I know guys use them for the long haul direct flights from the US to Africa but what about a 10 hr run from Europe to SA and back? Both those legs are night flights.

Will it work or will I be punchy when we land?

If you are already on European time / body clock, no. Jet lag is the usual problem addressed by Ambien (to sleep despite your body wanting to be awake.)

They only knock me out for 4-5hrs. Get a small prescription and try them a few times before you use them on a flight.

quote:

Originally posted by mtf:
They only knock me out for 4-5hrs. Get a small prescription and try them a few times before you use them on a flight.

Good idea. Some folks can get a waking amnesia with them and not remember doing things such as finding a half eaten sandwich in the kitchen and having no memory of making or eating it.

I use lunesta on the cross atlantic and cross pacific flights and rather like them as I go to sleep for 6 to 8 hours. I do not take them at any other time. I think anytime I'm on a plane for 8+ hours I'd prefer to be knocked out.

My husband and I use them on every safari. The over the counter sleep aids are horrible and we both feel drugged up if we use them. The Ambien allow about 4 hours of restful sleep and then you are alert with no drug type hangover. However, they do have a disclaimer about the amnesia thing, but we have never experienced any problems. (We wouldn't consider the flight from LAX to Jo'burg or elsewhere without them!)

Regards, D. Nelson

I took Ambien for the 7 flight to Frankfurt from Boston styed awake for the 16 hour lay over in Frankfurt. I then took ambien again for the 10 hour flight to namibia. No jet lag no side affects. I won't take a long flight again without it.

My wife takes Ambien (10 mg) regularly and usually doesn't have any side effects, but occasionally has experienced the "loss of memory" phenomenom--that is, she's forgotten the next morning some of what she ate the night before--snacks eaten after taking the medication.

I take Lunesta (3 mg) periodically and have not had any side effects, other than sometimes feeling sluggish the next day--especially if I haven't slept a full 8 hours--and a metallic aftertaste.

Both are good for about 8 hours of sleep; beyond that, I'd ask a doctor for a recommendation.

I always use Ambien on flights to Africa, but like others have said it only gives me about 4-5 hours of sleep. Sure wish it would last for 8.

My experience with Ambien is likewise, it will get you maybe 3-4 hours on a flight (I suspect its because I'm so keyed up that I can't sleep.) It is supposed to knock you down and then you sleep on your own, which would probably work fine in a quiet spot, but not on a airliner.

They now have Ambien CR which should last longer.

As an aside, you will get a fair amount of refusals if you go in to a doc you don't know for the first time and say you want sleeping pills and or some narcotics for a trip... these are HEAVILY abused. If you don't use the stuff regularly and the doc has seen you a few times, he will likely be more comfortable giving you this stuff for a trip.

Thedre are ways to get around the "doctor reluctance" issue when trying to get sleeping medication--nothing illegal; just an alternative.

The first time I went to Africa I wanted a dose of oral antibiotics, as I was taking 2 teenage boys and wanted to be ready, just in case. BTW, this idea was offered by folks with considerable safari experience.

Anyway, my (female) doctor balked at the idea of prescribing antibiotics without a real, immediate need.

So, I explained the situation to my dentist, a hunter himself, and he wrote the prescription.

As it turned out, one of my sons came down with a bad cold and extremely sore throat, sio I did use the meds--he might not have really needed it, but it didn't hurt him, and saved a trip to a doctor while overseas.

Please understand I am not advocating obtaining drugs illegally, self-medicating or diagnosing, or otherwise taking health chances.

But sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

quote:

Originally posted by BNagel:
If you are already on European time / body clock, no. Jet lag is the usual problem addressed by Ambien (to sleep despite your body wanting to be awake.)

Um, no. Jet lag is not the reason Ambien is prescribed. It is a sedative, closely related to the benzodiazepines. It makes you drowsy so you sleep. Jet lag is a whole 'nother can of worms, involving Circadian rhythm disorders.
Some folks only get 3 or 4 hours of sleep with Ambien,because the drug has a very short half life. The CR version is a controlled release, so you can get more sleep with that. The advantage to the short half life is the drug is mostly gone the next morning, so you minimize the groggy feeling.

quote:

Originally posted by 458WM:
Thedre are ways to get around the "doctor reluctance" issue when trying to get sleeping medication--nothing illegal; just an alternative.

The first time I went to Africa I wanted a dose of oral antibiotics, as I was taking 2 teenage boys and wanted to be ready, just in case. BTW, this idea was offered by folks with considerable safari experience.

Anyway, my (female) doctor balked at the idea of prescribing antibiotics without a real, immediate need.

So, I explained the situation to my dentist, a hunter himself, and he wrote the prescription.

As it turned out, one of my sons came down with a bad cold and extremely sore throat, sio I did use the meds--he might not have really needed it, but it didn't hurt him, and saved a trip to a doctor while overseas.

Please understand I am not advocating obtaining drugs illegally, self-medicating or diagnosing, or otherwise taking health chances.

But sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

No offense, but it is stories like yours that make physicians reluctant to give an antibiotic to be used 'just in case'.

If your son had a 'cold', he didn't need antibiotics. They don't do anything for viral infections except put you at risk for antibiotic associated diarrhea. Just because everything turned out okay doesn't mean you did everything right.

Your dentist is taking a big risk, at least theoretically, by practicing waaaay outside the scope of dentistry.

That said, self medication with prescription drugs is reasonable for certain conditions.

Every international traveler is at risk for travelers diarrhea. Most, if not all, travel clinics will happily prescribe appropriate antibiotics and instructions on how and when to take them.

Self treatment for acute malaria is another, but outside this discussion.

I figured I'd catch some shit over this.

My son had what appeared to be a cold along with a SEVERE sore throat which could have been strep; giving him antibiotics was in my view a worthwhile preventative action.

Sorry if I offend any of our friends in African countries, but I really didn't want to have to visit a "local" clinic in a small town.

Besides, I talked at length with medical professionals before leaving the U.S. and was pretty clear on what I should and shouldn't do.

I always carry a fairly comprehensive medical kit with me when I travel overseas. Ironically, on a later safari to Zimbabwe, again with one of my sons, we were in camp with 3 doctors from New Jersey. The landowner needed medical attention but none of the NJ docs had bothered to bring along any supplies, so I pulled out my bag of stuff--including a supply of antibiotics--and they were able to perform a minor surgical procedure.

If I learned nothing else in my 20 years in the Army, it was that it's alwways better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

quote:

Originally posted by 458WM:
I figured I'd catch some shit over this.

Didn't mean to be such an ass, but I see the vast majority of my patients self treating with who knows what inappropriately 99% of the time.

Many of the local nurse practitioners aren't much better, scary to say.

quote:

Originally posted by 458WM:
none of the NJ docs had bothered to bring along any supplies,

I have found myself overseas in similar situations. The naivety of some folks who really should know better when traveling in a third world country never ceases to amaze me.

quote:

Originally posted by Labman:
I always use Ambien on flights to Africa, but like others have said it only gives me about 4-5 hours of sleep. Sure wish it would last for 8.

AFTER CONSULTING WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN, you might consider using Restoril (generic name tamazepam) which has a substantially longer half life than Ambien (2.5 hrs) and AmbienCR (2.8 hours). The half life of Restoril in use varies considerably from individual to individual but averages 9 hours. Personally I find it to be about perfect for longer (10 hours or more) flights. It will usually produce about 4 to 6 hours of sleep IN ME, YMMV. Be aware that it, like most sleep inducers can be addictive, and I would certainly not recommend it for normal home use. OTOH, you should try it before flying it, so to speak. I find my tolerance is quite high and I can function, BARELY, even under maximum blood levels. YMMV and it may vary significantly. I found out when we were flying back from Buenos Aires and Aero Argentina decided they would stop in Sao Paulo (with no announcement to passengers) to pick up more passengers. We had to deplane for an hour or so. Nothing like wandering around the Sao Paulo airport under heavy influence in the middle of the night.......

I personally use melatonin, which is a hormone related to the sleep-wake cycle. If nothing else, it helps with the quality of sleep. It has served me well one the flights.

I think lunesta works on the sleep-wake cycle as well instead of just knocking you out like ambien and restoril (a benzodiazapine) do.

My experiences kind of mirror Duckears, but as a general surgeon I don't really have to listen to the Moms demanding antibiotics when Jr. has a cold.

For the loonnng flights, Seraquel puts me out just about perfectly from IAD to JNB.

And, being severely penicillin-allergic, I ALWAYS carry my own antibiotics to Africa. Give me all the shit you want over it; I don't care.