Sleeping Tablets
 

What, if any, sleeping tablets are commercial pilots allowed to use?

Quite probably got the spelling wrong but, in the UK, last I heard was a pill called "Zimovane" that contains a drug called Zopiclon or something that sounds similar. Prescription only.

As I understand it Melatonin is a banned substance for pilots in the UK.

Anyone know more?

The last my company had to say on the subject was in 1993 when it put out a Crew Notice syaing that the only sleeping pill approved by the UK CAA was (is) Temazepam.

Apparently Temazepam is a 'Hypnotic' as opposed to a sleeping pill. I think the difference is that a hypnotic will relax you enough to put you asleep but will not keep you asleep. So if you take a temazepam, fall asleep and 20 minutes later the children come in and wake you up, you will actually wake up and not be in a drug dozy stupor.

From what I've been told, Temazepam was developed for Gulf War (1991) military pilots who needed to sleep during 'waking hours' to be ready for night missions. That forced the CAA to recognise and approve Temazepam. But since then they haven't approved anything else.

I find that taking one 10 milligram pill will give me a good 5 hours sleep, but to make the most of it, you need an empty stomach. The label always says take at least 10 hours before operating equipment.

Temazepam is now a controlled drug in the UK because druggies were getting the capsules, injecting syringes into them and drawing out the drug from the capsule, then injecting themselves with mega doses of the stuff to get some 'high'. Idiots.

I use Zimovane (contains Zopiclone) and it is all approved by CAA Medical Branch. OK, I'm only an ATCO but we do hold Class One medicals.

Hope this helps

AI

A bit out of date?
 

Wings Think you may be a bit out of date, Temazepam, in the form of 'Normison' was used by RAF pilots during the Falklands war and was also approved by the CAA, only to be disapproved when it was realised that the drug 'hung over' in the system too long. That is what I have been told, anyway!:)

Also agree with AI and Khan, Zimovane is, I think you will find, the approved substance of the day.

There must be an AME out there who can confirm/deny?:confused:

Military Aircrew are still only licensed to use Temazepam under medical supervision, in an operational environment and Zopiclone has not yet been approved.
Zopiclone is, however, the drug of choice in commercial flying, approved by the CAA for its short half-life.
It will, no doubt, be approved at some point in the military world, but quite simply has not been around long enough yet.

Hope this helps.

Wings wrote...Sorry Wings but you this is not true.

The drugs that people commonly call "sleeping pills" are what doctors call "hypnotics".

Hypnotic = Sleeping Pill

Temazepam will certainly cause drowsiness and impair the performance of skilled tasks. Moreover, these effects may persist for some time after waking the next day.

The idea that people might think that they can pop a temazepam then perform effectively if woken a short time later is dangerous nonsense.

I would think that addressing the reason you need sleeping pills is a better option than taking drugs that may a)impair your functioning as a pilot , or , b) be habit forming. There's plenty of breathing exercises that aid sleep, as does the avoidance of caffeine and certain foods. There are also a number of effective herbal remedies on the market. The problem with sleeping pills is that eventually you won't be able to sleep without them.