You might try Lunestra instead. Been using Ambien for the last few years (lots and lots of TPAC flights) and always felt "hungover" the day after taking Ambien. My doc suggested I try Lunestra instead and find it much much better.

Just my 2 cents

I have EWR-TLV rt and JFK-AUH-SYD. Lots of fun in the air!!!! I'll ask him about Lunesta.

I see no reason to use sleep medication just because your taking a long or uncomfortable flight.I am no way a health nut but realize that nothing comes free and if you take sleep medication or any other drug you will pay physically some other way.The short term reward does not justify the chance of potential problems

I see no reason to be uncomfortable and lose sleep because of a long flight. Short term (1 or 2 night) use for time zone shifts is pretty much the perfect application for sleep aids: no problems with tolerance or rebound insomnia. As long as you can handle a drug like Ambien (don't take it for the first time on an aircraft), use it.

It's lack of sleep that will make you pay, both physically and mentally.

BTW: I am not an MD.

Well I went to the health clinic on campus and they refused to give me a script. The guy came of as kind of stupid. I told him where I was going (Israel and Australia) and he asked me if I got all my shots. He told me he had no problem on his flight to Russia so I should be ok.

However I had to bite my lip not to laugh when he gave me this creative line of reasoning:
If there was a problem on the flight and it needed to be diverted or if there is an emergancy threa he wouldn't want me to be under the influance of sleeping aids.

However I had to bite my lip not to laugh when he gave me this creative line of reasoning:
If there was a problem on the flight and it needed to be diverted or if there is an emergancy threa he wouldn't want me to be under the influance of sleeping aids.[/QUOTE]

He does make a good point.

If you want to use this line of reasoning, you shouldn't drink on your flight. Also what if i was taking ambian at home and their was a fire or something?

What you do at home is your own business.:)

for 13 hours 17C will be my home.

Great logic. Maybe all doctors should use it? "My lungs are fine, you must be imagining your cancer." "Tylenol works for my headaches, therefore it must get rid of your migraines."

You can never be too careful when you visit those Aussies, what with all their diseases.

"What if there was a fire or crazy masked gunman in the hospital during your surgery? That's why you're not getting anesthesia." (A little extreme, but the same logic).

I love that stuff.

For 10+ hour flights, it's the only thing that knocks me out hard enough, and it's free of a lot of the side effects of the hypnotics (no risk of amnesia nor of addiction, although the sleep-inducing side effect does wear off with regular use.) Trazodone is a cheap generic, too, unlike the name-brand hypnotics.

That said, I think the original joke was on the prevalence of online-sale-of-Viagra spams.

Be careful with trazadone. I took it once on a long flight and didn't fall asleep but was under its influence. I had to go to the lav, and on the way back, pretty much collapsed face first into my seat (fortunately it was an old cushy UA 747 F seat. I never really did sleep on that flight, but felt miserable.

Benadryl works better than Ambien for me and the former does not require a prescription.

Ouch. I guess it's best to try out how you respond to these at home before traveling.

It's worked great for for me, but response to drugs is always an individual matter. As always one's own health care professional (physician or nurse practitioner) is the best source of guidance.

Let's hope that your seat companions in 17A and 17B do not have weak bladders or a case of the "trots".