Everyone gets sick. Everyone gets colds. Everyone takes medicine that helps relieve the pain and symptoms of the cold and flu and makes them a little drowsy in return.
But not everyone flies drones.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications pose a real risk to UAS pilots. They're easily accessed and commonly used; their effects are typically mild. However, the Benadryl that you take safely in your living room can become a dangerous drug when you take the controls of your drone.
This is one thing that all UAS operators must remember: a drone isn't a toy, even if that is how they are marketed. Once you're flying a drone that weighs several pounds and is flying fifty feet or higher in the air, you are in control of a projectile that can become lethal if it crashes into something (or someone) or plummets out of the sky.
UAS pilots have a responsibility to mitigate risk when they fly. From a human factors perspective, that means being well-rested, relatively healthy, and of sound mind. Yes, just like the "real" pilots who fly manned craft. When you are in control of an aerial vehicle, you are a pilot, regardless of whether or not you are sitting in the cockpit.
Fatigue degrades decision making and reaction time. Stress does the same. The first is a physiological effect. The second is a distractive effect. The net result is the same: riskier operation.
The moral of the story: if you're impaired to the point where you can't safely operate a manned aircraft, you're impaired to the point where you can't fly a drone, either. Get some sleep, clear your head, and stay away from the drowsy medications. The quadcopter will be there tomorrow.
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