Given a pill on a flight. Is this unusual?

[Morningcrows]

In 2000 I was flying Swiss Air and there was a lot of turbulence. I asked for a G and T to calm the nerves and the hostess could see I was really nervous. She came back with the drink and a small white pill and said it would calm my nerves. I took it without question and can't believe I didn't ask what it was. With the alcohol, it worked and I was much calmer.

I've always wondered what it was. Any idea what an airline could give out back then that would calm the nerves? It really surprises me now that they could do this.

Probably a placebo.

Valium?

Valium on flights usually

Sorry but there's absolutely no way a flight attendant is handing out Valium!!! It's a schedule 4 controlled drug.

Unless they are sharing their own diazepam with the passengers which would be, at best, gross misconduct. At worst, illegal.

Probably a mint

If the turbulance was that bad surely drinks service would have been suspended?

On a recent flight to the USA we had some turbulence arriving on to the eastern seaboard and whilst it really didn't seem that bad to me (just a bit shaky and bouncy), they suspended the drinks service for safety reasons.

They can't just hand out prescription drugs.
It was probably a Kalms or similar. Never under estimate the placebo effect.

Hopefully it was either a sugar pill or a kalms which is basically the same thing, hoping to induce the placebo effect. Anything else would be hugely reckless and irresponsible of the attendant.

A Ricola?

I once had a weird allergic reaction ( nose wouldn't stop streaming/sneezing etc) on a flight and they had to radio somewhere and ask if they could give me an antihistamine. Did your white pill relax you OP?

It doesn't need to be that bad for me to be really nervous. I think they weren't serving drinks from the trolley at the time, I called the flight attendant and asked for one to calm my nerves. Yes maybe it was a placebo or kalms. Just wondered if other international airlines might have authority to dispense a mild valium. Like you can get some things over the counter overseas that you need a prescription for here.

Sorry OP I reread and it worked

I don't know if it's only used when a medical professional is on board, but virgin carry lorazepam.

They gave you a drug and you didn't even query it?

Most airlines carry meds of some form these days, but there are certainly controls on anything other than the most basic of products - from memory over the counter stuff like paracetamol might be OK but only having discussed it with the passenger.

It was a bit different back in 2000 but these days if anything serious crops up that might need serious medication there’s usually a facility for the crew to contact a specialist medical service (via satphone) and it would usually be one of their medics who would advise what, if any, prescription or non- prescription drugs to hand out.

Yes, I just trusted the steward. It was only years later when I was prescribed diazepam for flying (which was the same size) that I questioned it and wondered if that's what I was given but still questioned whether an airline could actually do that.

One airline’s interpretation of when cabin service is suspended is different to another. You will find some carriers insist that when the seat belt signs are on (captain’s decision) it applies to all passengers and crew, while others think it’s acceptable to continue to serve hot coffee.

Interesting. This was Ametican Airlines. Maybe they were anxious about potential lawsuits from hot drinks spillage!

The American carriers have always appeared to be very twitchy when it comes to turbulence, even very minor stuff in a forecast, and there’s always been a suspicion that might be down to the litigation culture.

You’d cross the Atlantic many a day and night as crew and the air to air radio frequencies would be almost non-stop chat with “American” this or “United” that trying to get a “ride report” off preceding traffic even on a night when everything was smooth as glass.

Most other folks went by what was on the charts and didn’t pipe up unless they actually started to encounter anything that hadn’t been advertised by the Met people.

Ahh that might explain why our pilot warned us the landing in to Boston was "going to be a bumpy one" - it was nothing of the sort!

Sorry, l got so bogged down with the seatbelts/service issue, l totally forgot to answer the OP’s actual question. Cabin crew unless medically trained and had a career change (it does happen) are unable to give medicines beyond something like paracetamol.

Aircraft also carry a second first aid box, the contents go beyond, plasters, paracetamol etc but can only be used by a qualified medic.

And returning to the seatbelt issue, on busy flights it has been known for the seat belt signs to be used to keep the aisles clear during service. But don’t tell anyone l told you that will you 🤫?

24 years ago ?

The airline I worked for absolutely did have drugs in the first aid kit beyond paracetamol that were controlled drugs that cabin crew could administer. We had medical teams in the States that we would generally radio for advice before we gave them. And we’d have asked you lots of questions and filled a big form in before doing so. We wouldn’t even give a paracetamol out without paperwork.