Medication timing - crossing Intl Date Line
 

Crossing International Dateline going Westward (lv LA 1030 pm, arrive Sydney 630 am) next week and wondering how to "time" my morning and evening medications during the flight so that I am correct once I get to Australia. These are NOT time-sensitive (like some heart meds and others), but I do need to keep on track and not skip/combine.

I'll take the evening ones in LA at dinner before departure.

Should I just divide the flight time into thirds and take morning dose after first 1/3 of time, evening after second third, then morning when I land in Sydney? (and wonder if the same will work for east-to-west trip 3 weeks later...)

Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance!

I would just take them about 12 hours apart while on the plane and then adjust when you get there.
Your division into 3rds sounds about right.

Rather than pay attention to local time, I would just take them 12 hours apart. Throughout the trip.

How about asking your doctor's advice?

You can take a watch that you keep at 'home' time so you know when you would ordinarily take the medication, and just stick to that. If you want to move the time you take your meds, do it gradually.

Lavandula

Thanks for the tips! My current local time is 14 hours behind Brisbane, and some of these vitamins/supplements keep me awake at night, so should be taken at "local" night. Since these are not prescription meds, I think I'll use MarthaT's idea on the way over to make the transition - it won't quite be 12 hours apart, but close enough.

Non-essential drugs and supplements: You could move the times to local time but skip a dose if would come too close to the previous dose. If the med is not time of day sensitive, just interchange am and pm.

Essential drugs that are also not time of day sensitive can also just interchange am and pm.

Essential drugs that are also time of day sensitive require your doctor's advice. Sometimes tking a half-dose 12 hours after a daily dose will let you reset to a different 24 cycle.

Asking for medical details on a travel site is like asking your doctor's receptionist for hotel recommendations.

Ask your doctor!

My doctor's receptionist is a fabulous source of hotel recs; she is very well travelled!