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Are there any prescription treatments for jet lag?

Jet lag is a condition that often occurs when you travel quickly across time zones and your natural sleep patterns are disturbed. Symptoms include tiredness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and an inability to sleep at night. Traveling from west to east is typically harder on your body, because you lose hours during travel.

Some doctors recommend prescription medicines such as temazepam (brand name Restoril), triazolam (>Halcion), zolpidem (>Ambien), and zaleplon (>Sonata) to induce sleep in a new time zone. You shouldn't use these medicines for more than a few days once you reach your destination.

Sources:
Micromedex Healthcare Series. Micromedex Inc., 2001.
Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. American Pharmaceutical Association, 2000.
The Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition. Merck & Co., 1997.
Waterhouse, J. “Jet-lag”, Lancet. 350(1997).
Swartzberg, J. E., S. Margen. The UC Berkeley Wellness Self-Care Handbook. Rebus Inc. 1998.

This answer prepared 7/24/01.