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

[thewinchester]

My personal pill of choice for these situations is an over the counter item, Restavit. At best, I'll use no more than half a pill which is enough to help me over the line but not knock me out cold and leave me stuck in the chair if the brown stuff hits the fan blades.

 

[dcm]

I don't sleep well on planes but I prefer to take nothing during a flight. After arrival, if I wake in the middle of the night, I take a temazepam tablet which seems to work for about 4 hours. Usually after a couple of days usual sleep patterns settle in. A friend of mine had a bad experience with Stillnox whilst flying.

 

[Gunsh0tglitt3r]

To take any of these meds on board are people getting "notes" from a Dr or just bringing them along with their carry-on? Or bought from a chemist at whatever airport you're at?
Hah.. confusing.
I'm completely paranoid about falling asleep next to a stranger, my head falling on their shoulder and perhaps.. drooling.. haha. Not that this is how I sleep , but the thought of waking-up and thinking I may have done that, puts me off sleeping in any sort of public arena.
It's like when you're so tired and you nod off to sleep for that .1 sec on public transport, and you have that jolt to wake up.. every single transit is like that for me, regardless of what is in my system.
Quite frustrating at the time.

 

[11sjw]

11sjw,

This is correct for many drugs. There are some, and Stilnox is one, that have very short half lives and so the sedative effect can be overridden relatively easily.

Having said that, and this is one of my pet hates was the former Ansett pilot speaking from a position of sort of authority or just from personal experience :?:

Another good drug for this type of use id Temazepam. It is interesting to note that 'The United States Air Force uses temazepam as one of the hypnotics approved as "no-go pills" to help aviators and special duty personnel sleep in support of mission readiness.' See this link.

It was more an advice type of situation and wasn't suggesting it was company policy or anything official.

He definitely advocated the use of them once you'd hit your destination!

Thx re Temazepam info. Might try that one out.

 

[Logan^]

I have got valium from doctors before, I just go in to the Doctor and say I am a nervous flyer and they normally prescribe the valium no problems.

Have also bought some in Thailand as well, which is just as effective.

 

[Gunsh0tglitt3r]

I have got valium from doctors before, I just go in to the Doctor and say I am a nervous flyer and they normally prescribe the valium no problems.

Have also bought some in Thailand as well, which is just as effective.

I'm sure getting the meds is easy.. I'm sure I wouldn't have a problem..

Does the Doc need to supply a note explaining why you are carrying said meds?

Does anyone ask about them when you're passing through security? Or would you have already consumed them by then?

I had a "gun" belt buckle on once, studded with diamontes (looking back, perhaps it was inappropriate, even if it was hollow..) and I was told it must be removed immediately and I was not to take it on board, and if I wanted to keep it my brother was to leave the airport with it immediately.. hah..

So.. just curious how meds get through so easily when a belt buckle is looked at so intently?

I even had a small necklace with "hand-cuffs" as a clasp.. (haha, a gift from my mother, I'm difficult to buy for and she thought I would like it, so I use it as a key ring, and I had 3 security staff look at it until they finally said I could go through with it, at best they would cuff a pencil and be broken at childs strength..)

Maybe I'm incredibly nieve with this situation..?

 

[Logan^]

I have never had a problem, coming through SIN, BKK , LHR or SYD security. I normally carry them in plain view in my clear plastic bag if they fit.

I normally have them on the flight, normally once I have had something to eat for example.

As for meds, ummm so many people carry different things, I have never had a problem. If you were bringing back like hundreds of Valium from Thailand you might have a problem but yeah never had a problem.

 

[Fantic125]

Most sleeping meds are a pill, so LAG's compliance isn't a problem.The main thing to check is whether it's legal to bring whatever meds you have into the country you're visiting.

 

[Pointy_End]

I've had a former Ansett pilot tell me that drugs are the worst thing to do (ok for kids as Adults are there to fort them out) due to the inability to react should an emergency situation arise. Any others been told this?

Spot on!

I have just quickly read through all 48 posts so far on this thread and, I may be wrong here, but I believe this is the ONLY member who mentions the safety issue of sleeping tablets/sedatives. There was a post on page 1 mentioning if "something does happen at 35,000ft, who cares."

I'm a GP (and medical examiner for Pilots/Air traffic Controllers) and when a patient requests sedatives (or tranquilizers) to assist sleeping on an aircraft I do usually provide a prescription for temazepam (unless there is a contraindication not to prescribe these drugs) with warnings. Before issuing a script I will discuss tips to assist with jet lag etc. I also discuss that it is my preference NOT to take medication before or during flight for safety reasons.

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.

On a side note it is CASA policy that a pilot should not fly or control an aircraft for at least 12 hours following the ingestion of Temazepam. Interestingly they stipulate only 8 hours for Zolpidem (Stilnox). CASA also warns that pilots should not combine sleeping agents with alcohol (due to increased and lasting effects). I realize this thread is about sleeping tabs for us passangers and this info is FYI.

Personal experience? I did use temazepam once some 20 years ago in Y SIN-LHR and found it ineffective for good sleep; kept waking up to the usual nuances of cattle class. But everyone is different with varying idiosyncrasies and will have different experiences. I now find flat-beds win hands down anytime for decent sleep on long haul flights and hope will reduce the jet lag effects of long-haul flight

Hence my moniker!

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Have never taken sleeping medication, although have used some Valerian type herbs at times.

I really don't trust sleeping medications, and am concerned about negative side effects.

+1

After taking Stilnox all those years ago and having "very weird/vivid dreams" and thinking that l was "sleep walking", l'm decided to stay off the sleeping pills for good.

Another point, when l was doing FIFO Mine site work, going onto night shift wasn't to hard. Coming off it was! A lot of the time it would take me a week to get my body clock back to normal, much the same as jet-lag.

 

[serfty]

Absolutely we are not all the same.

It must only exist in certain people at which point is it really jet lag or the failure to be able to adapt or adjust to new sleeping patterns? I guess in a way the same can be said for workers that alternate between morning, afternoon and night shift. Some can handle it some cannot. I can sleep sitting upright in a seat (yes lucky and no need to waste money on a pretend bed) so perhaps that helps. But I have anxiety/panic attacks so that is a drawback.

I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but sometimes one really needs to question the results of studies. I still maintain that there is no such thing as jetlag and you would be surprised what adrenalin can achieve. I am full of adrenalin which is why I refuse to have a needle when going to the dentist.

And I did work in Asia for a number of years and I was never tired on the way over but always tired on the way back. Travel in those days was exciting and I could not get enough. As soon as I am about to come home realisation strikes and adrenalin is gone and I feel the effects of tiredness. I refuse to call it jetlag. ...

The guts of it is in there, I replay it here:

... It must only exist in certain people at which point is it really jet lag [is] or the failure to [easily] be able to adapt or adjust to new sleeping patterns? ...

i.e. "Jet lag is or the failure to be easily able to adapt or adjust to new sleeping patterns."

Some have this issue, some don't. I know I don't have a problem - ergo I do not get "Jet Lag"; hence it does not exist for me.

For those that do have this issue, they may wish to ascribe it to a syndrome termed "Jet Lag".

 

[oz_mark]

In my case, I have had it go both ways. I have had times where I just adjusted to the new timezone, and i have had other times where the body just couldn't get used to its new timezone. However, I have never taken drugs for it - I have found that for me, I am actually best off staying awake longer rather than trying to sleep earlier.

 

[lilypily]

medications,jet lag,both have different reactions on everyone.As well pointed out already......
Your metabolism,if you are drinking alcohol,if you are on other medications,if you have any health issues.....all can disturb the body when flying through different time zones and or taking sleeping meds.
Even the simplest issue of not being hydrated enough, can unsettle your system and make these matter worse.

 

[serfty]

As far as "West to East" or "East to West" goes the answer is simple and generally applies. Heading easterly in a jet aircraft, the nights are truncated and there's less natural time to sleep, both airborne and at the destination. Traveling Westerly, it's reversed, the nights are lengthened and there is considerably more natural sleep time.

e.g. Currently:

• QF93 departs MEL at 10:10, arriving into LAX at 07:30 after 14:20 elapsed time. During that period the flight traverses 21:20 of a sidereal day* so a PAX's relative time is compressed at a ratio of about 0.7 The sun sets in Melbourne at around 17:30 and rises in Los Angeles at ~06:00. Taking the sidereal compression into account this gives an actual night travel period (sunset to sunrise) of ~8:45.
  .
  
• QF94 departs Los Angeles at 23:20 and arrives into Melbourne 07:55 after 15:35 elapsed. The flight traverses 08:35 of a sidereal day so relative time is expanded at a ratio of 1.8. The sun rises in Melbourne around 07:10. With the sidereal expansion this gives an actual night travel period (departure to sunrise) of ~14:10.

Of course, this whole issue is generally exacerbated by "Jet Streams". That's the main reason why QF94 is scheduled to take 75 minutes longer than QF93 (between the same ports, but in different directions). Anoth issue it the perceived night are truncated even more as those timings realate to sunlight at sea level. Up high at cruising altitude, direct sunlight is apparent for quite some time after sunrise/sunset.

*Sidereal time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (In this context it's the passengers perspecive relative to the Sun and the Earth).

 

[oz_mark]

As far as "West to East" or "East to West" goes the answer is simple and generally applies. Heading easterly in a jet aircraft, the nights are truncated and there's less natural time to sleep, both airborne and at the destination. Traveling Westerly, it's reversed, the nights are lengthened and there is considerably less natuaral sleep time.

For thos of us that have (or at least seem to have) a circadian period >24 hours it means East to West is easier. Staying up later is easier than getting up earlier that the opposite direction requires.

 

[jb747]

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.

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.

 

[NYCguy]

I used to employ benzos on long flights, but I stopped because of the hangover. Taking something as potent as Rohypnol/Hypnodorm; which is now a Schedule 8 drug in the same category as Morphine and Pethidine; is completely OTT, and I really must wonder about whether one should trust a medical practitioner who is dodgy enough to prescribe a drug like that to a patient whose sole complaint is being unable to sleep on long-haul flights!

The possibility of being completely unresponsive or otherwise impaired during an emergency had also crossed my mind. It would be most unwise to seat drugged passengers at exit-rows, but how exactly would the crew know that Mr/Ms Exit Row is off their head on something hypnotic? And if the aircraft depressurised half-way across the Tibetan Plateau, would the crew be able to rouse all passengers and get everyone's mask on in time?

These days I just wait until I'm feeling tired, get my bed made-up, change into something comfy, pop on the eyeshades, and get some sleep even if it's bright outside.

 

[jb747]

And if the aircraft depressurised half-way across the Tibetan Plateau, would the crew be able to rouse all passengers and get everyone's mask on in time?

The thing is that the crew won't be leaving wherever they are until it's safe to do so, and that won't happen until you get down to 14,000 feet. So basically, the passengers have to be able to look after themselves for a while. If they can't, then it may be that nobody else will.

 

[serfty]

... So basically, the passengers have to be able to look after themselves for a while. If they can't, then it may be that nobody else will.

... or, indeed, be able to do anything other than prosecute last rites ...

 

[Bundy Bear]

Everybody loves a sleep in so going from East to West should be easier.

I think it was mentioned before but your first long haul flight in either direction for me is usually the easiest, I can fly from Australia to the USA and I am usually right after the second nights sleep, my last long haul trip East to West was also pretty easy, but coming back took me almost a week to recover, maybe it was the lack of sleep and alcohol consumption while away was a problem. :shock:

The only sleeping aid I have taken was a night time cold and flu tablet even though I wasn't sick; I am always a little worried taking a sleep aid on a flight if something were to go wrong.

The question was: Do you use sleep medication during or after travelling to assist jetlag? does anyone take any sleeping aids before the flight.