Fear of Flying
Patients often come to us requesting the doctor or nurse to prescribe diazepam for fear of flying or assist with sleep during flights.
There are a number of very good reasons why prescribing this drug is not recommended.
Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. This may mean you are less able to react to emergency situations putting yourself and others at risk
Sedative medication can make you fall asleep. This is an unnatural sleep and means you move less than you would do during natural sleep. This puts you at increased risk of developing a blood clot, called a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). DVT’s are dangerous and can be fatal.
While most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam relaxing some people encounter increased agitation and aggression. This may cause you to behave in a way you may not do normally and could impact your safety and the safety of other passengers
According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow (British National Formulary) diazepam is contraindicated (not allowed) for treating phobias (fears).
Your doctor would be taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines.
Given the above we will no longer be providing Diazepam or similar drugs for flight anxiety and instead suggest the below aviation industry recommended flight anxiety courses.
For further information: