Please share your Ambien experiences
 

Anyone have any real "down side" effects to taking an Ambien before their International flight? I want to be able to "function" when reaching Shannon. Feeling hung over has no appeal at all...How about it?

Be sure you try Ambien well in advance of your trip. It doesn't work for me at all, and may not work for you. I use prescription Lorazepam or Xanax. My DH likes Melatonin.

I've only tried it once on an International flight, and by then I was so stressed from inadvertently cancelled tix, Alitalia strikes, etc. that I fought it off. I had heard good things about it, but was too strung up to let it work, I guess. Not the info you wanted, but it is possible that it won't work. I second the "try-it-before-you-need-it" idea. Perhaps your Dr. can give you a sample...

I tried Ambien for a long flight back to Europe from Chicago. Instead of helping me sleep, it had the opposite effect--I felt more jittery and awake than I had on the trip over. I have had similar reactions to OTC sleep aids.
Agree with moondoggie and AHaugeto and suggest you try Ambien before you take your trip to see how you react.

I'd like to tell you, but can't remember a blessed thing about the flight.

Seriously, try it once or twice before your flying to see how it effects you.

Hello, I work night shift (12 hours) 11p to 11a and so am on a wierd clock anyway. I use Ambien when I travel for the trip over, 1st night there and 1st night back. I get 10mg. and take only 1/2 tab, less expensive, Rx lasts longer. The trick to ambien really working well is not to take it on a full stomach. If I eat just before or just after, forget it. I have finally figured out the perfect timing for a flight. I take it when they serve the 1st round of drinks and pretzels, etc. Take the ambien then (not with alcohol) and skip the snack. It has time to really start working before the meal comes. I am drowsy but awake enough to eat. After I eat, I am really sleepy. I usually sleep until the 5am or so little breakfast is served.

I have no hang over feeling at all. I occasionally use it on my first day back to work when I need to go to sleep at 3 in the afternoon. I sleep til 10pm and awake refreshed.

The only problem I had was on one of the 1st trips I used it, I had a really difficult adjust. Used it several nights in a row. The week after that at home I had some trouble sleeping, lots of dreaming and frequent awakes. I think it was adjusting to not using it. It can be habit forming so do not to use it too much.

It has made a huge difference for me in enjoyment of first days of travel the adjustment when rturning home.

you could try sonata instead. it stays with you for only four hours, and i believe ambien is six. i used it recently for a flight to france, sort of dozed the whole way, and was fine when we arrived.

regardless, definitely try it first.

I've used it twice. I took a half of a either a 5mg or 10mg tablet and slept for 4 solid hours. It was restful and I woke up with no ill effects. I was alert and ready to go.

oh, I ususally took it about an hour into my flight after the excitment of being on our way to Paris wore off slightly. I was alseep with in about a half hour.

Thanks for the good advice. I'll try it here at home first. Sounds like the "empty stomach" method works best.I don't like to eat a big meal much past 6 PM. Most airline food really isn't worth the calories anyway!

The advice to try it at home before hand is very good. It is a fairly potent drug that gets prescribed too easily. I'm a nurse and we have a patient right now in the hospital because he got so confused after taking an Ambien that he got lost, fell down and fractured his arm. And this was not an elderly or sick person to start with. So I just wish everyone who takes meds to help them sleep on trips is very careful. Not that for some people, some of the time, they can't be helpful but in my opinion they are used way too casually. Just be careful.

I love this drug. It is the perfect long-flight med for me, with absolutely no hangover or grogginess. I take 5 mg (took 10 mg the first time and found it knocked me out more than I wanted), although I still had no groggy feeling and could wake up fine upon my arrival.

For me, I think I could take 5mg and stay awake if I had to. If I take it and close my eyes and act like I'm going to sleep, then I do. I find it gives me a very light sleep, and I usually wake, go to the bathroom, return to my seat and doze again several times over 6-8 hours.

I sometimes tell people that it doesn't make you sleep, it makes the hands on your watch go around faster.

However, the same dose knocks my husband out pretty good, and he outweighs me by 50 lbs. So you absolutely need to try this at home and see how YOU respond to it. I know that some amnesia can be a side effect, but I have never had that at all. (I will refrain from the obvious joke.)

I also agree with the recommendation to try it at home. Ambien hs worked very well for me.

I take 10 mg when I board an overnight trans-Atlantic flight, have what passes for a meal, and go to sleep.

I also take it the first night in a European city.

Marilyn~ "I love this drug" LOL !!
I think I have to try some Ambien :)

I use some interesting mix of drugs that my doctor gave me years ago for tension headaches. It has Milltown in it (Mothers little helper) and between that and being exhausted anyway-I usually doze at least, sometimes I am lucky enough to actually sleep for an hour on those overnight flights.
Watch out though, I have never fallen down, but do not drink with any of these meds! Once I drank a sip of the Yankees Bloody Mary and my face was instantly numb and I grinned like an idiot for the rest of the flight~
Was that more than you wanted to know?

I took 5 mg of Ambien last flight and dozed some but not enough. Next trip I am going to try 10 mg. I weigh about 105 so maybe weight doesn't have much to do with effects.

I can not sleep on planes ever. I've used ambien on 3 trips. @ I slept really well, and the other I was mostly awake. The problem is that I wait to take it until after the meal is served which is usually a little too late into the flight. I think I am okay when I am awakened for the breakfast; however, my husband thinks I am a little spacy for the first half hour or so.

That's OK julies, my husband thinks I am a little spacey the first half hour or so too, and I don't take drugs :)

Personally - I think ambien is the best. I travel to Europe about every other month and before I take off I take one, sleep on the plane and wake up refreshed. I also take one the first night in Europe and therefore I rarely get jet lag. I do suggest trying it before hand - sometimes 1/2 is enough.

Have you just tried a glass of red wine? I was really stressed about the "jet lag" factor but found that it really wasn't an issue if I could sleep on my way to Europe.
I drank 1 or 2 glasses of red wine on the plane with dinner along with alot of water. At the hotel.. had a bottle in my room and had a glass at night.. along with a book. I didn't need any drugs and really didn't have any noticable jet lag.
Hope that this works for you....no side effects!

FYI: The usual adult dose is 10 mg. For the elderly or debilitated the recommended dose is 5 mg. ( Of course, if 5 mg. is enough to work for you, then great! )

For me, Ambien has been a great help!
Before, I couldn't sleep at all on the plane, and would end up getting "restless legs" and being miserable.

Now I take10 mg. of Ambien right after takeoff, and sleep like a baby! It doesn't MAKE me sleep, it ALLOWS me to sleep.

I take one the first night in Europe, and also the first night home, and it helps ease the transition.

For me, it's like adding one extra day to my vacation, because I can actually enjoy the first day there.

funinNY, The only reason I don't take it until the plane takes off is that I had a friend who took a sleeping pill right when she got on the plane (Not Ambien-- something stronger) and then there was a problem with the plane and they all had to get off.

She was so out of it that they had to hoist her into a wheelchair like a sack of potatoes and wheel her off, with her head lolling to the side and drooling! Not a pretty picture! Later, of course, she was mortified, and all her friends have teased her about it for years!!

(Honestly, Ambien wouldn't do that to you, but that made me want to make sure the plane takes off before I take mine!)

Although I agree that trying ambien at home is a good idea, that does not guarantee that it will work for you on the flight. I had no problems when I tried it a couple of times before a trip, but I have never had much luck with it on a flight. My son (grown)and I have finally given up and just plan to watch movies and then suffer through staying awake the first day. We don't enjoy watching and hearing my husband and daughter (also grown) sleep and snore as we while away the hours, but that's the way it seems to be with both of us. I have tried several sleep aids, and I guess I just have to stay awake in case the pilot needs me. PJK

I take a 10mg Ambien just before the first meal service of the flight. After I eat, I usually get 6 hours of restful sleep. I don't feel groggy or hung over afterward.

I also take one/night the first 2-3 nights of the trip to help adjust to the timechange. I've usually had a few (or more) drinks prior, and get a solid 8 hours of sleep. I wake up ready for a full day of exploring.

My only negative experience with Ambien was when I took a half tablet on a return trip to the US. Hoping for a 3-4 hour nap, I felt restless and frustrated, and wasn't relieved until the effect wore off.

I experimented with the Ambien my doctor gave me and found that I needed only half a tablet for it to work. Unfortunately, it didn't work on the airplane! I can't fall asleep in itty-bitty airplane seats no matter what the drug.

However, all was not lost because once we arrived in Europe, I had trouble falling asleep--the nighttime sounds weren't ones I was used to, and I was so overtired, as well (isn't that a funny paradox, to be too tired to sleep?). The Ambien was a life saver in ensuring a good eight hours' sleep every night. Probably saved my vacation for me!

Made me edgy and irritable and I hadn't had sense enough to try it out before getting on the plane.

Good advise to try it first. Have to assume that you're driving right away - the way almost everyone departs Shannon. So it's a good idea to know how ready you'll feel.

This thread is amazing. I did not know that so many took drugs to travel.
Ambien rather than ambiance.

coccinelle, I don't take drugs to travel. I take a mild, sleep-enhancing drug when I have a night flight of 8 hours or more. I don't want to spend my first day in another country sleeping, and I'm too damn old to miss a full night's sleep and not feel the effects upon arrival.

sealady, for those of us who are used to sharing a bottle of wine with dinner, a glass of red won't really induce sleepiness. A few glasses of red combined with the dehydrating effects of air travel will give me a nasty headache by morning, which Ambien does not do.

Marcy - OMG! My doctor must think I'm elderly and debilitated! He gave me the 5mg but since it didn't work I guess that means I'm not e & d.

I've noticed most people aren't mentioning what strength of Ambien they are taking.

I tried it out at home befoe a flight, as I can NEVER sleep on a plane. Within 5 -10 minutes I was fast asleep and it happened so fast, my husband had to take my glasses off. I felt slightly "off" upon waking, but not really groggy. However, I must have had some sort of rebound effect, as the following night I was awake the entire night! So, I chose not to take Ambien while flying.

Susan

My single experience was good and bad, and looking back sort of funny. I planned to follow the "don't take with alcohol" advice, but when the free drinks came along, we couldn't resist toasting our trip. Soon there after, we had dinner, a couple glasses of wine and then swallowed 10 mgs.

Now I'm a pretty experienced imbiber, and have mixed other "do not mix" sort of things many times with no bad effects, but let me tell you that the Ambian and alcohol knocked me on my ***. Of course, this was the one time that there were no airsickness bags in sight. And boy did I need a few.

The good was that the flight went dreamily by, and our sprint through the total chaos that is CDG to make our 1.5 hour connection woke me right up with no ill effects.

I'll try it again, but won't drink. Getting any sleep in one of those seats is worth the risk to me.

Kybourbon,
I'm glad to hear you still have a few good years left!;;)
Your Dr. probably gave you the 5mg. because you're so little. Of course, you can always just take two.

Valium is not a sleep aid per se but is calming and I find it most helpful for long flights. I'm of the 'have never slept on a plane' group. My doctor said some people can't sleep sitting up (which I found interesting). Valium and moderate alcohol (though obviously never recommended) is a pleasant combination.

For Marilyn~ i love that... makes the hands on your watch go around faster, so true!

For Sealady~ for people who drink wine all the time (as I do) a single glass here and there is not going to do a thing for me (and red gives me a super headache).

For Coccinelle~ nobody's forcing you. Although personally I have always though Valium piped in thru the air system of the plane would make for a much more pleasant flight for all concerned!

"It doesn't MAKE me sleep, it ALLOWS me to sleep"

That's a good description. Ambien is not a sedative, it's an hypnotic and helps you fall asleep. It usually gets me to sleep in about 20 minutes. I love it!

I asked my doctor for a small prescription, just 5, as it IS expensive. I save one for the plane, 2 for the 1st 2 nights in a different country to help get the internal clock rewired & then 2 more once I've returned from my trip.

But it doesn't work well for everyone, like some have pointed out. For some it's a godsend & others a curse. In the literature it's recommended you take only if you plan to get at least 5 hours of sleep. It doesn't work well for naps.

My goodness, I had no idea my question would provoke such a large response! Thanks again, for sharing your experiences. Yes, the drug is expensive. I went to have it filled at the pharmacy and the cost was going to be $55 for 20 (10mg) pills, and that's with insurance.
I'm wondering if my son's pain medication (for wisdom teeth extraction) would "relax" me enough to get several hours sleep. Like most of you, I don't "do drugs" regularly, but I do have a horrible time trying to sleep on an international flight.

Whoa, mkdiebold! What exactly IS your "son's pain medication?" Most likely Vicodan (which has codeine in it). That will almost surely knock you out a lot more than Ambien. These are not over-the-counter drugs for a reason, so be careful.

Beatchick, a hypnotic?? Picture the flight attendants, walking up and down the aisles, saying in soft voices, Your eyes are getting heavy, you are getting sleepy~

The fear of being sick overpowers any worries I have that I will not sleep so the idea of taking a sleep aid and drinking is out of the question for me! I hate to think of what would happen if someone were to need a doctor for a drug overdose, in the air over the sea. A nights loss of sleep is preferable.

I usually watch the movie if it's a good one. I'm usually too excited to sleep but eventually will doze off, wake up groggy and recover as soon as we touch ground. I don't take any medications, but that's my opinion that anything is bad unless you have a serious problems. Now if grass were ok...! :)

Pain medications are *very* different from what is used for insomnia. Be careful in self prescribing. Not so much you'd hurt yourself, but (for instance) codine does not knock everyone out, some people have the opposite reaction (you might have no pain but will be wide awake!). Pay the $55 & get what the doctor recommended. If you decide not to use it, fine. Cheap insurance for a restful trip IMO.

Ja, ja, Scarlett, it's classified as a hypnotic rather than a narcotic (such as those pain pills). You're funny! ;) I see them with those whirligig things that go 'round & 'round till you fall asleep - ar ar.

And I definitely wouldn't recommend drinking with an hypnotic. If Ambien works for you, you don't need the alcohol anyway and if it doesn't then you shouldn't be taking it in the first place.

So, Ambien is a hypnotic because it has no opiates. That's why it doesn't give you that drugged up or hungover feeling the next morning (that and the half-life of the drug is shorter - I looked this up in my PDR just to be sure).

The PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) also notes not to take the drug on less than a 7-hr overnight flight so that you CAN get sufficient sleep. Otherwise it cautions against "traveler's amnesia". I we don't want that! We spend too much money to forget those memories - ar ar!!

It also cautions that the drug takes effect VERY QUICKLY. And it does. It usually puts me to sleep after about 20 minutes.

Soooo, mkdiebold, I hope that helps! Here's wishing you a pleasant flight & a great trip!!

I didn't really sleep well on the plane, but it helped me sleep nights for the rest of the trip. I drink coffee in the a.m. anyway, but I don't think I had lingering side effects, not like with Halcyon, which made me crazy!

I also had some Ativan, and a half of one of those helps me sleep, too. Plus, I drink wine at bedtime.

Ambien does not work for anymore...took it for a while when going through the "change", and after a while I became immune to it. The only thing I can use is Xanax, BUT it does not help me sleep per se, just relax.