Children on Flights

[dsherida]

I know most people in this forum are docs, but I am still a med student. I had a question that came about after I was reading about how some people give their children a small children's benadryl for long flights to help them calm down and sleep if it is an evening flight. Granted I have only learned about diphenhydramine in pharmacology, but to me that seems totally fine. As long as it is the recommended doses and not used excessively (ie. once for the flight) it seems reasonable to me...especially from the flights I have been on where you feel so bad for the screaming kid and their parents. Any thoughts???

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[All4MyDaughter]

Watch out for the paradoxical CNS stimulation.

When I've flown with my daughter (4 years old) I've tried to schedule the flight at times when she'll be naturally sleepy. She fell asleep on the runway waiting for takeoff on our last flight.

But diphenhydramine never seems to make her all that sleepy.

 

[MelRoos]

Ditto - it made my kid crazy. I schedule flights over naptimes or long ones for the evening. Plus we have a portable DVD and lots of activites snacks etc... I took her on a ton of the residency inteviews- she's done 12 roundtrips so far and has been good as long as we do it on her terms...

 

[Marigold]

Yeah, I'm not sure about kiddos specifically, but I know when I take diphenhydramine it gives me crazy restless legs....found this out on an overnight flight to London several years ago. I was trying to make myself sleep but instead went stir crazy with restless legs and arms and body. It was nooooooo fun!

I'm no expert, but I would assume it wouldn't be harmful to kids in appropriate doses...however, if sedation is the effect you're going for, you must know how the particular child reacts to it, because it does indeed cause paradoxical stimulation in some people.

 

[m1234d]

my mom totally drugged me for flights-- no qualms about it. as a monday through friday traveler for many years, she was not about to be the source of one of her greatest irritations (why did she have kids??). the paradoxical stimulation others mentioned can be really bad though, i however, sleep like a baby.

 

[MaddieMay]

I have a friend who, in addition to the Bendryl, hands out pairs of ear plugs to everyone around her.