NHS bans fear of flying drugs

steveh35

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When I got to work today there was a printout stating the NHS has banned drugs used by people who have a fear of flying from being prescribed, they give the reasons as

1) you should be alert on a flight and be prepared to help out if something happens and not rely on cabin crew if you are under a drug influence.
2) The drugs can cause the loss of REM in sleep which means your body may not move during sleep causing a risk of DVT.

When I asked what the alternative was I was told that flying is a personal choice and their is no safe drug to take and the only alternative is counselling.

I cannot find this on the internet so looks like something the NHS has sneaked in by the backdoor with no publicity but if you know anyone who uses these for plane travel might be best to warn them, this is what I had to tell a patient today so assume it will become posted online when people become more aware of it.

Update: here is an nhs link to the new reasons
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I have a friend who takes strong sleeping tablets when he flies and at one point after taking his usual dose as the plane was taxiing on a long haul flight, the plane developed a fault and they had to change planes. He was literally carried onto the other plane as he couldn’t wake up!

Your post doesn’t mention sleeping tablets but how could they be any different?
 
My boyfriend has diazapam
Or lorazapam every flight we take cos he has a phobia of flying since he was a kid when the plane he was on had severe turbulence and emergency landing its a bit concerning now as he’s gonna have to go on the black
Market for these pills as we just got back from Mallorca and our GP gave him 4 tablets for the both flights only 2mg each one but really help him as otherwise he would not get on a plane.
 
I have a friend who takes strong sleeping tablets when he flies and at one point after taking his usual dose as the plane was taxiing on a long haul flight, the plane developed a fault and they had to change planes. He was literally carried onto the other plane as he couldn’t wake up!

Your post doesn’t mention sleeping tablets but how could they be any different?
I suppose if you went to your gp and said I need sleeping tablets for flying they might say sorry we are not allowed to prescribe for flying, one of the rules I posted stated cabin crew cannot be responsible for passengers who are not fully alert.
 
My boyfriend has diazapam
Or lorazapam every flight we take cos he has a phobia of flying since he was a kid when the plane he was on had severe turbulence and emergency landing its a bit concerning now as he’s gonna have to go on the black
Market for these pills as we just got back from Mallorca and our GP gave him 4 tablets for the both flights only 2mg each one but really help him as otherwise he would not get on a plane.
From the info we received today these would no longer be available on the nhs.
 
I would guess tho its like anything else that cant be prescribed on NHS no more, is that you could get it via a private prescription for POM normally via your own doctor, you would have to pay for it yourself rather than the overstretched NHS paying for something thats technically recreational. We cant keep expecting the NHS to pay for everything.

My mate actually just takes some co-codamol before his flights which although not ideal it takes the edge off enough for him to deal with it.

Im sure there is other over the counter things that would help a little.
 
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My boyfriend has diazapam
And lorazapam every flight we take cos he has a phobia of flying since he was a kid when the plane he was on had severe turbulence and emergency landing its a bit concerning now as he’s gonna have to go on the black
Market for these pills as we just got back from Mallorca and our GP gave him 4 tablets for the both flights only 2mg each one but really help him as otherwise he would not get on a plane.
I will bring a copy back from work tomorrow and post it on this page so everyone can read it.
thank you!!!! :) we are off back to Mallorca in a month so any info would be great would it be worth checking with our GP?
 
thank you!!!! :) we are off back to Mallorca in a month so any info would be great would it be worth checking with our GP?
You may have to consider getting a private prescription
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but I am not really sure how these work all I know is when I asked the GP today he said no alternatives I am considering a short flight to Ireland never flown before but suffer with bad anxiety so was hoping to get something myself but looks like it has come at the wrong time for me.
 
Never knew such thing existed and I would never take any tablets anyway.

I will be flying to Europe in about 2 months and its a 23 hour flight, I will get drunk instead, I will not be alert :eek2:

One or two glasses of wine and I'll be gone as I rarely drink :laugh:
 
When I got to work today there was a printout stating the NHS has banned drugs used by people who have a fear of flying from being prescribed, they give the reasons as

1) you should be alert on a flight and be prepared to help out if something happens and not rely on cabin crew if you are under a drug influence.
2) The drugs can cause the loss of REM in sleep which means your body may not move during sleep causing a risk of DVT.

When I asked what the alternative was I was told that flying is a personal choice and their is no safe drug to take and the only alternative is counselling.

I cannot find this on the internet so looks like something the NHS has sneaked in by the backdoor with no publicity but if you know anyone who uses these for plane travel might be best to warn them, this is what I had to tell a patient today so assume it will become posted online when people become more aware of it.

Update: here is an nhs link to the new reasons
You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

They've been prescribing valium type drugs for years to help them manage to fly, sounds a bit like overkill to me. Valerian might work a bit as a herbal alternative. Statins cause a hell of a lot of side effects [from reading up about them, including patient's reviews etc..] but the nhs is very keen to prescribe them to all and sundry.

That reason '1' sounds like a right 'busybody jobsworth' reason, what business is it of the nhs prescribing advisers how alert you are on a flight and 'be prepared to help out if something happens' :confused: this country gets more and more kafkaesque and orwellian by the day...

Edit: I wonder if all doctors around the world are now following this advice and not providing phobic flyers with any medicinal help to control their fears :rolleyes: .
 
They've been prescribing valium type drugs for years to help them manage to fly, sounds a bit like overkill to me. Valerian might work a bit as a herbal alternative. Statins cause a hell of a lot of side effects [from reading up about them, including patient's reviews etc..] but the nhs is very keen to prescribe them to all and sundry.

That reason '1' sounds like a right 'busybody jobsworth' reason, what business is it of the nhs prescribing advisers how alert you are on a flight and 'be prepared to help out if something happens' :confused: this country gets more and more kafkaesque and orwellian by the day...

Edit: I wonder if all doctors around the world are now following this advice and not providing phobic flyers with any medicinal help to control their fears :rolleyes: .
They've been prescribing valium type drugs for years to help them manage to fly, sounds a bit like overkill to me. Valerian might work a bit as a herbal alternative. Statins cause a hell of a lot of side effects [from reading up about them, including patient's reviews etc..] but the nhs is very keen to prescribe them to all and sundry.

That reason '1' sounds like a right 'busybody jobsworth' reason, what business is it of the nhs prescribing advisers how alert you are on a flight and 'be prepared to help out if something happens' :confused: this country gets more and more kafkaesque and orwellian by the day...

Edit: I wonder if all doctors around the world are now following this advice and not providing phobic flyers with any medicinal help to control their fears :rolleyes: .
maybe it goes back to Mark32red example of having to carry someone off a plane cos they had taken sleeping tablets who knows we all knows it's probably about saving money in the end.
 
maybe it goes back to Mark32red example of having to carry someone off a plane cos they had taken sleeping tablets who knows we all knows it's probably about saving money in the end.

but steve aren't a lot of these medicines cheap generics now, benzodiazepine, I think is basically the same as valium, I don't think it's cost related but a lot of NICE's guidance is influenced by cost I believe...

Edit: it's the nanny state basically, or a cheap effective drug is being removed... the mail did an article the other day about how some old medicines can help battle cancer and improve outcomes, but there is less money in it for big pharma so no one wants or is doing the necessary trials...
 
I’m a terrible flyer (panic attacks/crying I.e. never fly with me as a companion )

I’ve found that the American anti sickness drug Dramamine works wonders. You can get it from the paper shops in the US but not in the UK.

Have 1 with a glass of wine and you don’t notice the turbulence but are still alert enough to walk/talk etc.
 

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