Here’s the deal: In a few weeks I’ll be leaving at 10:00 PM for a 14-hour trip in a car (I’m going with my 'rents to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and no, I won’t be doing any of the driving). I absolutely, positively cannot sleep in a car, no matter how tired I am. I’ve tried it a thousand times before on a thousand other trips, and every time it’s just another grueling, wide-awake-though-painfull-sleepy all-nighter. The following day I’m zonked.
Is there something (or a combination of things) that I can take that will guarantee to knock_my_ass_out for at least five or six hours and not kill me in the process? FTR I’ve suffered insomnia most of my adult life. Melatonin has brought sweet blessed relief, but it only works if I’m laying flat, in pitch darkness with a fan going (so the back seat of Mammahomie’s 2003 Dodge Intrepid is out).
Yipes. You can try the usual stuff, over-the-counter sleeping-pills, ny-quil, etc. If I take those things they usually do a pretty good job of knocking me out no matter what, as long as I haven’t had any in a while.
Barring that, you might be able to get a Rx from a doctor for something with a little more ‘kick’… a high-ish dose of valium will relax and knocks lots of people out… but in my experience it’s only good for 2-3 hrs. Some of the other prescription sleep meds are similar to valium, but last longer, although they don’t pack as much of a punch. The newer ones, like Sonata, aren’t in the same class as Valium/etc, and a medium-dose of that stuff put me right to sleep and kept me asleep for the whole night and I actually woke up feeling great the next day. And I’m a hard person to get to sleep well, so that’s saying a lot. Since it’s not a benzodiazapene, doctors would probably be a little more willing to write you a prescription for it.
You could just get trashed and pass out, but I think you’d probably have to write off the following day
HeyHomie, I don’t know what you’ve tried before without success, so I’m gonna suggest a couple of different things, in case you’ve tried some of them and/or don’t have access to others. Just make sure you take whichever you decide to take early on. If you take them 5 or 6 hours before you need to be wide-awake, you’ll probably feel “hungover”.
Try 2 Benadryl (the generic name is Diphenhydramine). Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine, but a side effect is drowsiness. BTW, Diphenhydramine is the “p.m.” in Tylenol p.m. If you don’t think 2 will work, 3 won’t kill you. **I should probably warn you, very rarely people have the exact opposite reaction to Diphenhydramine, and their legs become restless and jumpy. If I were you, I’d try taking a does a couple of nights before the trip, just to see how you react to it.
OR
Try 2 Meclizine HCL it’s an anti-nausea medicine (similar to Dramamine). Like Diphenhydramine, a side effect is drowsiness. You can buy it over the counter.
OR
If your doctor knows you well, you can tell him or her your problem. Chances are, if you explain your situation, and only ask for 1 or 2 pills, they might be willing to prescribe a sleep-aid such as Ambien or Restoril, or an antianxiety medicine, such as Xanax. Just don’t tell your doctor which medicine you want by name. Ambien, Restoril and Xanax are all addictive, and are considered “controlled substances”. So if you ask for a particular one by name, your doctor might think that you’re addicted to that medicine, see it as a drug seeking behavior and be hesitant to prescribe it for you. BTW, you can’t get addicted to it if you only take it once or twice on your trip.
PS No, I’m not an addict, the reason I know this stuff is that I’m a nurse.
Is it possible for you to lie down on the back seat? I also find it impossible to sleep in a car or plane, unless I can lie down, and am also heavily medicated. But if I am sitting up in a seat, nothing I take will have any effect. I was awake for 22 hours of flying to the middle east once, because sleep just would not come.
Those are some good suggestions so far. I would personally go for a couple of Dramamine pills. They knock me (and most people) out cold and have the added benefit of making you immune to motion sickness. They certainly won’t harm you and are almost meant for such a thing. Throw in some melatonin for good measure if you still have problems.
BTW, I went to college in New Orleans (Tulane). Might I ask why you are going to Mardi Gras with your parents? You might have well said that your parents are taking you on a drunken, sex-fest, breast exposing, bead-throwing road-trip. My parents are pretty cool but I wouldn’t even want to stick around with them for all that.
I suffer from mild insomnia on occasion and there is one thing that puts me to sleep.
1.Drink a 6 pack of the beer of your choice*
2.Over the counter sleeping pills*
3.The Cure “Disentegration”
Actually playing “Disentegration” does it for me by itself about 75% of the time.
*I dont know if this very unhealthy or not, so if you die, I didn’t tell you to do this
I have never made it through four bottles of Night Train conscious. Not that I’m advocating such drastic measures while with your parents, but if the bottom line is that you must be out cold, begin with four full bottles of night train and end out cold on the back seat with some left.
The cure is CERTAIN.
Odds are you won’t even make it through three, thus leaving one for the Hair of the Dog that Bit You.
I’ve tried every ‘go-to-sleep’ concoction mentioned in this thread with the exception of Night Train. What the heck’s that?
(All the others just gave me a mild- to medium-level buzz. )
Not OTC, but you could try something called Remeron. Absolutely amazing for someone who also suffers insomnia. If that doesn’t work, there is Sonata, and if you are into herbal, try Kava.
Much as I’d like to, no. I’m too big, and Mrs. HeyHomie will be sitting next to me.
Well, I’m 32 years old, so it’s not they have anything they need to protect me from. But whatever. It’s my parents who got me into Mardi Gras in the first place. They started going when I was in college, and then started dragging me along, and then me and Mrs. HeyHomie…
Anyway, we don’t hang with them the whole time. They do their thing and Mrs. HeyHomie and I do our thing, and we meet up at a certain time to head back to our room. Basically it’s just a convenient way for me and Mrs. HeyHomie to get a trip to MG and split the cost of gas and a room.
Night Train is a high-alcohol-content (just over 17%, IIRC) red wine. Around here, it’s sold in small bottles, i think 375ml. They’re cheap, about $1.79. I’m quite fat, and 3 will get me nice and drunk. It doesn’t taste too bad, but is considered a wino’s drink because it’s so cheap…
OK, so I think I’m gonna go with 3 (maybe four, since I weigh 261 pounds) Tylenol PM’s and 2 Meclizine HCL. Will that kill me? Cause me to puke my guts out? Or will it give the results I’m looking for with no appreciable side effects?
Any pharmacists in the house? Doctors? Nurse it’sjustme?
Hey, I’ll be down there on the 1st. I’ve driven a few times, but never could come up with a sure fire way to rest. Usually we all would be up for like the first 8-10 hours, then drift off at about the same time the driver was ready to switch.
I’ll send you an e:mail. Maybe we can hook up and go hit the Bourbo-cam together.
It probably won’t kill you, but it will make you severely uncomfortable. Tylenol P.M. contains the antihistamine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) which can make you drowsy. Meclizine (OTC brand name Bonine) is also an antihistamine which can make you drowsy. Both of these drugs have anticholinergic properties, as well. Anticholinergic drugs can cause dry mouth, (severe) dry eyes, constipation, dry mucus membranes to the point where your nose bleeds, as well making you unable to go wee-wee. Also, if you take more than 50 mg of diphenhydramine, you can experience something called “anticholinergic delirium” where you hallucinate and stuff. But it will put you to sleep!
