In the U.S. military, go pills and no-go pills refer to medications meant, respectively, to increase wakefulness or to induce sleepiness in order to ensure adequate alertness or rest in preparation for upcoming tasks.
Go pill
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,Air Force Special Operations Command Instruction 48–101 (sects. 1.7.4), U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, November 30, 2012. possibly due to safety concerns brought up in the wake of incidents like the Tarnak Farm incident. Modafinil, a wakefulness-promoting drug (or eugeroic)
No-go pill As of November 2012, sleeping agents approved as no-go pills by the U.S. Air Force for aircrew and AFSOCAir Force Special Operations Command Instruction 48-101 , U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, November 30, 2012. 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
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