"I didn't know that diazepam, otherwise known as Valium, was indicated for jet lag. I thought that it was used mainly as an anti-anxiety medications."

All the drugs that end with "am" (diazepAM, for example) are sedatives, and sedating you when you have anxiety will lessen your anxiety. When you take a sedative and you DON'T have anxiety, it'll just make you sleepy! The diff is that some are much longer acting than others - valium is pretty long acting - 1/2 life of many many hours,(therefore the grogginess when you wake up - drug is still in your system) ativan (lorezapam) is a little shorter, and Ambien and Sonata are just a few hours. (1/2 life means it takes that much time for 1/2 of the drug to be metabolized out of your body.) Shorter-acting drugs like halcion, ambien, sonata are less likely to make you groggy because they are in and out of your system. Since many drugs are metabolized hepatically (via your liver)that's where the possible trouble starts when you mix them with alcohol, which is also metabolized via your liver. The alcohol may extend the 1/2 life and it takes longer for the drug to clear your system, and it may also increase your blood level of the drug.

Jet lag makes you groggy anyway, no sense adding to it by having a long-acting drug lingering in your system contributing to it. Choose the shortest acting compound so that when you wake up, the drug has done it's job and is out of your system asap.




[This message has been edited by KSAN (edited 01-29-2002).]