Lorazepam for Longer Flights

[cyclingmedic]

1st post so be gentle please.

32yo, 5'7", 165lbs, no experience taking anything other than some pain killers given to me when I had an appendectomy and I barely took those after leaving the hospital.

I have some longer upcoming flights and I am never usually able to sleep on a plane. I do not have an anxiety problem but when flying I do get a bit anxious and this slight over stimulation I think makes it near impossible for me to nap/sleep. I have thought of trying benadryl and as much alcohol as required but would prefer to not feel hungover/groggy the following day. I spoke with my Doc and he briefly mentioned ambient but then said he though some oral Ativan/Lorazepam would probably do well and that I should give it a try. He gave me an rx for 10, 1mg pills. He didn't really give me any direction on how much he thought I should take etc. I have read some horror stories about Ambien to am pleased to try something else first.

My soonest flights are to France next month. 7hr flight leaving at 1745 from NYC and arriving in Paris at 0700. Then I am returning to nyc from Nice a bit over a week later. I plan on melatonin cycling a few days ahead to try and reduce any jet lag. My goal is to get on board have my meal and then sleep for as much as possible before breakfast is served and we land. Should I just take the 1mg and the melatonin with a glass of wine on board and assume all will be good? I figure I will try 1 pill out prior to the flight just to make sure I don't have an adverse reaction as I don't believe I have had it before.

Any thoughts on dosing/timing etc would be great. Seems it peaks about 2 hours after taking it but I can start to feel it 30-60 minutes after taking it.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

[truenamebrand]

1st post so be gentle please.

32yo, 5'7", 165lbs, no experience taking anything other than some pain killers given to me when I had an appendectomy and I barely took those after leaving the hospital.

I have some longer upcoming flights and I am never usually able to sleep on a plane. I do not have an anxiety problem but when flying I do get a bit anxious and this slight over stimulation I think makes it near impossible for me to nap/sleep. I have thought of trying benadryl and as much alcohol as required but would prefer to not feel hungover/groggy the following day. I spoke with my Doc and he briefly mentioned ambient but then said he though some oral Ativan/Lorazepam would probably do well and that I should give it a try. He gave me an rx for 10, 1mg pills. He didn't really give me any direction on how much he thought I should take etc. I have read some horror stories about Ambien to am pleased to try something else first.

My soonest flights are to France next month. 7hr flight leaving at 1745 from NYC and arriving in Paris at 0700. Then I am returning to nyc from Nice a bit over a week later. I plan on melatonin cycling a few days ahead to try and reduce any jet lag. My goal is to get on board have my meal and then sleep for as much as possible before breakfast is served and we land. Should I just take the 1mg and the melatonin with a glass of wine on board and assume all will be good? I figure I will try 1 pill out prior to the flight just to make sure I don't have an adverse reaction as I don't believe I have had it before.

Any thoughts on dosing/timing etc would be great. Seems it peaks about 2 hours after taking it but I can start to feel it 30-60 minutes after taking it.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

Lorazepam is a shorter-acting benzo, so it doesn't really seem ideal for your purposes, compared to something like clonazepam, for example. That said, having no experience with benzos it'll still probably do the job.

To get better absorption, take it prior to your meal, and wait a little while before eating. Perhaps even take it sublingually to be able to eat faster after taking it.

For someone with no benzo experience, 1mg should be adequate. Also, one glass of wine is certainly not problematic, but don't overdo it on the combo. Especially if you wanna be able to wake up refreshed after the fact.

 

[BurritoJimmy]

It's good that you're trying the medication first to see how it makes you feel. Everyone's dift but 1 mg would last me for a whole day and a good nights sleep. I would nix the alcohol with the lorazepam as it could cause you to feel dizzy and the mix could actually amp you up. Ghr mix couod also cause you to make a stupid comment or make a dumb decision that alerts the attendants.

 

[StarMedic552]

1mg is a pretty hefty dose if you have no tolerance. Ativan is very "amnesiac" in nature. We use it a lot in hospitals for procedures if we're running out of Versed.

I recommend taking it ~20-30 minutes before estimated takeoff time. Really, you could probably take it as soon as you take your seat on the plane and be good, but that might be pushing your luck a little bc if your worst time is takeoff and it hasn't hit yet, you'll be hating life. You likely won't remember the flight. I usually see it dosed 2-3 times per day.

No alcohol on the flight (mixing benzodiazepines and alcohol is a terrible idea). You'll probably feel a little groggy/hung over when you land, it happens a lot. You'll probably be slurring your words up to about T+10 hours, that's normal too.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[shartito]

I would ask your doc for clonazepam instead. Much better for your purposes. And he shouldn't mind writing a small script for flying since you were up front and honest with him about what you need it for.

 

[keeping]

lorazepam is pretty regularly prescribed for sleep, so if that's your intention once on the flight then you're all good.
i find lorazepam to be a much more functional benzo than clonazepam, and you kinda want to be 'present' when you're on holiday right?

 

[justtakethat]

Try some at home first to see how they affect you.