straight to my hotel, and to bed; attempt to keep my same daytime/nightime schedule and routine that I have back home. Next morning I get out in the sunshine and walk as much as possible; most times I'm able to defeat the jet lag; sometimes not. May not work for everyone, but it does for me. I do not do overnight flights where I try to sleep on the plane. Others here do travel at night, and they will chime in with different information for you.

What Keith said. No Jet Lag is a homeopathic " remedy" and as such is based on nonsense. The theory is that " like cures like", so a wee little bit of a substance that causes symptoms of illness in a healthy person will cure that illness in a sick person. in the case of No Jet Lag, they take ipecac ( which induces vomiting) and some herbs which cause drowsiness, etc. and mix them together. Then they are diluted down to less than one part per trillion, so basically there is nothing left of the original active substance. The good news is it is unlikely to hurt you. But it won't work,Meitner, unless by placebo effect. Do not waste your money. Jet lag is a combination of fatigue from lack of sleep on the flight, and the readjustment of your body clock to European time-nine hours difference for those of us who live on the west coast. You almost have to switch night and day. We deal with it very effectively by taking a non-stop overnight flight from the west coast to Europe, sleeping on the plane, then staying up after arrival for a walk in the daylight and to have dinner at the regular hour local time. Then we head for bed around 9 pm, sleep OK,,and wake up feeling fine and ready for anything. But if you cannot sleep on the plane it is harder to adjust.

Nancy is right. What works for one person may not work for another person, in terms of whether you can or can't sleep on a plane, or bounce back from jet lag just by getting off the plane and walking around. Each person has their own way of dealing with jet lag.

I go to Europe every summer for a month and have done so since 2001. I fly out of Seattle to Europe. I do take No Jet Lag pills as directed on their package and I do better taking them than when I did not take them, regardless of what they contain as it all might very well be mental. I also do not sleep well, if any, on the plane ride. I do go to bed as soon as we have checked into the place where we are staying while my wife stays up and goes out exploring. The next day we are both fine.

My respect for Rick Steves travelers has increased immeasurably. It is gratifying to see the general debunking of homeopathic medicines in general and the jet lag pills in particular.

Charlie, have you ever done the experiment and tried not taking them? It ispossible after so many trips you have just learned to deal with jet lag better, pills or not. And if you determine there is a difference,mthen the pills work because of theplacebomeffect, which is genuine, but has nothing to do with the actual ingredients in the pills.

My husband and I have been using "No Jet Lag" pills for eight years now. We buy the pills at "Magellan.com". They are a travel store with two locations in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, Calif. You can order them on-line. They have ALWAYS WORKED for us. We have used them to go to Australia. We will be going back to Australia and New Zealand in October. We will use the pills also.

Since I can't sleep on planes at all, my usual go-to remedy for jet lag is good old coffee in large amounts, but one time, when I had to be alert for a meeting immediately after 14 hours in transit, I got my doctor to prescribe me a single dose of a medication called Nuvigil. It's basically a stimulant. It did what it was supposed to do, but I didn't care for the "speedy" feeling it gave me and I wouldn't use it again unless I was in another situation where I had to get off a plane and be "on my game" right away.

Your story is an example of why it's good to try a new medication before you need to rely on it so you can see how you react to it.

I've used the Jet Lag pills on overseas trips and I've not used them and I couldn't tell a difference either way. My best tips are to get as much sleep as you can during your journey (DON'T fight it when your eyelids start to droop on the plane, just close them and go with it that movie can wait). Another great tip I read a couple of years ago was from a seasoned travel writer. He said that he power-hydrates before any long flights. About 4 days before flying, I drink nothing but water and LOTS of Gatorade / Powerade sports drinks. I have done this for my last 3 trips to Europe and it has worked WONDERS! The sports drinks help so much, and I found it helped me with my jet lag too.