Sleep Medication for longhaul flights

[Brettmcg]

Hi all,

Just wondering if you have a preferred sleeping potion for longhaul flights? Usually I just purchase Restavit (Doxylamine succinate) over the counter, but have found it to be only of mild potency. Returning to Europe in about 2 weeks time and was thinking of going to the doc's to ask for some stronger prescription stuff. Any suggestions for alternatives or what I should be asking for?

Cheers!

 

[notzac]

Stilnox. Wonderful stuff.

 

[Walter Plinge]

Hi all,

Just wondering if you have a preferred sleeping potion for longhaul flights? Usually I just purchase Restavit (Doxylamine succinate) over the counter, but have found it to be only of mild potency. Returning to Europe in about 2 weeks time and was thinking of going to the doc's to ask for some stronger prescription stuff. Any suggestions for alternatives or what I should be asking for?

Cheers!

Sedating antihistamines can be effective but they can also leave you groggy for a while after the main effect has worn off.

For my last long-haul flight I asked my GP for sleeping tablets. Without hesitation he wrote a scrip for Normison (plus a customs declaration). I found these effective. And at $4.50 for 20 tablets (which was an ample supply), dirt cheap. I'll get another prescription for my overseas holiday next year.

I didn't make a GP visit just for that -- I brought it up at the end of my annual check-up.

 

[Nutcase]

Stilnox. Wonderful stuff.

You might want to read this in relation to Stilnox - Google has more.

Stilnox side-effects 'worse in Australia' - National - smh.com.au

From a personal perspective, whilst on this drug I have;

• Sleep walked
• Removed Xmas decorations from a friends wall
• Moved a television set
• Thrown a clock radio across a room

A friend who is cabin crew crashed his car on the way to work, flew interstate and then to Auckland and has no memory of it.

Another friend also crashed a car.

Perhaps another potion would be a better option.

 

[NM]

You might want to read this in relation to Stilnox - Google has more.

From my research I have discovered it only becomes a problem when used consistently for extended periods. Using occasionally either on-board a flight or to help regulate sleep patterns when jet-lagged does not seem to be a problem.

 

[Will]

Ok. Depends what you are after.
I agree with Mr Plinge that sedating antihistamines can be effective, but they are very dirty drugs ie we have no idea how they work and they have lots of unintended effects. The primary use of these drugs used to be as anti-psychotics, and indeed promethazine (Phenergan in Australia) is still an effective anti-psychotic albeit rarely used. The reason I bring this up is because the assorted sedating antihistamines, such as doxylamine (although this does has weaker effects), promethazine, chlorpheniramine, and have varied effects and can certainly cloud the mind for extended periods.

The other class of drugs that is useful is the benzodiazepines, including normison (temazepam) and valium (diazepam). They have varying speed of onset and duration of effect. Temazepam is very suitable for medium- to long-haul flights, as it has onset of activity within 30 min or so and has a half-life of around 6-12 hours.

I would recommend asking for temazepam, and cutting out the minimum number of tablets possible to take with you (ie not the whole box). A doctor's note may not help you in, for example, Singapore. Benzodiazepines are relatively commonly used drugs of dependence.

 

[dede]

i love it!

 

[ejb]

Hi all,

I take Temaze when needed for long haul sleeping, I find no after effects. Other than that I take Imovane which is good as it works slowly and helps you sleep but does not keep you asleep long which is good as I find more than 4 hours can get uncomfortable.

However please do not take this information as gospel as what works for me may not work for others.

BTW I have used Stilnox and never has a problem.

ejb

 

[drron]

No matter what i did i could not sleep on planes.I then retired and now it is no problem-certainly the safest solution.
Another warning on Stilnox-some people have a paradoxical response.happened to a family member who took just a quarter of a tablet after a JFK-NRT flight to make sure of a good sleep,instead she sparked up,giggled but then found she had little muscular control and would fall over laughing uncontrollably-we all tried to stay up to make sure she was OK but unfortunately we all eventually fell asleep.She couldnt be found for a while in the morning which was a worry until we found her asleep in a wardrobe.
So if you did this on a flight it might be a tad disconcerting.

 

[2muchplastic]

Reading all this has made me realise how lucky I am to not have trouble sleeping when I'm tired.
I know it's not necessarily relevant, but my tried and trusted method is a cup of chamomile tea (It may sound like something your old aunt may do, but I don't care ), and avoiding all alcohol and caffeine.
I prefer not to take anything of a pharmaceutical nature unless I have to.

 

[notzac]

From my research I have discovered it only becomes a problem when used consistently for extended periods. Using occasionally either on-board a flight or to help regulate sleep patterns when jet-lagged does not seem to be a problem.

Precisely. My doctor prescribed it on the condition that I only take them if absolutely necessary and never for extended periods. They work wonders, but there's definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing.

 

[NM]

Precisely. My doctor prescribed it on the condition that I only take them if absolutely necessary and never for extended periods. They work wonders, but there's definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing.

My prescription for a pack of 20 has lasted me 2 years and still have some left, so I don't consider myself a regular user

 

[Sprucegoose]

You might want to read this in relation to Stilnox - Google has more.

Stilnox side-effects 'worse in Australia' - National - smh.com.au

From a personal perspective, whilst on this drug I have;

• Sleep walked
• Removed Xmas decorations from a friends wall
• Moved a television set
• Thrown a clock radio across a room

A friend who is cabin crew crashed his car on the way to work, flew interstate and then to Auckland and has no memory of it.

Another friend also crashed a car.

Perhaps another potion would be a better option.

How many tablets and in what strength did you take?

Do you do / have done those things when you are not medicated?

Were you drinking at the time?

My doctor explained that these things may happen if you have an underlying mental state.

SPRUCE:shock:

 

[Nutcase]

How many tablets and in what strength did you take?

Do you do / have done those things when you are not medicated?

Were you drinking at the time?

My doctor explained that these things may happen if you have an underlying mental state.

SPRUCE:shock:

How many Tabs? 1 per night - Basic dose

Do I do these things unmedicated - No - Only with Stillnox

Was I drinking? - I don't drink

Underlying mental state - Not that Im aware of.

Have a look at Google - In the US Stillnox is called Ambien. It was marketed as a non addictive sleeping pill, however there are many many stories of people doing odd things on these drugs.

Your experience my vary - just like any other drug. My experience was strange and my new GP refused to prescribe these for me when I asked for a repeat. He gave me a sample pack of 5 with 10 days to quit. Tough love!

 

[straitman]

At our local clinic my doctor will prescribe Stillnox to me but my wife's doctor will not prescribe them at all.

I don't react to them in any abnormal sense and like NM it takes about 2 years to go through a packet of 20 tablets and personally I find them better than Temazepam. In the past I have tried Restavit but it really knocks me and I have trouble waking up afterwards.

My wife's doctor will not prescribe them bases upon the possibility of issues occurring as they seem to do with Nutcase.

This all goes to show how individual the outcome is. :shock:

 

[Nutcase]

I really need to change my name from Nutcase to something more relevant - something that has a bit more credibility.

 

[NM]

I really need to change my name from Nutcase to something more relevant - something that has a bit more credibility.

Especially when you are denying any underlying mental conditions

 

[NYCguy]

My tips for long-hauls?

1. NO alcohol, in the lounge or on the aircraft. None at all. Under any circumstances. Alcohol is the enemy of sleep. It takes some discipline when the crew are offering Krug or a delightful Bordeaux, but one must be disciplined about these things.
2. A white-noise track on repeat on my iPod. It's soothing and relaxing.
3. Adjust my activity to the local time at the destination as soon as the aircraft leaves the ground. No 8-course dinners at 0200 local time!

I haven't used sleeping pills for more than 2 years now.

I have previously noticed that pax who use Stilnox/Ambien lay very, very still for a long time - it's unnatural, and more than a little creepy.

 

[notzac]

My prescription for a pack of 20 has lasted me 2 years and still have some left, so I don't consider myself a regular user

Funny you mention it .. I couldn't remember whether the Stilnox I had was still in date, so I went looking - I've still got a few left from my last prescription in 2007 as well!

 

[Moody]

Longhaul for me usually means economy SYD to LHR and beyond - sometimes 30+ hours - so I too have found a system that works for me.

1. Booze it up in the lounge and plane - it's free and you get an extra kick-along at cruising altitude. You should however go 1-for-1 with water unless you really hate your liver.
2. On the 1st leg to Asia watch all those movies you wouldn't pay a buck for at the local video store. Probably the visual equivalent of white noise.
3. Adjust your behaviour to the destination time zone as soon as you clear Customs. This of course means champagne in the QC at breakfast time.

But drugs - they are for sad losers!