Thinking of taking Ambien but I have heard horror stories of ambien zombies.

Did your doctor prescribe the ambien for your flight?

This is a question for your doctor, who knows your medical history. Anecdotes from internet strangers aren't going to tell you what your particular reaction will be to the drug. Should your doctor prescribe it, then take it once or twice in the safety of your home before doing so on a flight.

Usually flights from the West Coast leave around dinner time which is perfect. I do not eat before a flight overseas, Ambien on an empty stomach works well. I wake up about two to three hours prior to landing ready to go. If your concerned about how the medication will affect you, talk to your doctor and take one a few weeks before you leave to see if it causes you any undo side affects. Enjoy your trip J

I would never take something I am not used to on a flight you never know how your body may react due to the flight and different pressure in the plane. Even if you try it a few times prior to the flight I still think that is not wise. Definitely discuss with your doctor as to why you want the doctor to prescribe it for you.

Might want to read through this.

https://www.drugs.com/ambien.html

You traveling alone or will you have some one to take care of you?

I wonder if you are still 'loopy' when you get to passport control if you will be refused entry.

Definitely an issue to take up with your doctor.

If I remember correctly, the man who stood up and urinated on his seatmates had taken Ambien.

Tylenol PM contains Benadryl which is a safe and effective sleep aid. (given to children)
I would stay away from Ambien.
I also heard a rumor that they serve wine on airplanes now :)

Dennis (retired RN)

I'm not condoning Ambien, but for those who offer Benadryl or other sleep aids as an alternative remedy, I can tell you you that they don't work; at least not for me, and probably not for the OP. I've tried everything and I have considered Ambien.

I haven't decided yet, though, and will probably just opt for another sleepless night. But what's weird is that sleep aids do work for me at home. I don't use them very often, but they are effective in inducing sleep. Just not on a plane. And it's not worth $3,000+ to pay for Delta One.

Bets, you're right in that the urinating passenger had taken Ambien (for the first time), but had also had several alcoholic drinks on the plane. Definitely a no-no with any prescription drug! :-)

Talk to your doctor.

What would happen in the event of an inflight emergency? Are you traveling with someone that could help you exit the plane if necessary?

Assuming you are concerned about jet lag, I suggest you consider other options to address that issue. If you use the search bar in this forum, you will find much discussion about jet lag, including approaches such as Timeshifter, an app that helps you naturally adjust your body to time changes based on your actual travel plans.

Just never, ever, take something for the first time on an overnight flight. This includes Ambien for sure, but even things like Benadryl, Melatonin, even Vodka. You just do not know how it will affect you.

If you are concerned about jetlag, the best thing you can do is get plenty of rest the week before you leave, and be active outside when you arrive. Just that simple.

I hope everyone understands that jet lag and sleep deprivation are two entirely different things. I don't get much jet lag on the way over (heading west). I can't sleep but once I get a full nights sleep after I arrive, I'm good to go from that point on.

Coming back home heading east, however, is when jet lag hits with a vengeance, and I'm pretty slow and out of it for about 3 days.

Also, you don’t want to be comatose and not moving for 10-12 hours.
That’s a recipe for swollen legs and worse: a possible blood clot.

You won’t know how you will react until you try it. I routinely take Ambien and have no negative side effects. I take it on trans-Atlantic flights and tend to drift in and out of sleep. I could be woken up in an emergency. I do suffer from severe insomnia. Some nights I take an Ambien and I still don’t fall asleep.

The people I know who have Ambien prescriptions, use them (while traveling) not for the plane trip, but for the day or two after to help sleep through the night.

I am a lifelong insomniac. I have never done more than doze on a plane. But I would never, ever take something for the first time on a flight. You have no idea how you would feel. If you regularly take Ambien and it works for you, then sure, why not?
I have resigned myself to being sleepless while crossing the Atlantic, so, for several nights before my flight, I take half a benadryl before bed so that I feel rested when I depart and can handle a night of missed sleep. I can power through the first day, get a good night's sleep, and then I'm good to go.

I’ve used Ambien with no ill effects but that isn’t to say you will have the same experience. I might sleep about four hours, a personal record for long haul flights. On one or two occasions I have taken a second one half tablet that I pop in my pocket but we get the lowest dose I think that’s available And I always surprisingly feel alert and awake when we touch down which I also attribute to being so excited. I agree with the general reply that trying a medication for the first time on a long flight isn’t the best idea. There can be drug interactions if you take other meds that your doctor can advise you about. My physician years and years ago refused to give me a script; “If I there is a problem at 40,000 feet you should be alert.” I don’t as a rule refute my doctor’s advice but I told him “ If there’s a problem at 40,000 feet over the North Atlantic alert is the last thing I want to be.” Over the next 30+ years any GP has given us an Rx after a visit and consultation. I also find great value in returning to a regular sleep schedule upon return. I’d certainly decline any alcohol on board. Safe travels and don’t let the bedbugs bite.

Benadryl does not work for me - in fact, it actually acts to make me more sleepless. Unisom works for a very short time until I awake with a nightmare.

Ambien has been the only medicine that has helped me fall asleep and stay that way for several hours. It also invokes more pleasant dreams which don't disturb me. However, it's best that I divide the pills in half effectively taking only 5 mg. That's usually sufficient and is less likely to invoke dependence. I don't take it for extended lengths of time aside from travel nights. 10 mg is the most cost effective dose but it can be dispensed in 5mg.

Using the full dose in the past has caused some unusual incidents though. Let's put it this way - my partner had to hide my car keys. Also, I once awoke to find my kitchen littered with the remains of a wild eating binge which I didn't recall at all. He once had to go searching for me in a hotel at 3 am - I was wandering the hallways which was a horrifying idea for everyone concerned. The half dose eliminated all that sleep activity. The incidents that are reported are a real possibility and you need to carefully find the amount that works for you.

I agree with those who don't particularly want to be that alert during a crisis in an aluminum tube 8 miles over the Atlantic.

First, try not to envision that the flight is so horrendous. It's not. Once you embrace the idea that you are going to be onboard 11ish hours, then you can come up with a plan for what to do.
For me, a few hours with a book or working on something make me drowsy. I simply accept that and close my eyes. Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I doze, but I make sure that I am committed to simply sitting in place quietly. I have never taken any sleep "drugs", but I do go against the no alcohol recommendations and drink several glasses of wine either before or early on a long flight. If I was flying out of Bejing, I would be in the airline lounge early and have bite to eat and drink a few glasses of wine. On the flight, I would tire quickly and then close my eyes. As a longtime road warrior, I learned to simply accept the situation and not overthink it. As the flight progressed, I would drink some water, coffee, tea, whatever. I always sit next to the window if I am not in a business or first class seat. I want to be the one climbing over, not the one being climbed on. The window seat gives you a place to lean while you sleep.
Once I landed, I simply hit the ground running. The key to jet lag (for me) is to accept the local time as it is and not allow myself to cave in with concerns about the time change. Embrace the suck as it were. So no to the Ambien, melatonin, Benadryl (it makes me hyper) or any other drug that is supposed to make you drowsy. Read a chapter of Finnegans Wake, that shook almost certainly put you out for a while.

As someone who was on Ambien for years, I can tell you that (a) yes, it'll let you sleep and (b) is does occasionally have some strange side effects. My suggestion is to go with Lunesta instead. It's only slightly less effective with virtually no side effects. I agree with everyone else about talking to your doctor, but you have to have a prescription for either of them anyway.

My Dr. recommended trazodone for insomnia and I travel with it always. I sleep soundly after with a small dose and I don’t have the side effects of Ambien except for interesting dreams in REM sleep. It’s not habit forming so you don’t have to increase the dosage for it to induce sleep. I’ve taken it for years and I still cut the 50 mg pills in half.

Mack, the problem is that jet lag is very different from sleep deprivation. I never get jet lagged on the flight to Europe from the states. I am sleep deprived, because I cannot sleep on an airplane. And like you, I sit there quietly; possibly reading or resting. But once I am at my destination and I get some sleep the first night, I'm raring to go. In fact, on the occasions when I have been able to take a nap midday, I feel much better. It's just fatigue from not sleeping.

It's different heading west on the trip back. Then I get pretty bad jet lag. I'm usually groggy and basically have no energy for the next 3 full days. I never schedule anything during that time.

Now that is jet lag. What's ironic is that most people get bad jet lag heading east. But not everyone, and I am one who gets it going the opposite direction. And TBH, that works better for me. I'd rather have jet lag at home than while traveling.

Mardee: I’m like you.
No jet lag going East, just tired for a day or so.
I put the no jet lag down to the excitement of finally being in Europe.
Coming home….yikes.
My face is dropping into my dinner by 6pm every night for about 10 days.
They do say it takes a day for every time zone you pass through to get over jet lag.

A friend’s young child years ago called it “Jet- log”.

Wonder what OP did and how it turned out