We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and frightening, however, as a practice, we no longer issue Diazepam and anxiolytics for fear of flying.
Diazepam is a sedative and in the UK is a Class C/Schedule IV controlled drug. The British National Formulary, contraindicates diazepam for treating phobias and states that the use of benzodiazepines to treat short term ‘mild’ anxiety is inappropriate.
Other issues around using diazepam for flight phobias are:
- Although plane emergencies are rare there are concerns that sleepiness will significantly delay your reaction times and ability to take instructions.
- Sedatives cause unnatural non REM sleep, so you will not move around as much, this can increase your risk of developing a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis), in the leg and lungs. This can be a fatal condition.
- A small number of people react to diazepam aggressively and become agitated or disinhibited. This can pose a risk to yourself and others on the plane, as well as get you into legal difficulties and removal from the flight.
- Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in some countries and may be confiscated or lead to arrest.
- Diazepam stays in your system for some time and may affect your driving ability and insurance, as well as your ability to pass a drugs test.
A better approach to fear of flying is to take a course, which is run by most airlines, please contact your airline for further advise. This can permanently improve your fear and lead to more enjoyable trips and holidays. You may also benefit from using other techniques such as visualisation, practicing relaxation techniques and finding healthy distractions.
The website below has some very useful information on how to overcome fear of flying: