Perhaps Viagra Can Soften Jet Lag's Impact

May 21, 2007 — -- The little blue pill known for making time in the bed more enjoyable may also help weary jet travelers roll out of it in the morning.

New research shows Viagra may be the solution for travelers who suddenly find themselves needing to rise hours earlier as they cross time zones, at least if those travelers are hamsters.

A study at the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires showed that male hamsters who received an injection of sildenafil along with a 15-minute stimulation of light were able to adjust their internal clocks by six hours in roughly half the time that hamsters who did not receive the treatment took.

Sildenafil is the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.

Because humans and mammals have similar daily cycles, "there's no reason not to believe it should work in humans," said Diego Golombek, the lead investigator on the study.

At the same time, because the test was only done in animals, Golombek urged restraint for people thinking of trying it out.

"This is a study in laboratory animals, and clinical trials should be undertaken before deciding whether Viagra is a useful and safe treatment for those situations," he said.

Sildenafil works by sustaining a molecule that increases blood flow. Because that signaling molecule is sensitive to light, Golombek said, increasing its quantity makes the system more responsive to a change in patterns of light and dark.

At the same time, the researchers found that sildenafil was useful only for simulations of eastward travel. They found it ineffective when lengthening days to simulate travel westward.

While other treatments exist for jet lag, Golombek said that his research presents a novel approach to the problem -- using what is "generally a safe drug."

Viagra, he said, has been heavily studied for safety and effectiveness, so setting up a clinical trial "should be quite straightforward."

"It's a very good and interesting study," said Charmane Eastman, director of the biological rhythms lab at Rush University, who was not involved in the study.