PRESCRIBING OF DIAZEPAM FOR FEAR OF FLYING
At Barony Medical Centre we do not prescribe sedatives such as diazepam for fear of flying.
Whilst we appreciate that fear of flying can be frightening and debilitating this decision is in your interests and considers your safety and the safety of other travellers. Many GP practices in the UK have similar policies.
The reasons we have taken this decision are as follows:
- Diazepam is a sedative. This means it is designed to make you more relaxed and sleepy. This can impair your ability to respond to an emergency and could potentially result in harm to yourself or fellow passengers.
- Diazepam can make you fall asleep and result in you being less mobile throughout your flight. This increases the chance of clot formation in your legs that can potentially travel to your lungs and cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolus.
- Alcohol is frequently consumed on flights and this taken alongside diazepam can increase levels of sedation which exacerbates the issues outlined above.
- Some people get agitated and aggressive after taking diazepam and similar drugs. This affects everyone’s safety and could get you into trouble with the law or lead to you being denied boarding or removed from flights.
- Prescribing guidelines used by every doctor in the United Kingdom do not advocate for the use of diazepam in the case of phobias. Therefore, doctors are potentially undertaking a legal risk by prescribing it for this indication.
- Diazepam is illegal in some countries. Should you be found with it on your person or in a urine drugs screen then you would be at risk of possible legal repercussions.
- Diazepam stays in your system for some time. If your job or sport needs you to have random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.
We understand that fear of flying is potentially debilitating. One way of tackling this phobia is with a fear of flying courses offered by various airlines. These courses do cost money however they have none of the potentially harmful side effects of medication and the positive effects of the courses continue after completion, you may choose to look at these. Examples of some of these are documented below.
Additional Consideration
- Flight anxiety does not come under the remit of General Medical Services as defined in the GP contract and so GPs are not obliged to prescribe for this.
- Patients who still wish to take a prescribed sedative for flight anxiety are advised to consult with a private GPor travel clinic. Be aware that they may also strongly discourage its use.
- It is important to tell your travel insurer about your medical conditions and all the medications you take. If you do not, there is a risk of your insurer not paying if you try to make a claim.