Originally Posted by
badoc
Oz or UK?
Either way - good luck. I don't remember getting asked about sedation at altitude but exams are a while ago now so things may have changed
Anyway, all the arguments aside -
WillR and I (mostly me because I am older and greyer) win this discussion, whatever you all say, as we are both masters of hypnotics in a variety of pills, potions, lotions and gases.
My advice is try whatever you want (at home first), but only if you need to. Don't get too lashed on booze, don't take anything
before you get on the plane (or maybe even take off) and don't buy anything over the internet.
Australia - Written 6 hours + Vivas 30 minutes. There's heaps on sedation (obviously
), and a section on altitude physiology, but no questions (so far) on the two combined
I think most of the advice here is reasonable.
1. You can try herbals - if they work for you, great!
2. Benzodiazepines are probably the cleanest for this purpose, and have been used for many decades without any rare fatal complications being exposed. Except in rare circumstances (never for the purpose of this advice, if you are inexperienced in their use), DON'T combine them with alcohol. That's how lots of accidental aspirations and overdose deaths occur.
3. As badoc says, I agree with waiting for straight and level flight. Most things that go wrong happen at takeoff. No fun being zonked whilst trying to re-negotiate security and chane planes, or worse yet, evacuate the plane.
4. When you do your test at home, if your significant other says you were too fast asleep to be woken - you took too much. There are times you may need to respond to alarms or commands while in the air - such as sudden decompression - and there may be very severe consequences if you sleep through the 'bang' and the cabin announcements and don't get on your oxygen mask.
5. As badoc says; if you're buying it over the internet, you're asking for trouble. In all sorts of ways.
Happy flying!