Originally Posted by
FGHJKL
For those of us who do not nap well prior to all-nighters, crazy early pushes, double duty day trips, etc...
...according to this FAA web site, Sonata (zaleplon) is the only sleep aid with a short enough minimum pre-duty wait time (6 hours) to potentially help afternoon napping before a late-night or super-early-morning push:
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...arm/sleepaids/
If the FAA allows it with more than 6 hours prior to duty, why is it not talked about & used more given the crazy hours many fly?
They don’t EXACTLY allow it. Note the provisions:
Occasional or limited use of sleep aids, such as for circadian rhythm disruption in commercial air operations, is allowable for pilots. Daily/nightly use of sleep aids is not allowed regardless of the underlying cause or reason
In theory, ANY of these drugs can be used intermittently as long as legally prescribed and the clearance times are respected, and if you go into the hospital for something, you’ll probably get something routine for a sleeping pill and no one will even care.
But as it indicates, daily or nightly use of sleep aids - even short acting ones, is NOT going to be allowed. And Sonata is a Class IV controlled drug IN THIS COUNTRY and is more severely restricted in other countries because of its addiction potential and because of misuse when mixed with alcohol. It reacts very poorly with ANY amount of alcohol including causing something called Transient Global Amnesia where you awaken not really knowing where you’ve been, where you are, how you got there, or what you’ve recently been doing. It has been used with alcohol as a date rape drug.
Would it be acceptable to help adjust circadian rhythm? Yes, rarely. It’s similar to the go/no-go medication that the USAF uses. But it’s use is not without risk and I imagine any bad reaction to it, especially if mixed with alcohol, could easily be a career ending event for any airline pilot..