Meds pre flight to ease anxiety

[1LT]

Hi. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of giving safe meds to a 5yo boy to help ease anxiety before a flight? To make him a little drowsy or sleepy. I've read that melatonin won't work because it's a daytime flight so his natural melatonin levels will be low, therefore giving melatonin won't be effective as it has to work alongside the body's natural melatonin levels ie at night time. Perhaps cough syrup or allergy medicine? Any advice please?

Never tried it for flights, but what about Piriton (anti histamine)?
It was recommend for teen DD when she couldn't sleep due to anxiety.

Did it work? I thought about piriton but thought it was non drowsy so wouldn't be effective?

Did it work? I thought about piriton but thought it was non drowsy so wouldn't be effective?

It was the liquid version and def drowsy making. It worked OK until we got melatonin and promethazine hydrochloride. But as I said she was a teen.

Piriton (generic name is Chlorphenamine) isn’t non-drowsy. Some other antihistamines are (although they can still make some drowsy), but not that. However, if you are thinking of trying that, you should try it beforehand. It makes some DC hyper.

Ok thanks. Do you know anything about benadryl? Or cough syrup?

Benadryl has different products with different activity ingredients. Some products have the active ingredient of Cetirizine. That is non-drowsy. Some products have Acrivastine as the activity ingredient. That is another non-drowsy one. Although they still make some people drowsy. Not all Benadryl products are suitable for young children.

Similarly, not all cough syrups are the same.

Ok thanks. So it sounds like i might need to try piriton. Or perhaps try a benadryl product that is suitable for children that is drowsy. If such a thing exists

Cetrizine is the drowsy antihistamine. You don't need a branded version as it's no different, just supermarket cetrizine hydrochloride. However, it does not make everyone drowsy.

Also, be conscious that if it does make him drowsy, then he will just be anxious and drowsy, rather than not anxious any more.

Cetirizine is categorised as a non-drowsy antihistamine. See here. Although it still makes some people drowsy.

Yeah, ideally I want him to be drowsy enough to fall asleep but I don't think that'll happen.

I asked the pharmacist for advice about a long flight with DS, aged 4. He told me Phenergan (promethazine) would send him to sleep!

DS was hyper for 8 hours - he talked nonstop. It was more exhausting, than if he had been his normal self.

Did you test it out with DS beforehand?

No, because the pharmacist told me so confidently, it would work!

Equally, I went into a pharmacy a few years ago for an antihistamine for my allergy to my cats. They gave me cetirizine. I took it in the morning and spent the day asleep - I was too drowsy even to cook dinner! I complained to DD about it (she was a pharmacy dispenser). She told me, it can affect some people like that, and she always warned people, when she sold it to them!