Sleeping pills?

[CT Dick]

In early July I'm flying to Rio (pant, pant). It is a 10-hour overnight flight that only crosses one time zone line.

 

I'd love to sleep but I don't want to be groggy when I arrive (customs, taxi, hotel on drugs doesn't sound good).

 

Soooo, any suggestions on a prescrip/pill that will help me sleep but wear off in about 8 hours?

 

Obrigado,

Dick

[Guest JON1265]

I have always found that a couple of TYLENOL PM's work great...I take one or two a night to help me sleep...

 

Just my two cents.

[Guest Thunderbuns]

>Soooo, any suggestions on a prescrip/pill that will help me

>sleep but wear off in about 8 hours?

 

Get a prescription for ATIVAN - very cheap - and ask for the type you let disolve under your tongue. That should give you just what you need. I tablet is all you need.

 

Thunderbuns

[Guest Ant415]

I always preferred half a bottle of Belvedere vodka on the shuttle van ride to JFK, and two Vicadan when onboard the aircraft.

[Guest NakedTony]

I don't usually take prescription drugs and prefer more natural sleep aids. The best I've found is Melatonin. Several companies make it but my latest bottle is the Natrol brand which I picked up at a local discount store.

 

I've used the 3 mg and 1 mg tablets before. Believe it or not, I get the best results from the 1 mg pills. I'd also suggest that you use it for a few days before so your body can adjust and get used to it.

[Guest pshaw]

For very long flights, like the one to Tokyo, I take a Xanax. It's a tranquilizer, not a sleeping pill, but it helps me relax enough to catch a few winks (and get over the claustrophobia of a 12+ hour flight). Also essential (for me) are a sleep mask and Noisebuster headphones.

 

For the non-prescription route, you can take advantage of a free drink or two on the international flights. Most non-prescription sleep aids have antihistamines in them and they dehydrate me more than a couple of drinks as well as leave me kind of loggy.

[+ nycman]

Benadryl 50mg

 

Does the trick every time.

[N.N.]

Ambien. Prescription (schedule IV).

More expensive than some alternatives, but worth every

penny to me because it clears out of one's system quickly.

[SFViking]

What works for me is Restoril. I actually use it the entire time I'm more than two time zones away from home. At home it works only one or two nights in a row, but traveling it allows me to sleep despite the erratic schedule I might keep.

[BobbyB]

Most of the products your gotten replies about will do the trick, but my favorite is 5HTP, and can be found in any health food store. 5HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) is basically the same thing as L'Triptophan, that naturally-ocurring amino acid found in turkey meat that makes everyone so drowsy after Thanksgiving dinner. It comes in 50 & 100 milligram doses. If you get the 50m dose take two. It's very effective and leaves no hang over whatsoever. Nitey-nite!

[Guest alanm]

I have tried nearly all of the above suggestions and still can not sleep on long plane trips. The truth is you really can do just fine

for popular gay destination like Rio and Sydney (even from the east coast) without any sleep. Rio is particularly easy because there is

little time change. The New York-Rio flight is non stop and I catch a few hours sleep once I get to the hotel in Rio and do fine. (Same with

Sydney, except for the change of planes in LA). On the other hand, it takes me about a week to recover from the jet lag on the return flights from Australia.

[Guest]

Ambien is a good suggestion. Another would be Chloral Hydrate mixed with alcohol. All three would work quite well. Ativan is an anxiolitic (helps you relax), but not a hypnotic (helps you sleep). Restoril is the slowest-onset hypnotic approved by the FDA--it takes about 45 mins--and works better for those whose main problem is waking up early. Sonata and Halcion are ultra short-acting. Halcion can also be taken sub-lingually (under the tongue) which provides the fastest action of all hypnotics. A disadvantage is that people who take Halcion with alcohol may get anterograde amnesia (i.e. you find yourself in your hotel room wondering how you got there, let alone cleared customs). This is seen more often with those over 50.