The use of Diazepam for Fear of flying is not routinely recommended by the aviation industry and many doctors for the following reasons:
- Diazepam is a sedative so if there was an emergency situation on the flight it would impair your ability to follow instructions or react to the situation which could affect the safety of yourself and those around you.
- Sedation causes you to move around less and causes an unnatural type of deep sleep – this puts you at an increased risk of blood clots such as a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE).
- Diazepam can cause some people to become agitated rather than relaxed and also cause disinhibition. This can even happen to people who have had diazepam before and felt relaxed with it. This could impact on your safety on the flight or even get you into trouble with the law.
- National prescribing guidelines do not advise the prescribing of Diazepam for phobias such as fear of flying
- There is evidence that repeated use of diazepam for phobias can stop the normal adjustment response to anxiety, therefore making anxiety worse in the longer term.
- Diazepam is illegal in some countries so could get you into trouble with the law.
- Diazepam stays in your system for a long time, so if you have random drugs testing for your work then you need to take this into consideration.
- You need to tell your travel insurer about your medical conditions and the medication that you take, otherwise you risk not being covered if you need to make a claim.
Fear of flying can be a very distressing and debilitating condition. Evidence shows that the most effective treatment for fear of flying is one of the fear of flying courses. Here are some examples:
https://www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com/
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travelassistance/flying-with-confidence
https://www.flyingwithoutfear.co.uk/
However, if you still feel you would like a prescription of Diazepam please book an appointment with a doctor to discuss your needs in more detail.
