is it advisable to take tylenol?

[KiTmAn]

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advisable to take tylenol to get some good sleep the nite before the test...im prolly gonna TRYto go to sleep at bout 9 pm and not fall asleep till like 1 because of the test the next morn..so if i take tylenol i will fall asleep quickly..therefore, i was jus wondering if u guys think its advisable to take tylenol the nite before the test for some good sleep...?

 

[aye]

advisable to take tylenol to get some good sleep the nite before the test...im prolly gonna TRYto go to sleep at bout 9 pm and not fall asleep till like 1 because of the test the next morn..so if i take tylenol i will fall asleep quickly..therefore, i was jus wondering if u guys think its advisable to take tylenol the nite before the test for some good sleep...?

try it tonight and see what happends... if it works... do it friday night.

 

[myodana]

i wouldn't do it if you've never done it before. instead, go to bed at whatever time you normally go to bed. i think i went to sleep around 11 or 11:30 the night before... (olympics opening ceremonies were one!) if you go to bed too early, you'll definitely lie awake stressing - try to avoid that 🙂 g'luck!

 

[izibo]

acetaminophen does not make you tired, and it is the active ingredient in tylenol. tylenol PM also has diphenhydramine HCl in addition to the acetaminophen which is what knocks you out.

You can buy diphenhydramine HCl by itself under the name simply sleep or benadryl (yep, its an antihistamine 🙂 ) same drug either way.

I actually plan on taking nyquil and diphenhydramine HCl the night before the exam because I have been having problems sleeping the last two nights!

 

[45408]

I wouldn't advise it. Just get up early enough on Friday morning that you're tired by your normal bedtime on Friday night. Don't do anything weird now - like sleep too little OR too much.

 

[KiTmAn]

thnx guys thas good advice...im actually gonna prolly take nyquill tonite and see how i feel tomm..and if successful i plan on doing the same for friday nite...because sleep has been a major problem for me for the past week now...

 

[shawty ya'head]

on thing i HIGHLY advise is this:

take a power bar or two, break it into pieces.
then roll those pieces up and put it in a sandwhich bag.


you're going to need to EAT during the biological section after lunch.
here's the reason: lunch is a trip, everyone is flippin' out and you're not really in the mood/stomach can't really handle food. SO, you're going to zonk during the bio section, therefore you need these.

THIS was the reason i got a 13 on Bio instead of an 8. i was getting SO tired but i kept eating these little power balls from my bag.

g'luck.

 

[pseudoknot]

I strongly advise against taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl/Tylenol PM etc.) the night before the MCAT unless you've done this before and been able to function well at 8am the next day. It has a pretty long half life and often causes a sort of hangover well after you've woken up the next day.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/job185drugs/diphenhydramine.htm

Something like Ambien or Sonata should be fine if you've taken it before!

 

[izibo]

From the source:

Duration of Effects: Dose-dependent, however, following oral administration of therapeutic doses, peak plasma concentrations are reached in 2-3 hours and effects usually last 4-6 hours.

Even if you theoretically double the time frame (ie. 8-12 hours) and you take the pills at 8:00 the night before there is no way you are going to be feeling the effects. However, I still strongly suggest a trial run tonight and I would actually do it again thursday night as well. Just as long as you're comftorable.

If it makes anyone feel better, I have been taking a double wammy of nyquil + diphenhydramine at 8:00 every night since monday just getting my body set up. I have had absolutely no problems being up and frisky at 6:00 🙂

 

[MollyMalone]

I often take a little diphenhydramine to help me sleep if I'm having trouble and I've never had a "hangover" the next morning as long as I give myself at least 7-8 hours before I need to get up. But I definitely wouldn't try it for the first time the night before... different people react differently.

I like chamomile tea at bedtime, too... dunno if it's a placebo effect or what, but I find it very relaxing. Chamomile pillow spray is nice, too. Others here have said that lavender works well... I wouldn't know, I had to de-lavender my life since my boyfriend is violently allergic to it. 🙁

Sweet dreams and good luck!

 

[humuhumu]

on thing i HIGHLY advise is this:

take a power bar or two, break it into pieces.
then roll those pieces up and put it in a sandwhich bag.


you're going to need to EAT during the biological section after lunch.
here's the reason: lunch is a trip, everyone is flippin' out and you're not really in the mood/stomach can't really handle food. SO, you're going to zonk during the bio section, therefore you need these.

THIS was the reason i got a 13 on Bio instead of an 8. i was getting SO tired but i kept eating these little power balls from my bag.

g'luck.

You're allowed to have food during the exam?? Or only if you can get away with it....?

 

[musiclink213]

i once took nyquil before an orgo exam. i was really sick and i needed sleep. i took it at 10 pm. my test was at 10 am. i got up, took the test, but when he handed it back, i didn't remember even looking at any of the test questions. big fat 32. yep, it seems like nyquil stays in my system for 14 hours. thankuflly, he dropped that grade.

 

[tigress]

I know that personally I always feel hungover if I take anything like benadryl, even if I get plenty of sleep. I would definitely not take anything the night before the test. Like everybody else said, if you're going to do it, do at least one trial run. Really, though, even if you can't sleep the night before, adrenaline ought to help you during the test. And a good lunch will help keep you awake for the second half.

 

[KiTmAn]

yup doin that trial run tonite...ill post the results tomm

 

[sahil22]

I liked the powerball idea..

Well I have been lately sleeping like 14 hours a day unlike my usual 6 hours.. so I guess I dont need meds...

Based on my experience I think MCATS are a test of ur mental stability at times.. how much u can retain and understand and still move forward at a good pace.. mostly the actual thinking is less than the understanding of the passage.

I plan to get ready at 6am and walk to my test center which is around 10 miles. Just a oxygenated start of day.

For those taking the computer tests, take one of those eye relaxing pads to put in during your break. My first mcat was a comp based one and after 5 hours.. i coulnt read any damn thing on that stupid flikering pc screen.

 

[csgasdoc]

i once took nyquil before an orgo exam. i was really sick and i needed sleep. i took it at 10 pm. my test was at 10 am. i got up, took the test, but when he handed it back, i didn't remember even looking at any of the test questions. big fat 32. yep, it seems like nyquil stays in my system for 14 hours. thankuflly, he dropped that grade.

Weird, I took the AAMC 8 yesterday, and had taken nyquil the night before, and was popping dayquil's all through the test, as I have the flu right now. Got a 40 on it (P14, V11, B15). Yay Drugs! 👍

 

[shawty ya'head]

well, it depends on who your proctor is in terms of having food.


technically you cannot have food ON YOUR DESK. so what i did was keep the bag right in my lap and eat little power balls during the bio section, my proctor was completely cool with it.

by the time you get to that section, you're mentally exhausted. TRUST ME, even if you're cruising during practice exams the real thing is much more draining since your mind is on over-exert and also hyper-tension drive. use the nerves to your advantage by the way, i LEARNED how to do this.

the morning sections are ok since you're high on adrenliane and relatively fresh. Oh yes, sleep the night before, somehow (i know this is easier said than done).

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Diphenhydramine definitely leaves me groggy until noon, even if I take it at 8 or 9pm the night before. I've been doing the "trial-run" every night since monday, including last night, and I still have woken up drowsy every morning. Worst of all, I perform unusually poor on the mini-practice tests that I take right when I wake up, missing questions based on passage info that I would almost NEVER miss under normal circumstances.
Moral of the story - learn the effects of sleeping pills on your body BEFORE April 15 - I sure as hell will NOT be taking Unisom (diphenhydramine) the night before the test. Like Prowler suggested, I'll be waking up tomorrow at 6:30 so that I'm tired by 9 on Friday night.
Good luck to all!