So which is better? Sonata (zaleplon) or Ambien?

Doing my first TPAC in November. I know with my prior TATL flights, I couldn't sleep on the plane (even taking OTC sleep meds, like benedryl) and my sleep rhythm was off for 2-3 days (hard time falling asleep, or waking up 2-3 hours later) -- I was exhausted and frankly made the vacation less fun until I was caught up.

My ideal plan was to take the pill right after the meal on the plane, get 4-6 hours of rest, then watch movies the rest of the way. Once landing, get to the hotel and take one around 10PM again to get on the right time schedule.

Without trying both, hard to know what will work best for you. From what you said:

...if the goal is 4-6 hours of sleep and not a longer amount, Sonata (or the generic version of it) is probably the better choice, because it's shorter acting. Ambien would be a better choice for something like 8 hours. OTOH, individual effects vary and you might find the Sonata too short-acting and .

As mentioned several times in this thread, always try sleep meds in a safe, familiar environment (such as at home) before trying them when traveling.

Ditto everything you say, though splitting ambien in half is possible too. I have a high flying office (sadly, not me as often as most) and many take half an ambien for Europe, a full ambien for Asia.;) [this is from east coast US, so, 5-7 hours is half an ambien, 10+ hours is a full tablet.]

I generally prefer

Juniperous Ethanol and quinine in a hydrous solution. Gets me to sleep every time. No prescription required.

https://joshinthecity.files.wordpres...ueraytonic.jpg

Any Canadians on this thread, I know we have different drugs/rules/prices, not sure if any of this applies? I never go to the doctor, I sleep decently on a plane but it's always off and on, I'd prefer to get 4-5 hours straight rather than 1 hour, 2 hours, 2 hours etc, but these seem like it might be worth a shot.

The drugs are the same (although they may have slightly different brand names, the generic names are almost always the same), but the rules and prices may very well be different. In general, the best approach here or there is to talk to your doctor.

Maybe one of you understands this weird Ambien side effect
 

I've been using 5mg Ambien to overcome the 5 hour time difference between East Coast and Europe. Without Ambien, the 2nd or 3rd night is essentially sleepless, but with Ambien I get a great 8 hours with no hangover.

Except... the night I stop taking Ambien, I'm sleepless. Really sleepless. Lie in bed with eyes closed, mask on, white noise, doesn't matter sleepless. And it doesn't matter whether I've taken Ambien for one night or 5: the first non-Ambien night, I'm awake.

I can't afford to be a sleep-deprived zombie while I'm working in Europe, so I take Ambien for 5 nights in a row, sleep great, then come home and have one horrible night/next day. Last month, I tried cutting the 5mg Ambien in half the last night of my Europe trip thinking I could step down gradually; slept fine...but the next night, sleepless. Anyone else have this experience, or have an idea how to fix it? Otherwise Ambien works great for me.

What happens if you take it all through the trip, and the first night off Ambien is the first one back on US time -- sleep OK, or same effect?

Hypnotic sleep medicine can cause an addictive effect similar to what you describe where you have a hard time getting to sleep without it, but I'd think 5 nights in Europe would be WAY too short for that to happen.

It sounds more likely that you're never getting your body clock on the new time, and the Ambien is masking that rather than actually helping you adjust.

How's it going', eh? ;)

Now based in NZ, but am a Vancouverite. Ask your GP for zopiclone. If you've never taken it before, start with a half. Sometimes they work in like 10 minutes; sometimes in 45. Try it at home before you try it on a flight: a minority of people react badly to them (anxiety).

I found Ambien didn't keep me asleep more than 3 hours: with zopiclone I can get up to 8 hours if I want. Can also wake up without being stoned, if I need to--but I don't drive for at least 12 hours after having taken one.

Interesting, now I just need a GP haha. Haven't been to a GP in like 15 years since he retired. Thanks for the tip!

Have you tried Melatonin instead? Or take a few mg of melatonin on the first night that you're not using Ambien?

I'll use a prescription pill for plane sleeping (Lunesta in my case), but I try to avoid them otherwise. Melatonin helps reset my clock for European hotels.

Keith

Agree - clock takes longer to reset the older I get, unfortunately. I can do India or even Japan (9, 12 hours) more easily than London. As far as first night, it doesn't matter whether it's US or Europe, and it doesn't seem to matter whether I've taken Ambien for 1 night or 5: something in my body chemistry seems to to kick in the first night the Ambien wears off.


I have tried Melatonin, but not as an antidote to the Ambien - worth a try next time. Melatonin didn't do much for me, although it seems to be highly effective for some people. And the antihistamine things (SleepEze, etc) just leave me groggy and hungover the next day, so not doing them.