Go and no-go pills explained

In the U.S. military, go pills and no-go pills refers to stimulant medications meant to increase wakefulness and hypnotic medications taken to ensure adequate rest in preparation for upcoming tasks. As of November 2012, medications approved as no-go pills by the U.S. Air Force for aircrew and AFSOC^[1] forces include:

Temazepam (Restoril), with a 12-hour restriction on subsequent flight operation
Zaleplon (Sonata), with a 4-hour restriction on subsequent flight operation
Zolpidem (Ambien), with a 6-hour restriction on subsequent flight operation

Go pill

In contrast to the sleeping agents, a go pill refers to a wakefulness-promoting agent used for fatigue management, especially in a military combat-readiness context; this is contrasted with a no-go pill, which is used to promote sleep in support of combat operations. A go pill generally contains one of the following drugs:

Amphetamine (methamphetamine having been used historically, such as during the Second World War), which is a strong psychostimulant drug; no longer approved officially for use by the U.S. Air Force,^[2] possibly due to safety concerns brought up in the wake of incidents like the Tarnak Farm incident.^[3]
Modafinil, a wakefulness-promoting drug (or eugeroic)^[4] ^[5]

Notes and References

http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/afsoc/publication/afsoci48-101/afsoci48-101.pdf Air Force Special Operations Command Instruction 48-101
http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/afsoc/publication/afsoci48-101/afsoci48-101.pdf Air Force Special Operations Command Instruction 48–101
News: Bonne . Jon . ‘Go pills’: A war on drugs? . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111224145/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3071789 . dead . November 11, 2020 . 18 May 2024 . NBC News . Jan 13, 2006.
Web site: Tech. Sgt. J.C. Woodring . Air Force scientists battle aviator fatigue . 5 January 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121014113247/http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123007615 . 14 October 2012 . 30 April 2004 . www.af.mil.
Emonson DL, Vanderbeek RD . The use of amphetamines in U.S. Air Force tactical operations during Desert Shield and Storm . Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine . 66 . 3 . 260–3 . 1995 . 7661838 .