Do you use sleep medication during or after travelling to assist jetlag?

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

I usually pop a 5mg Valium with dinner on nite flights.

Not enough to leave me senseless or unable to wake up if there was an emergency. Just makes me dozey so i can get thru the trauma of an economy flight with the least memory of it.

 

[Will]

Depressurisations do happen, so if you've taken Serapax, I guess you'll be having an extra long sleep. There is no guarantee whatsoever that the aircraft will immediately descend to 10,000. Depending upon terrain it could remain well above that for quite some time. Long enough for a passenger who is unable to handle the mask to be beyond help.

Good point, and one that has given me considerable pause when it comes to in-flight sedation.

I think temazepam and normison are the same thing. They work well in helping you to reset the clock after a flight, but I doubt that they are strong enough to put you to sleep on the flight...unless you take way too much.

I wonder how many of the problem passengers that we encounter have taken the likes of Stillnox, and then mixed it with a couple of drinks. Obviously drugged passengers are quite common, and almost always problematic.

Normison is indeed a brand name of Temazepam, which is a relatively-short acting benzodiazepine. Peak plasma concentrations are reached at a mean of 2.5 hours following ingestion, and the plasma half-life is about 15 hours (compare 21-37 hours with valium). A dose of 15-30 mg (stronger than usually prescribed, but still safe) results in apparently normal sleep (ie with normal REM ratios, etc), and does not prevent arousal to stimuli.

I doubt that benzodiazepines (such as valium and normison) would contribute to troublesome behaviours, even in combination with alcohol. The predominant effects are hypnosis (sleep), anxiolysis (calming), and amnesia. Valium, does, however, produce a paradoxical stimulation in some.

I can't speak authoritatively for the zopiclone/ zolpidem class of drugs - there is a paucity of literature given their relatively novelty - but reports of abnormal behaviours remain isolated and rare, despite their prominence in the media.

 

[Will]

As to the actual question:

there was an excellent review article in the New England Journal of Medicine early this year that covered this topic well.

The conclusions and recommendations were:



pm me if you are interested in the full article... I can't post it up here for copyright reasons!

 

[travelbounty]

does anyone recommend any sleep medication for children, as just about to travel from Australia to Chicago with a 3 yr old and 7 month old!...

 

[Will]

does anyone recommend any sleep medication for children, as just about to travel from Australia to Chicago with a 3 yr old and 7 month old!...

7 months old - absolutely not.

3 years - under medical supervision only. Certainly not on a plane for the convenience of those around them.

 

[blueflamenco]

does anyone recommend any sleep medication for children, as just about to travel from Australia to Chicago with a 3 yr old and 7 month old!...

I would stay away from medicating your children especially if its just for convenience sake. Just do your best with them!

 

[JohnK]

These safety considerations are compounded/potentiated when sedatives are combined with alcohol. Even at 35,000 feet the deployment of oxygen masks and their efficient use could be adversely affected by a passenger's drug and alcohol blood level. The effects of drugs such as sedatives/tranquilizers will last for some hours and may affect a passenger's orientation, vision, alertness and equilibrium/balance. Senses which should be functioning at 100% for increased chances of survival/injury in situations such as a landing emergency with varying scenarios ranging from rapid deployment of evacuation slides, fire/smoke in the cabin, ditching at sea and spending prolonged time in the water etc, etc.

This is where it is an advantage to know how certain drugs or alcohol affect us and our senses. We are all different and sedatives/alcohol will affect every person in a different way.

Personally I have taken Valium and now Xanax to help me relax before boarding a plane. I drink alcohol before and after boarding the plane. Neither the Valium nor the Xanax in combination with alcohol take me to a state best described as "La la land". I know exactly what is happening around me at all times and if I do sleep it is because I am tired and it would be no different to going to sleep at any other time without drugs in my system.

And in the extreme opposite I know someone who falls asleep with 2.5mg Valium.

Alcohol is exactly the same. There is absolutely no proof what so ever that any 2 people on a BAC reading of 0.05 are going to behave in exactly the same way. So why do we have that limitation? It is a real possibility that someone with a BAC reading of 0.08 will be more alert and still have better reflexes than someone with a BAC reading of 0.01 or even someone who has not had any alcohol. We are all different and do not get affected the same way.

 

[notzac]

I used to get quite bad insomnia, so I've tried a few different sleeping medications .. I found Stilnox was the best for me personally, in terms of getting to sleep, staying asleep (but not completely dead to the world) and then waking up feeling refreshed. Everyone has different reactions to different medication though - there are definitely horror stories from people who've taken a Zolpidem-based drug, so it's definitely something you'd want to try on the ground before trying it in the air..!

My current personal all-time favourite sleeping medications when flying are the following brands (they're all available from quality airlines):

• J Seating
• Tanqueray Gin
• Méthode Champenoise

 

[maureeng]

The thought has crossed my mind, but I've never actually taken anything.
I've just pushed through and delt with it.

But it'd be interesting to know the stats, I've read quite a few comments from all over the web from people saying one of their "must haves" in their carry on is sleeping meds.

I always take sleeping tablets on a long flight mainly for fear of flying (due to an incident years ago on a flight where we had to have oxygen due to loss of cabin pressure, scared the living daylights out of me ) but they do help with jetlag too as I never suffer from it. I take strong ones that last at least 7 hours min and even if I do wake up they keep me relaxed even during severe turbulence.

 

[jb747]

I always take sleeping tablets on a long flight mainly for fear of flying (due to an incident years ago on a flight where we had to have oxygen due to loss of cabin pressure, scared the living daylights out of me ) .... I take strong ones that last at least 7 hours min ....

Curious that having had that experience, that you'd place yourself in a position in which in a repeat you'd most likely have trouble looking after yourself.

 

[maureeng]

Curious that having had that experience, that you'd place yourself in a position in which in a repeat you'd most likely have trouble looking after yourself.

I just think that if anything really serious happens i'd rather not know but I do see where you are coming from.

I just cant sit shaking for 8 hours +. I dont take anything on a short flight. Just grip the seats or anyone close enough lol.

 

[maureeng]

I used to get quite bad insomnia, so I've tried a few different sleeping medications .. I found Stilnox was the best for me personally, in terms of getting to sleep, staying asleep (but not completely dead to the world) and then waking up feeling refreshed. Everyone has different reactions to different medication though - there are definitely horror stories from people who've taken a Zolpidem-based drug, so it's definitely something you'd want to try on the ground before trying it in the air..!


My current personal all-time favourite sleeping medications when flying are the following brands (they're all available from quality airlines):

• J Seating
• Tanqueray Gin
• Méthode Champenoise

Funnily enough J seating helps me too

Maureeng

 

[taswegian77]

I used to get quite bad insomnia, so I've tried a few different sleeping medications .. I found Stilnox was the best for me personally, in terms of getting to sleep, staying asleep (but not completely dead to the world) and then waking up feeling refreshed. Everyone has different reactions to different medication though - there are definitely horror stories from people who've taken a Zolpidem-based drug, so it's definitely something you'd want to try on the ground before trying it in the air..!


My current personal all-time favourite sleeping medications when flying are the following brands (they're all available from quality airlines):

• J Seating
• Tanqueray Gin
• Méthode Champenoise

Funnily enough J seating helps me too

Maureeng

My sleeping pills is an ample amount of champers in the F lounge followed by a couple of top ups just before I recline my J seat.

 

[jb747]

I just think that if anything really serious happens i'd rather not know but I do see where you are coming from.

Whilst the worst case is just that, and I'd probably come back and have a Stillnox with you, most times aircraft events remain relatively minor and under control. Notwithstanding what the main stream media have to say about aviation, in which every blocked toilet is a dire emergency... But, the vast majority of major events are still quite survivable, as long as you have your wits about you, and that's why I don't like drugs on flights.

I just cant sit shaking for 8 hours +. I dont take anything on a short flight. Just grip the seats or anyone close enough lol.

Have you done one of the 'fear of flying' courses. Qantas runs one, and by all accounts it's very helpful. I do understand where you are coming from, but I just consider drugs to be the wrong answer.

 

[drron]

Have you done one of the 'fear of flying' courses. Qantas runs one, and by all accounts it's very helpful. I do understand where you are coming from, but I just consider drugs to be the wrong answer.

Complete agreement.I have had one of my In/Outlaws do the QF course with good results.

 

[UP4014]

Only the liquid type that comes in those little screw top bottles you mix with "Canada Dry" Ginger Ale.

 

[Will]

as long as you have your wits about you, and that's why I don't like drugs on flights.

Makes a lot of sense. However, I wouldn't want people to think that alcohol is less disabling than most sleeping pills. 4-5 drinks is likely to lead to much greater impairment in co-ordination, alertness, rousability, and judgement than a single temazepam.

 

[jb747]

You're quite correct there, but I think some people are basically talking about drugs that just put them out for the duration, and that's a lot more effect than a single temazepam.

 

[rambisyouth]

If I died because I was zonked out on a sleeping tablet, well that's not ideal but I'm prepared to wear those odds.

I'm also surf knowing that I could get attacked by a shark at any time.

P.S. Having said that I think that any disturbance would wake me up anyway.

 

[iliketotravel]

My sleeping pills is an ample amount of champers in the F lounge followed by a couple of top ups just before I recline my J seat.

I prefer some scotch!

:mrgreen: