To want something to help me travel by plane

@Riverswims why is that? Surely you take the medicine before you fly. A prescription from a dentist is legit. But you wouldn't be carrying the prescription with you on the flight.
It doesn't matter who prescribed it as long as it works.

erm yeah no! The prescription would need to come from the GP not the dentist private or otherwise

I'm terrified of flying but have to do Aus-UK once a year and this is what helps me:

Noise cancelling headphones. You can't hear all of the little noises of the plane and you can just zone out a bit. I download heaps of podcasts and that helps break the time up to shorter chunks which helps.

10mg Phenergan (promethazine) - try at home before you fly. Just one tablet before bed. I find they help and you can buy over the counter as they are an anti histamine. I don't drink with these.

I look at the flight radar app quite a bit in the days leading up to my flight and it helps me realise just how many planes are flying at any one time and are landing safely. I also repeat in my head that the journey to the airport was more dangerous and I wasn't worried about that.

Find a mindfulness app that has breathing exercises.

Hope some of that helps.

I could have written every word of this post PatheticDistraction.

I have exactly the same problem.

Not remotely concerned about crashing. Just cannot tolerate the suffocating claustrophobia.

So pissed off that diazepam isn’t available.
I am very wary of taking medication in general and my doctor used to prescribe me four pills per trip. (And I only flew twice a year.) Half a pill was sufficient to get me through one flight.
So I would literally have three pills left over every time which I binned. I never used it in other situations. There was no chance of me becoming addicted.

Invested a lot of money and time in various therapies over a decade which didn’t work.

And now I see my family less often.

I hate flying, my anxiety is partly rooted in extreme claustrophobia - attempting mindfulness made my anxiety much worse, I have also tried rescue remedy (ha!) CBD, hypnosis, CBT, EMDR, FoF course (my fear isn't related to safety, so wasn't very helpful), and similarly the books relating to FoF haven't helped for the same reasons.

The only thing that ever helped me was diazepam & proplanalol (to a lesser extent) - since these are no longer prescribed I haven't been able to fly, which has been gutting - all my immediate family are overseas.

I keep looking for solutions, and try anything that is suggested, but it is debilitating. I really feel for you xxx

Diazepam costs pennies. It’s not a cost-cutting issue, it’s a safety issue. As others have said, there are other options.

I'm the same. Glass of wine helps loads. And I try to focus on the sheer numbers of passengers - millions every year - who travel safely. I tell myself "right this very minute there's thousands of other flights happening, as they were yesterday, as there will be tomorrow". I also try to look around - when there's a bit of turbulence, is anyone else looking as panicky as me? The answer is always no 😂 This calms me down as it helps me recognise that I'm in a unwarranted state of alarm when literally everyone else is sleeping or reading.

Safe travels and enjoy your holiday!

Try some self hypnosis or hypnosis tracks, they can really help relaxation on the plane. Deep breathing and going through the flight in your mind ahead of it can help. Tablets or alcohol can sometimes make the fear worse as you don’t feel in control

Noise cancelling headphones are a game changer.

I think I f you fly next to someone who knows you hate flying and they try and chat all the way it just makes it worse. A stranger who doesn't know can be a distraction.

I went through a weird phase of being scared of flying after I had my son (this was totally out of the blue - I used to work for an aircraft manufacturer and have a degree in the area so I know how safe it is and what the noises are).

What really helped me was considering that DH used to fly all the time for work, and I didn't worry about him at all. If I genuinely, deep down thought it was dangerous, then I should have been in a state every time he flew, and I wasn't. Of course, if your anxiety is too bad to rationalise, this thought probably won't help!

@catlovingdoctor fair enough. I was pleasantly surprised that mine prescribed it willingly. It really did help a lot though!

@suki1964 suki1964 · Yesterday 23:56

If you can afford it you could try seeing a private GP.
Why? They still wont prescribe

They usually will if you have taken diazepam before for flying and can assure them it doesn't make you out of it/dozy.

The whole point about NICE guidelines is basically restricting and restricting what can be prescribed by the NHS to save money. If you know anyone who is on a cancer pathway where there are treatments available but they can't have for random reasons like they had the surgery first so cant now have the specific immuno/ drug therapy you will know how horribly draconian this is. It applies to pretty much anything. There are dementia decline delaying drugs which are really expensive but could give an individual a good quality of life for a few years - but too expensive so they tell you there is nothing you can have. It's all about money.

NICE actually say themselves
NICE helps practitioners and commissioners get the best care to patients, fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer.

The nonsense about it being unsafe to have diazepam for flying is just that. These days the most they prescribe is 2.5mg tablets which has an effect but is such a small dose no one is going to fail to get off a plane in an emergency any more than they would if they had to be woken from a sleep and were more sleepy.

The whole NHS change is just daft. People have been taking diazepam for a bit of 'take the edge off 'calming for flying for decades and decades with no real problem. That's why private GPs will usually prescribe it for you because there is no issue actually.

Try this:
https://healf.com/collections/sensate?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAoQ3uJW6RBnmwAU9WxjTO-UKIpRpY&gclid=CjwKCAiA9bq6BhAKEiwAH6bqoJptaD8kYfqIswtPJh4lPHUXwQWXS-GeTSk1MFWIgJkWL2vSWpjvlRoCv0oQAvD_BwE
I find it genuinely helpful for all sorts of anxiety. Get it in advance and start using so you know which ones work for you. There is one programme that literally knocks me out. It’s bizarre - but v helpful when I can’t sleep.

Re diazepam, it is irritating that it was prescribed in the way it was for things like flying and dentistry. This is not a proper use of a powerful and addictive drug. It is virtually impossible to get it now - even for severe episodes of chronic conditions - where it may well be needed. But that’s how it is. Without that I suppose I wouldn’t have found other methods so maybe many of us were prescribed it inappropriately.

Honestly don't forget to breath, nice deep breaths.
Focus on one point during take off.
Look to the staff, I always find it so reassuring to see them looking a bit bored or calm and smiley - they do this most days it's fine.
Remind yourself it's more dangerous to drive to the airport than the flight itself.
Avoid alcohol
Eye mask? Or something snuggly like a cushion or blanket to clasp onto.
Tell yourself you're going for a wedding and it'll be amazing!

You have time to work with a hypnotherapist. Have a look here https://www.afsfh.com

find a solution focused hypnotherapist who uses the rewind/reframe technique for fears and phobias this is a very effective technique. Good luck and enjoy the wedding and your Christmas in the sun! 😎

see if you can get Valium in the country you end up flying to. It’s ridiculous that you can’t get it for flying, it’s the perfect use for it.

Keep telling yourself you are excited, not nervous. They feel surprisingly similar.

The main thing that helped me overcome my worry around flying was doing it more often. You start to realise how ordinary and boring it is really. There are thousands of flights every day. Take lots to do on the flight, nice snacks and step by step you will have done it.

I have the same weird feeling! If I can see the ground I'm ok but the thought of being over thousands of miles of empty ocean terrifies me. We're planning a big holiday next year and I'm actively trying to change destinations so that it's closer. I know this completely irrational btw!

OP one thing that helps me a little is downloading a couple of movies to my iPad and sticking my headphones in. Helps me focus on something that isn't every damn creak of the stupid metal box far above the ground.

Interesting - why water rather than land? You're flying at pretty much the same height above both!
To be fair, the dying bit you would know very little about, and you know flying is so much safer than any other form of transport...
If by any chance, you are flying to the south of France, and I know you probably don't want to hear it (!), the views as you start the descent are stupendous - they override any anxiety you may have!

I'm a dentist and personally don't prescribe anxiolytics because I'm liable for anything that might happen to a patient after taking them- I.e. en route to an appointment. I refer them to their GP for this if needed.

OK, thank you for that explanation.

I wonder why NICE has come to that conclusion?