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Original poster

Anyone used drugs on long flights?

29 replies

melrose · 12/01/2006 16:40

Legal ones for kids!

I am flying to Australia with DS (20 mo) in February, several people have mentioned phenegan(sp) on prescription from the doc. Has anyone used and would you recommend?

OP posts:
waterfalls · 12/01/2006 16:42

My step-sister fly's alot, she just gives her ds calpol.

lou33 · 12/01/2006 16:44

we got phenergan when we flew to thailand, but actually used melatonin, as recommmended by the gp as well.

both worked but i preferred to use the melatonin

lou33 · 12/01/2006 16:44

calpol has no sedative in it

Original poster
melrose · 12/01/2006 16:51

Hi Lou, thansk, why was melatonin better? Did it just knock your lo out?

OP posts:
lou33 · 12/01/2006 17:13

because it replicates the natural sleep cycle, so they actually felt like they wanted to sleep, rather than being knocked out.

both are good tho!

Pagan · 12/01/2006 17:46

Not sure if you can use it for kids but I used Valerian for myself coming back from Oz. It's a herbal sedative so it might be OK.

chicagomum · 12/01/2006 17:50

How old do they have to be to take melatonin and can you just ask gp's for things like that or do you need special justification iyswim.

lou33 · 12/01/2006 17:51

this was nov 04, so my youngest would have been 3 1/2

the gp recommended it, but we had to source it ourselves

foxinsocks · 12/01/2006 17:52

I know some people who have tried phenergan and it has made their child hyperactive. I think this is quite rare though.

lou33 · 12/01/2006 17:52

trial run of phenergan is advised, yes.

chicagomum · 12/01/2006 17:54

How did you source it ? We will soon be flying overnight to cape town and would love some for dd(4) (I guess ds (1) is too young for anything).

Aimsmum · 12/01/2006 17:56

Message withdrawn

lou33 · 12/01/2006 18:15

ebay, i am not sure how young it can be used, you would have to do some googling, but dd1 had phenergan when she was under 1 to regulate her sleep patterns as a baby, under gp supervision

SoupDragon · 12/01/2006 18:24

I've dosed DSs with medised or piriton shortly before boarding a nightflight just to tip them over the edge into sleep.

Hausfrau · 12/01/2006 18:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Milge · 12/01/2006 18:26

Yes, I dosed my 13m dt's with pirition for the flight to Australia and back.

ediemay · 12/01/2006 18:26

I have flown to Australia twice with DS (at 10m and 24m) to Tokyo 3 times, Thailand twice and Dubai 3 times and really don't think this is necessary. DS hardly slept but it was fine, it is really not that big a deal.

ediemay · 12/01/2006 18:32

Sorry but I really don't get this. Piriton? It is quite a strong antihistamine. Why give it to a child just because you are going on a plane? My brother almost lost his life at age 9 from a strong reaction to Piriton, given on prescription for severe hayfever.

lou33 · 12/01/2006 18:38

with 4 kids to travel with, it was them taking it or me

you dont like it, that's ok, different people have different ways of coping

ghosty · 12/01/2006 18:43

Personally I agree with ediemay.
As most of you know I have flown with DS and DD from NZ to the UK (numerous times with DS and once so far with both of them) and haven't given them anything.
No, scratch that, I tried the first time we flew with DS (he was just 2 at the time) with phenergan and it did absolutely NOTHING!
Since then I haven't bothered ... I did it because everybody seemed to tell me it was the 'done' thing but I just don't see the point.
I once sat near a lady who had drugged her son and he slept all the way (a 24 hour journey). When we got to Auckland he was a wreck ... he was literally hungover and obviously felt terrible.

ghosty · 12/01/2006 18:45

If I had 4 kids I might take a different stance on this obviously ...

ediemay · 12/01/2006 18:49

I just don't get why people want to medically sedate children to travel. Don't get it and never will. Don't beleive in dosing children with anything unless they are ill and need it. FWIW the trips I have listed are a few of many which I have done alone with DS, who is very lively. I'm perfectly aware that different people have different ways of coping.

It's worth noting that Gulf Air employ "Sky Nannies" to help look after children inflight. IME, Singapore and Virgin crews are also great with children.

Safe journeys.

Chandra · 12/01/2006 18:53

24 hours sleeping? that seems to me like an overdose!. I confess I have felt tempted but so far waking him up early and not allowing him to take a nap has made.

Believe it or not, is still easier to travel with a 20m old than with an older child, just dress him very cute and I promiss lots of people will come to your help! it works like a charm

Chandra · 12/01/2006 18:54

has made the trick, I meant to say

foxinsocks · 12/01/2006 19:00

I too didn't believe in giving the kids anything until I endured a 12 hour cape town flight with dd and ds (30 months and 15 months at the time). Dd was a pleasure, ds never stopped screaming from the minute we got on till the minute we got off (and then he promptly fell asleep for half a day). He got completely stressed being stuck in such a small space and hated the fact he couldn't charge about. He couldn't get comfortable to sleep (it was a packed flight and he was on my lap) and looking back on it now, it would probably have been kinder for him to have been given something that would have made him slightly more sedate.

Actually, if someone had offered me drugs at the time, I would probably have taken a full dose and knocked myself out.

It might be worth taking something with you but only using it if it is necessary.

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