Last Updated on April 15, 2020
Melatonin supplements are popular among people struggling with insomnia and jet lag.
Perhaps you feel you need a little extra help getting to sleep on that red-eye flight.
Or maybe you just want to take melatonin with you to help you adjust to a new time zone.
But can you bring melatonin on a plane in your carry on luggage or does it need to go in checked luggage?
Let’s check out the rules.
TSA Melatonin Rules
Here is a relevant screengrab from the transportation security administration website:
Melatonin pills are a common medication and you can take them on a plane in either your carry on or your checked luggage.
But what about liquid melatonin. Does the 3-1-1 liquids rule apply to liquid melatonin? Let’s check the TSA again:
It seems like you can take liquid melatonin in your carry on but there are special instructions.
TSA allows larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in reasonable quantities for your trip, but you must declare them to TSA officers at the checkpoint for inspection.
@AskTSA on Twitter
So you must declare liquid medications but the 3-1-1 liquids rule does not apply to medications like liquid melatonin.
This phrase “medically necessary” also raises some questions. Is melatonin medically necessary?
We checked the @AskTSA service on Twitter to get more information about flying with melatonin. Alejandra had asked if melatonin was okay to take on a plane:
Medications are allowed in carry-on bags. For domestic travel within the U.S. we don’t require medications to be in their original bottles; a pill box or organizer is fine.
@AskTSA on Twitter
And Stephanie asked specifically about liquid melatonin:
Amanda checked about gummy melatonin:
And she was given the green light.
Lastly, the TSA confirmed that you don’t need proof of prescription to take liquid melatonin on a plane:
The Verdict
This post is about if you can take melatonin in your hand luggage. We don’t want to suggest that you should or shouldn’t be taking melatonin to help you sleep. That’s something to discuss with your physician.
Keep in mind that there are sometimes side effects of taking melatonin. Nausea and headaches can occur, and if you’ve never taken melatonin before then you don’t want to discover during a flight or on a vacation that melatonin causes a side effect for you.
Make sure you are using the product safely. You can bring melatonin on a plane just let the TSA officer know at the checkpoint if it’s in liquid form.
A good eye mask, the window seat and pre-adjusting to your new time zone can help you fall asleep during air travel and to avoid jet lag.