Superdrug has launched a new travel service that will involve offering patients melatonin tablets to counter jet lag.  

The melatonin tablets will be available to patients on Superdrug’s website in boxes of 10 or 20, costing £24 and £34 respectively.  

Patients over the age of 18 will be eligible to purchase the medication after filling in an online questionnaire which will be reviewed by one of Superdrug’s online doctors, the multiple has said.  

Superdrug said it had seen an 287% increase in demand for its travel services and products since Covid travel restrictions were lifted on 18 March. 

Michael Henry, Superdrug’s healthcare director said: ‘Now that people are travelling more freely, they’re considering longer haul destinations where jet lag can take its toll.   

‘Our jet lag tablets give holiday goers the option to reduce the impact of this common problem,’ he explained. 

Dr Sara Kayat, Superdrug’s medical ambassador added: ‘Jet lag is a temporary sleep problem that affects people who travel across different time zones.   

‘It can occur when your internal clock, the function that lets your body know when to stay awake and when to sleep, is disrupted by a new time zone and puts your internal clock out of sync’.   

She added: ‘Melatonin is a hormone we produce to help regulate our sleep cycles, and a synthetic version can be taken in the short term to manage jet lag.’  

In January, Superdrug announced the launch of a health screening service across its 72 nurse-led health clinics across the UK.   

The service, which costs £139, provides patients with ‘a quick and extensive health check’ from a nurse and includes a blood test and assessment.    

In November, Superdrug launched a healthcare delivery service that delivered medicines to customers’ doors within two hours.