Could Viagra Put the Brakes on Jet Lag?

Worried about jet lag? Researchers think they might have just the ticket to perk you up: Viagra. While it's too early to know if it will work in humans, Argentinean researchers are reporting that sildenafil (Viagra) appears to reduce symptoms of jet lag in hamsters.

"We do need more effective therapies for jet lag and for sleep difficulties that occur as a consequence of shift work," said Dr. Robert Vorona, an associate professor in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

The Study

In the study, researchers administered small doses of sildenafil to hamsters before adjusting the cycles of light and dark they lived in. This reset their body clocks as if they'd taken a six-hour plane trip to the east.

The hamsters recovered 25% to 50% more quickly from the equivalent of human jet lag, needing less time to synchronize themselves to the new schedule, said Dr. Diego Golombek, a researcher with the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires. He said sildenafil worked at least as well as melatonin, a jet-lag treatment.

But the drug didn't help hamsters who underwent a simulation of westward jet travel.

Theory

The popular erectile dysfunction drug, originally developed to treat high blood pressure and angina, might alleviate jet lag by interfering with a molecule that sends signals to the brain's body clock mechanism, Golombek said.

Precautions

But the potential impact on humans isn't clear, and Golombek said people shouldn't rush out to prevent jet lag with doses of Viagra. For one thing, Viagra can cause side effects such as low blood pressure.

As for the next step, Golombek said a full-scale clinical trial has to be performed in humans, which is indeed quite expensive and time-consuming. Jet-lag trials might involve laboratory simulations, but we also need the real thing, which means testing pharmacological treatments on long-haul air travel."