Is It Safe to Take a Sleeping Aid While on a 12 Hour Flight?

When I was pregnant I asked my Dr the same question and she said it was fine to take a tylenol PM or medication with sleep aid as long as it was not a regular or continual thing. Good luck. S. Mother of a 5 and 2 year old

I took Unisom my entire pregnancies with all three of my kids. My doctor told me is was totally safe. It helped me with nausea and sleeping. It was great, I don't know what I would have done without it. I would highly recommend it especially while flying.

Tylenol PM is safe in pregnancy. My midwife recommended it for me, and I used it occasionally. Especially the night before I was to be induced to labor.

Hi Maria, I relocated back to the states from AU (July). I was 20 weeks. Flight was 14 hrs. I didn't take anything as I was so exhuasted from relocating my family. I also didn't want to fall into a deep sleep so that I could change sides and do my leg exercises for circulation. I would ask your Dr. before taking anything. One thing that my husband and I would take on those long flights was Tylonal PM with a glass of wine. That was when I wasn't expecting. Before taking that asprin ask your Dr. you might not need worry. Good Luck and have a safe trip.

I think that it would be a much better idea for you to get clearance from you OB-GYN to fly first, then ask you M.D. if you can take OTC medication. Benadryl is the active medication that is used in those sleep aids. Please check with you M.D. not your peers for medical advise.
P. Registered Nurse

DEFINITELY consult with your doctor. you shouldn't be taking aspirin while pregnant. but your doctor is who knows your medical history or whatever else is going on with your pregnancy and how any medications will affect you and your baby.

M., Take the better safe than sorry route. Are you able to upgrade to frist or business class? If it's not in your budget, get an isle seat. Download some relaxing music or even hypno for sleep. Get a book and enjoy the fact that you have time to read. :) Walk around often and drink lots of water- that will get you moving at least. I doubt you could bring on an excercise band (I'm sure if nail clippers are considered a weapon- a rubber band would be as well) but if you are.. wrap it around your feet and do a few leg lifts to get your blood moving.
Have a wonderful time on your trip and best of luck with baby.
(mom of 2 with baby on the way in Aug)

Aspirin is not safe. You can take Benadryl which will make you sleep. Better to try without first though. Best to talk to your doctor though for advice like this- she may have something prescription to give you. Most drugs tend to be in a no mans land of - not really tested on pregnant women so they don't know what it will do but it hasn't seemed to cause any problems. It's all a little risky.

This is a question for your doctor.

Hi

I would ask your ob, but I will tell you......When I was being induced (at 38 weeks), my ob perscribed Ambien (a perscription sleep aid). It worked. And....I trust him. He is super high demand in LA (where I had my son). Anyway....I would still ask, but that was my experience.

Dear Mane D., I personally would not risk it. I strongly suggest you not take anyone's advice on this and that you ask your doctor. A.

umm. remember when youre pregnant, what you take your baby takes too. I wouldn't take sleeping aids, but even flying while pregnant can be dangerous. I'd check with a doctor first. good luck with that.. S.

Absolutely talk to your physician about this!! Actually talk to your physician about any medical/pregnancy advice while pregnant!!!

I would NOT recommend Tylenol Sinus (it is not the same thing as Tylenol Extra Strength) as it contains an ingredient contraindicated in pregnancy--that means you should not take it while pregnant. Anything that says Benadryl or "PM" is generaly safe while anything that says "Sinus" is not safe, but absolutely talk to your physician about any medications or herbal remedies.

What I would recommend is lots of water and stretching and walking while on the plane. Oh, and rest, relax, and enjoy yourself, too!

You should talk to your doctor about that. There is a natural
sleep aid you can take which is called Melatonin...ask your Doctor about that too since you are pregnant.

I would most definitely check with your doctor, but I know mine has said Tylenol PM is OK for me to take. I have had bad sleep problems with this pregnancy and have even been on prescription sleep aids most of the time, which she has said aren't a threat to the baby. So I would check with your doctor. Good luck!

I would try Benadryl.

M.:
Without exception you should consult your doctor before taking any medication. You should probably accept the fact that you won't sleep well on a flight and plan to nap at your destination. A few suggestions though: When you get on the plane ask the stewardess if there is a row of empty seats that you can move to so you can lay down. Take an eye mask to block out light and make sure to ask for or take a blanket (planes can get cold). Stay away from caffeine before and during the flight (including chocolate).
Good luck and have a safe trip.

Hi M.:

My doctor had me take Unisom because of my morning sickness. Once the morning sickness subsided she said it was fine for me to continue using the Unisom to make sure I was getting enough sleep.

I don't know if the aspirin is safe but I would recommend getting up and walking around while you are awake on the plane because when I flew to London at 13 weeks my ankles were swollen like grapefruits by the end of the flight.

Good Luck.

I am not trying to scare you, but I would definitely remain active on the flight. My sister lost a baby after a long flight from Israel to the States. They think it might be from sitting so long. She was 7 months along - so much farther, but I wouldn't sit around.

When I was in my final month of pregnancy with my son and finding sleep difficult my OBGYN said it was safe to take Tylenol PM. It worked wonderfully and I've been using it since. It relaxes your body. Once you have children you are still able to wake easily to take care of them in the middle of the night, but it allows your body to fall back asleep much more quickly.

Hi M..

Not sure about the sleeping pills. As for the blood clotting, just make sure you get up often, hang out in the aisle and stretch when you can, and make frequent trips to the bathroom (even if you don't have to go). Pre-flight, be sure you're active while waiting in the airport (rather than sitting down). I would skip taking anything if I were you, unless you have an exceptional fear of flying. In either case, if you absolutely need to take something, consult your doc.

Best Wishes,
M.

No and no.
Never take aspirin when pregnant, it can bring on Reyes Syndrome. And concerning the clots, wear support hose that cover your feet and walk around at least once an hour. Sleeping for long periods will only bring on potential clots. Pooling of blood in our veins is only prevented by our muscles squeezing them. So do calf-raises and walk around.
Good luck

NO NO NO. You must be able to respond to instructions while on a flight in case of emergency. WHen you get to your destination and can rest, THEN take medication approved by your physician. DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING THAT IS NOT APPROVED BY YOUR OBGYN! In order to avoid blood clots you must get up frequently and walk in the aisles. My feet swell on long flights and even keeping them elevated as best I can and frequent walking, I need to take diuretics to keep the swelling down, but I am on them anyway for high blood pressure. I do not know what your doctor will say. Please consult him before the flight. Also try to get a seat that doesn't have seats in front of it. This will give you more room.. Also aisles with emergency exits have more room. They probably won't let you sit next to the emergency door being pregnant but maybe you could get the aisle seat. Good luck.

HI M.;

Just a plain advise and opinion only, it is common sense when you're pregnant, you're not by yourself so you have to be careful what you eat,drink because the baby inside you also eat and drink everything you ate. If you love her, please don't buy anything over the counter without consulting your own doctor if it is okay, but If I were you, I will be very careful and be healthy for the sake of the baby. I have four children and raised them all. All I think is ate and drink something healthy when I was pregnant with them. My daughter is 25 yrs old married and had 18 mths old daughter,21 yrs old son lived and studied Video and Game in NY, I have 16 yrs old daughter in Junior College,14 yrs son freshman in high school. Always think first the health of the baby and yourself. Everything you take has always a side effects on a child whether it is aspirin, etc., Good luck. Are you allowed to travel with 20 weeks pregnant? Please check with the airlines first, because when I was pregnant and traveling to Alaska and wanted to attend my sister's wedding, I called the airlines and they won't allow me to travel that far.

A.

Please talk to you ob/gyn about this but it's my understaning that NO sleeping aids (prescription or otc) are safe while pregnant nor is aspirin or motrin - the only pain reliever that's safe is Tylenol. But ask your doctor. I had a few colds while pregnant and took children's benadryl liquid (it has no alcohol or other medications mixed with it). Since Benadryl is an anti-histimine it should make you sleepy (it knocked me out) and may help you sleep the plane.

Benedryl is definitely safe to take while pregnant. I think it's most often recommended to take during pregnancy to help with sleep. I took it a lot with my first pregnancy to help me sleep. My OB at the time also told me over the counter sleeping aids were fine to take. He said his wife took Unisom to help her sleep when she was pregnant. With my last pregnancy I went through a time I was having difficulty sleeping and my OB prescribed me Ambien. You should most definitely consult your OB and see what he/she has to say. Good luck!

K. (I'm a registered nurse and a mom to three wonderful children 5, 3, and 5 months)

I would check w/ your dr on both questions...I have no idea about the sleep aid but I would be very careful about taking asprin while pregnant. I had problems w/ my blood clotting while pregnant and they were going to put me on a daily dose of baby asprin. It's something the dr has to monitor to make sure your blood doesn't thin out too much. I took a long flight while pregnant and the best thing is to get up and walk around and stretch your legs also while sitting you can flex you legs and turn your ankles both directions to get the blood flowing. Have a safe flight!

I had horrible nausea during my pregnancy and the only thing that helped me was taking a unisom every night. I did this my entire pregnancy from 8 weeks on. The nice thing about Unisom is since it is a sleep aid I slept so much better then my first pregnancy. My doctor said it was totally safe, however, check with your doctor before taking it. My son is a totally healthy normal baby.

They are not safe. Do not chance anything.

M.,
Congrats on your first child! You really should talk to your doctor before you take any meds, especially aspirin. Generally it is not recommended for pregnancy. However, you're right, some will recommend a baby aspirin (81grams) if you're going to be sitting for a long period of time. Also, tylenol pm is generally safe to take as an otc sleeping aid; but again, it is probably best to check w/ your doctor. Good luck!

Hi M.,
Please please check with your doctor first but mine ok'd me to take Tylenol PM to help with my sleeping. I can't remember how many weeks I was when he said I could but it was far enough along in my pregnancy that I was uncomfortable sleeping on my stomach!
Good luck with your flight and best wishes with your pregnancy
A.

First check with your obstetrician before taking ANY medication. I wouldn't use a sleeping aid while pregnant. The risk to the fetus out ways the benefit to you. You can catch up on your sleep after the flight if you were unable to sleep on the plane.
Physicians state DO NOT use aspirin while pregnant or nursing. Again the risk to the fetus far out ways the potential benefit to you. All you need to do to prevent blood clots while in flight is get up every hour or so and walk or just move your legs around so that pressure is not in the same area all or most of the time.
Good luck on your trip.

Please talk to your doctor about this-- don't take medical advice from strangers!

I flew to Europe from CA when I was pregnant with my first child. As far as any medication, I suggest you contact your doctor for a recommendation as he or she will know best. Have fun on your trip.

Call your doctor and ask the advice through them, it is against the law in the state of claifornia to give any medical advice, even re: medication or over the counter drugs
to anybody unless they are a registred doctor.

Besides would if someone reccomend a pill the took , and you had a reaction to it up in the iar plane, you want that baby to be born healthy, Talk to the doc its free.

it would be best to have the recomendation from your ob on whether or not to take aspirin.
since u r pregnant , it will be important to get up and move around on the plane to prevent venous pooling in your lower extremities to prevent blood clots.

Ask your doctor. Don't take the advice of anyone on a website when it comes to your health or the health of your baby.

My doc let me take TYLONOL PM...it has benedryl in it I think and thats what helps you sleep and it does not pass through the placenta.

Please ASK YOUR DOCTOR, I WOULD NOT TAKE MEDICAL ADVISE FROM JUST ANYONE!especially when it comes to your fragile unborn baby and your own body

No, absolutely not. Don't take anything at all while you are pregnant, if you can help it, and only take any medications after you've asked your doctor first. 12 hour flights are horrible no matter what you take. I suggest a homeopathic remedy sold at most organic stores called "No Jet Lag" it's in a blue package with an airplane on it. It seems to help prevent the "airplane rage" and hideous hangover you get with jetlag. If you really want, take valerian root to help you sleep. Get on the plane a little overtired, and bring a neck pillow and support hose, you should be fine. During the flight make sure you get up and move around every so often to keep your blood circulating, aspirin won't help. I fly overseas a lot. You can also see if you can get a seat with "extra leg room" although they're always reserved for people with small babies or handicaps. Drink a lot of water and bring a good book, but don't take sleeping pills. I guess if you desperately want them, you should at least ask the pharmacist for advise, and read the small print. Don't underestimate the things that can happen to an unborn baby.

Have a nice flight!

I flew to HK from LA when I was in my 2nd trimester and the doctor definitely advised against taking any sleep aids. The only thing he said was OK if I definitely needed it was tylenol pm. Fortunately I always take really late flights around midnight so my body was naturally tired and I was able to sleep.

Make sure you walk around a lot and drink plenty of water on these long flights

Honestly, when it comes to questions like this, you should only ever seek the advice of your doctor...

Dear M.,

How about a safer, no-risk alternative to sleeping aids and aspirin?

During airplane flight, the body behaves as though it were suddenly placed at 8,000 feet altitude. The most noticeable consequences are that blood vessels in the brain and elsewhere swell, with common results like drowsiness and swelling of the ankles. However, there are several homeopathic remedies that one can take to minimize these conditions, safely and naturally.

The most popularly available one is Arnica 30C. Dissolve one pellet under the tongue before boarding the plane, one or two times during your flight, and as you deplane. It works against the internal swelling that I just described (and is good to keep around for minor traumas and bruises, too).

There is another remedy that's even more powerful for high-altitude syndrome, but it's only available to homeopathic professionals, so you might ask around of your local homeopaths.

The greatest thing about homeopathic remedies is that they are perfectly safe for pregnant women, unlike drugs and over-the-counter meds.

Have a great trip!

S. I., L.Ac.
Lotus Wellspring Healthcare
456 E. Mission Road, Suite 100
San Marcos, CA 92069
###-###-####
____@____.com
www.lotuswellspring.com

i flew to england ( 11 hours ) when i was 31 weeks pregnant and my doctor said it was perfectly ok to take ambien as long as it was only a small dosage... 5mg i think. good luck

Aspirin is not ok to take during pregnancy, per my doctor. I have had to come up with some other methods of taking away my sinus infections and pain since aspirin and sudafed are not ok to take. My doctor recommends, for allergies, chlortrimeton and claritin. I mention this because chlortrimeton has antihistamine and that might help you sleep. I have also taken benadryl 3 times during my pregnancy. I didn't ask my doctor about that one but a friend of mine who is pregnant at the same time had asked her doctor and he said it was ok once in a while but don't get in the habit of using Benadryl to aid in sleep. Of course, I was at my wits end with not being able to sleep so I took it. I hope this helps. Every doctor may have something different to say but I think they are all universal in the fact that aspirin should not be taken.

There are only two or three over the counter medicines that are safe to take when you are pregnant, and Asprin and sleep aides are neither of them. Sleep aides are a supper big no-no; look on web md if you want more specifics. The only good news I can give you is that Benadryl, while not quite as potent, is safe, and it always makes me sleep. Drink a lot (a LOT) of water and avoid all other beverages, eat light snacks, and wear flip flops or any other shoes that you can squeeze swollen feet into. I flew at about that same point thinking it wouldn't be that bad (it was only a 3 hour flight, though), and I got so swollen.

I'm pretty sure that aspirin is NOT considered pregnancy-safe. I have a family history of blood clotting disorders, so when I took a couple of 14-hour flights while pregnant, my OB had me inject heparin (a blood thinner), as the molecule is too large to cross the placenta.

I didn't take anything while i was pregnant, but that's me. I'm sure there's other ways to relax and sleep other than taking a pill. There's a great natural product called CalMax or Calm by Peter Gillham..... available at Whole Foods. You could check out that store for other ideas too. Do you have a blood clotting problem?....i don't know why you think you should take aspirin unless there was someone telling you you had that problem.
I would just stay away from all drugs/pills etc unless it's a vitamin.

First I'd like to say please speak with your doctor before your flight. I would not take a sleeping pill. I had a DVT (blood clot) on the way back from NYC. Not to give scary advice but pregnancy is one of the high risk categories for a DVT. It is a very serious condition. Verify that aspirin is OK with your pregnancy. On flights now, I wear compression stocking, I do regular exercises while sitting, I get up once an hour to do bigger leg exercises and walk around, and I take one full strength aspirin. Now I never did any of this before I got the blood clot, but you better believe that I do it now. Although some are at greater risk, the above advice is something that everyone should follow as it can happen to anyone. Any sitting for longer than a few hours is not a good idea. I know you need your rest, but I say sleep when you get there, stay active on the plane!

I would ask your doctor!!!

I had terrible morning sickness with both my children so my Dr. told me to take Unisom.....

i don't think it would be safe.

During your pregnancy you should'nt be taking anything more than Tylenol, and that should be limited. Unless your Dr. gives you a medication to take, I would highly recommend you not take anything. I am a mother,..have 2 grown kids of my own and the worst I ever did while pregnant was eat too much!!

Hi M.,

I suggest taking a 1/2 of Unisom. That is what my OBGYN suggested for me when I was extremely sick the first 4 months of my pregnancy. I am currently 25 weeks pregnant and just took Tylenol Extra Strength Sinus tabs which worked wonders last night. I feel tons better. My doctor did say you could take Extra Strength Tylenol, so I did. I hope this helps. Good luck with your pregnancy and with your new baby. It is so exciting having the first one-very overwhelming but so worth it!

Take care,

M.

Check with you dr. on this topic. And any time you need to know if something is okay to do, or if your dr. suggests a procedure, you should always ask if there is any medical reason why you can/can not do it. Always find out the benefits, risks, alternatives, to things. The more you know about any procedure, or medication you want to take, the better you will be able to make an informed decision that will be right for you and your family.

My Dr. advised that I could take Ambien periodically once I was over my first trimester since I suffer from anxiety and was off maintenance meds for that.

You should absolutely talk to your doctor first. A one time use on a flight should not present a great risk and may be OK.

Be sure to talk to your Dr and if you decide to take something - get something prescribed by your Dr. and do not use an over the counter sleep aid. I think it would present more risk and they have side effects that prescription drugs do not.

Have a great trip

Play it safe and ask your doctor. You should never take any medication while pregnant without the advice of your doctor.

Hi M., I had troubling sleeping all through the beginning of my pregnancy. I am at 25 weeks now and finally able to fall asleep at a normal time. At my last Dr. visit ( i was at 19 weeks) my Dr. told me I could take Benydryl, I looked at the main ingredient for sleep and it is the same in Unisom. So I took this for a few weeks and I was fine. It helped me to fall asleep when my mind was racing. I still woke up 5 times in the night to pee though :)

I wouldn't take anything. They advise not to take any medications while pregnant unless the benefit outweighs the risks and if all you are trying to do is sleep I'm pretty sure its not worth the risks. What if your child had some sort of issue when they were born, you might end up blaiming yourself and playing the "what if" game. Not worth it...yet upgrading to first class and trying to get rest on your flight would be mommie! Good luck!

My husband and I took a trip overseas a couple of years ago and our doctor advised us not to take sleep aids while flying. I don't remember exactly what he was concerned with (I think it had to do with blood clotting). I was not pregnant at the time - I advise talking to your doctor!