Originally Posted by Kougarok

From the FAA Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners-

Occasional or limited use of sleep aids, such as for circadian rhythm disruption in commercial air operations, is allowable for pilots and air traffic controllers. Daily/nightly use of sleep aids is not allowed regardless of the underlying cause or reason. See Pharmaceutical Considerations below.

III. AEROMEDICAL DECISION CONSIDERATIONS: N/A

IV. PROTOCOL: N/A

V. PHARMACEUTICAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Because of the potential for impairment, we require a minimum wait time between the last dose of a sleep aid and performing pilot or ATCS duties. This wait time is based on the pharmacologic elimination half-life of the drug (half-life is the time it takes to clear half of the absorbed dose from the body). The minimum required wait time after the last dose of a sleep aid is 5-times the maximum elimination half-life.

The table on the following page lists several commonly prescribed sleep aids along with the required minimum wait times for each.



SLEEP AID WAIT TIMES

Trade Name Generic Name Required minimum waiting time after last dose before resuming pilot or ATCS duties Ambien zolpidem* 24 hours Ambien CR zolpidem (extended release) 24 hours Edluar zolpidem (dissolves under the tongue) 36 hours Intermezzo zolpidem (for middle of the night awakening) 36 hours Lunesta eszopiclone 30 hours Restoril temazepam 72 hours Rozerem ramelteon 24 hours Sonata zaleplon 6 hours Zolpimist zolpidem (as oral spray) 48 hours

* NOTE: The different formulations of zolpidem have different half-lives, thus different wait times.