Does anyone use sleeping aids to help lessen the inevitable jetlag? Just curious.

Yeah. Never had a jetleg so stubborn that a few wee drams of Highland Park couldn't alleviate.

I swear buy Ambien, take 1 after take off and you'll sleep till you land,and with no lag, you'll be good to go.
Best of luck
Fluffy

Also the key from going to the US to Europe is when you land in the am, you have to stay up as long as possible and try to get to bed around 8 or 9pm. If you go to sleep when you arrive, it throws you completely off balance.

Another vote for Ambien. It comes in both 5mg and 10mg tablets. Try it at home before you fly to see if it has a big effect on you or none at all, and adjust the dosage accordingly. Great stuff!

Where do you get Ambien?

Ambien (Zolpidem) is a sedative/hypnotic produced under patent protection by Sanofi Pharmaceuticals.

It is available by prescription only and is classified as a Category IV (definite potential for abuse) by the FDA.

Cheers,

Ron

Dietdoctor: you must not be a doctor if you don't know about Ambien.

I too take Ambien on long night flights. I also use it the first few days in the new time zone to get my system back on schedule. Though it is true it could be habit forming, it is rarely abused and one does not develop tolerance. Discuss it with your doctor.

PS Remy: what is Highland Park - other than the town I live in?

I never bother with the prescription medications to help me sleep. Usually I get a free one (flying business class) called Dewars!!!! One or two or maybe three of those and I'm out like a light for the flight over.

I also usually go business class and a few glasses of red wine will help me "sleep"... not out like a light like some folks do though. I may take a Tylenol or Excedrin PM, but never any other sleep drug.
When I get to Europe, I try to stay up until about 9pm that first day. That helps me get used to the new time zone a little easier.
It also helps if you can get a red-eye flight like the 10pm Chicago to Frankfurt. You arrive later in the day in Europe, and typically would have slept a good portion of the trip because you leave home so late. That helps too.
Carol

Hi--I take an ambien the moment we get on an evening flight--have a lite dinner and I'm gone folks--4 hours or so of sleep is great--we then go until about 10 the day we arrive and usually get a good night's sleep. Works like a charm!

Make sure if you use Ambien you give it a trial run. I use 1/2 of a 5mg tablet and that's plenty to get me to sleep without feeling groggy when I awake. FYI, you can buy Ambien over the Internet but it's rather pricey (30 tablets for $127). Better deal to go see your GP and he can give you prescription for a small supply.

For this post my screen name is "Paranoid"

Why would anyone want to be drugged or near drunk on a flight overseas? IF something happens I want my wits about me. As far as jet lag, the best advice given (in my opinion) so far is to force yourself to stay away the first day, no naps and no giant caffein intake, until 10:00pm or so. Then stay in bed - even if it means just reading - until 6:30 or 7:00am. Resist the urge at 7:00am if you feel drowsy to go back to sleep.

awake . . . not "away"

They're playing Gigli on the flights now so you won't have a problem.

jor....cutting but fair!

Snoopy, pray tell if "anything happens" on the flight over the Atlantic, what do you hope to accomplish if you do have your wits about you?

And for the record: one, two, or even three Dewars won't really make me "drunk", especially not with all that food they serve. But they sure will relax me so that I can sleep.

One of Ambien's best features is that it typically does not produce any groggy feeling upon awakening. I feel much more doped up and have more trouble waking up if I take one Tylenol PM than 5mg Ambien. I have also found that with Ambien I can wake up at any time, even 2 hours after I've taken it, and be alert.

A few drinks may or may not help me sleep. I find alcohol unreliable in that way.

Again, cannot stress it enough, try Ambien or any sleep assisting or relaxing drug at home before you fly. You may need to adjust the dosage. Sensitivity is not size-related -- my husband, despite outweighing me by 50 lbs, needs far less Ambien than I do for the same effect.

I fly overseas once a week and I am working the flight. My tip for jetlag-take a shower and then ONLY a 3 hour nap when you arrive.(After 3 hours it seems to get you into the deep sleep that makes you feel even worst than death when you get up).Then get up,get out in the fresh air-perhaps have a cafe au lait and then hit the pavement(whether its shopping,sighseeing or having a great dinner later on in the evening).I used to die when I was traveling to Europe for vacations as I could never figure out whether I should stay up or sleep away the first day.With the above, I have finally gotten onto something that gives me the best of both worlds. That little 3 hour nap really takes the edge off so you are not "zoning" off in your dinner.Some of my traveling partners have tried the Ambien route and have reported that you should take the smallest amount as you seem to need at least 8-10 hours of sleep to get the stuff out of your system. Alot of them have said that they won't use it anymore as it has produced some strange symptoms the next day.I agree about having your wits about you when you travel (particularly) on overseas travel!

dutyfree, your friends' experience with Ambien illustrate again why these drugs need to be tried out at home first. I have never had any of the problems you mention, especially feeling that it takes so long to get it out of your system.