Doctor won't give me diazepam ..aibu?

[lucyhar]

I've been getting diazepam off my doctor for around 4 years now for when I have to travel by plane.
I normally get 7 tablets a year.
My doctor has retired now and I'm travelling to Australia in may to see my aunt and uncle.
I've just got out of the doctors (new doc) and he refused any.
Now I understand people get addictive but I get 7 tablets a year!
I have a massive fear of flying,I've tried CBT,hypnotherapy,kalms,I did a fear of flying course and nothing.
Before I was prescribed diazepam I didn't go on holiday for 7 years.
They gave me my life back (without being dramatic)
Aibu to speak to the practice manager?

If you can't get it, try Bach flower Rescue Remedy or some Valerian tablets. They will have the same effect. I was given Diazepam by private GP when I had to fly to Singapore on my own (for work). I didn't end up taking the tablet, but it was reassuring to have it in my bag.
Normal short-haul flights I use Rescue Remedy and it's fine.

Also my mum is of that generation when it was handed as sleeping pills. She relied on it for years, on and off, taking it whenever she needed to be taken a bit off the edge.

She's now in her 70s and very active and healthy. She stopped taking it regular in her 60s with no side effects at all but will still take some occasionally if facing a scary event.

I totally agree that this drug is sadly misused by people with addictive mentality to terrible effect, especially in terms of memory, but it doesn't mean that the drug is going to turn anyone taking it into addicts.

Hi Op, my post was badly worded, I apologise. Of course I didn’t mean that your anxiety disorder was a lifestyle choice. I meant that choosing to go on a plane is a lifestyle choice. Of course if you needed diazepam to function and to undertake normal day to day activities such as going out, shopping, being with people, that would be a medical need, but I’m not sure choosing to go on a long haul flight is.

I have anxiety disorder too and I also have a fear of flying but I’ve never seen the fear of flying as part of my disorder. I don’t see it as any biggy that I can’t get on a long haul flight. However, I appreciate this is MY experience and not yours. Sorry if I caused any offence.

You can buy them online.

@Seline 8I researched it and decided the risk profile was more palatable to me than a vaginal birth, and so I requested one and got it after discussing it with a consultant. I think in controversial cases like diazepam, these sort of meetings could be helpful.*

i think you are right, that more discussion is needed.

Out of interest (and feel free not to reply if you think its rude or out of order) but what was it that made a ELC 'safer' than a vaginal birth?

@Cloudhopping you didn't offend me don't worry.
It's not just the fear of a plane with me.
It's the build up to going somewhere else that isn't familiar with me.
It's the worry of being ill on the plane and not being able to get off.
I used to the be the same in the cinema or in a restaurant but luckily you can just run out if need be.
It's any sort of change with me.
The build up to things is the worst part,once I'm there I can kind of relax,it's the overthinking and negative thoughts that something bad might happen.
The diazepam stops that for me and is a massive life saver.

It may be worth trying phenargan, it is really good for anxiety and sleep.

Romanov many people would argue that one of the greatest risks to ‘the future of the human race’ is overpopulation and that we should be encouraging people to not have, or have fewer, children so we should stop funding antenatal care.
I don’t believe that the majority of people believe that the NHS shouldn’t pay for people with sporting injuries.
The problems with the NHS are not being caused by a small number of people requesting a cheap medication a handful of times a year.
I broke my wrist playing football with my DD. It could be argued that playing football is a lifestyle choice - nobody needs to play football. Should I have been charged for my treatment?
There are posters on here that seem to think that the NHS should only treat people whose life is in imminent danger.
Why should the NHS give contraceptive advice? Nobody dies from not having sex. Let them go private

I'm not at all anxious. Apart from occasionally on a long haul flight. Sometimes just having the valium on me is enough and I don't take it. I pay a prescription charge for it, it's not free. If my gp didn't prescribe it I'd buy it on the Internet.

I used to give my dcs Phenergan on Xmas Eve. It was part of the ritual. I called it Father Xmas medicine. Those were the days.

It's also good for travel sickness in children who can't take pills.

I was given Valium to get me through the long investigative process for suspected ovarian cancer. (Fortunately, non-malignant.) I couldn't eat and my GP gave me anti-ds and valium to be taken as and when till they'd kicked in. It was a life-saver. Still have one left which is passed round the family as a last resort, only to be taken in an emergency.

But I also know a poor woman who was given valium on an endless repeat prescription when her dd cancelled the wedding at the very last moment. It totally ruined her life and she ended her days in a residential psychiatric institution. So I can see why GPs are cautious.

Op - have you tried beta-blockers? My GP gives them to patients for one-off occasions like driving tests.

many people would argue that one of the greatest risks to ‘the future of the human race’ is overpopulation and that we should be encouraging people to not have, or have fewer, children so we should stop funding antenatal care.

i dont think not paying for antenatal care is the answer to over population?

I've not read thread op but after parents died I had some and it was amazing.
I had to fight for it sadly when df was dying, I was given 7 tablets.
All I needed was 1 to help me sleep and deeply relax me, it's an amazing drug and really does have its place.
Also I have serious muscle spasms a few times in my life and again having a diazepam to hand and being able to just take one without trying to get into a doctors etc was amazing.

I have no addiction to it and doubt I ever will but I know what I need at certain points when I have issues. I shouldn't have to fight for it because someone else is addicted.

It's not about the cost: diazepam is as cheap as chips

It's not about the addictive potential: clearly the OP is not going to get addicted from 1 tablet.

It's about the risk of use in the air.

PPS keep saying two contractradictory things:

1. "2mg is a tiny dose - what harm can it do?"
2. "I absolutely have to have my 2mg diazepam, or I can't fly"

They cannot both be true: diazepam cannot be effectively treating your anxiety and yet magically not risk causing any unwanted side-effects. Any time that a drug is having a wanted effect on you, it can also have an unwanted side-effect.

As medical PPs have pointed out, even a small dose of diazepam can have dangerous side-effects, and the fact that someone has taken it with no problem in the past doesn't mean they won't have problems next time. The reason we have become much more concerned about prescribing for flying is increasing awareness of the potential harms, particularly the greater risk of DVT.

I have a lot of sympathy with patients who are scared of flying. I have severe anxiety in cars, following a serious accident, and it's incredibly limiting. There are many places that I would love to go that are impossible and I understand the frustration. However, I am not going to risk my career as a doctor, prescribing a drug off-licence and against the advice of my indemnity organisation.

OP anxiety is a horrible illness and you have done incredibly well to overcome it to the degree that you have. If a small number of tablets each year keeps you on an even keel then it is hard to see why the GP won't continue to prescribe them, I can see your point. If I was on a flight beside you and you were trying phenergren instead and it wasn't effective - I think your panic would set me off too to be honest - I think a fear of flying is very common (normal fear, I don't mean phobia) and your panic would be enough to bring my fear to the surface! So selfishly, I would prefer that you were facilitated to cope by being given the right medication.

However! I think you need to accept that there has been a change in the guidelines. NHS doctors are required by their employer to adhere to guidelines. When doing private work, they are self employed so have more leeway. I really do think you need to accept that you may have to pay. I know you don't find this fair, but there's lots of things people have to privately for and shouldn't, in your case it will be a very small amount and I think you should suck it up. I had to pay for a fit to fly letter when pregnant and was happy to do so. A flight to Oz is a luxury, not a necessity, one which many of us will never be able to do and we can live with that. There is no way in hell I could cope with a flight that long. If paying a few pounds for a drug means you can go, why wouldn't you just do it? It means too you can get enough to really manage this - I am struggling to understand how 7 a year does you for two holidays - given that you say in a later post that you also take them the day before you fly. Realistically you are going to need at least 6 or 8 for this one holiday.

I also get claustrophobic and don't mind flying but I hate it when you get stuck on the the plane and they won't let you off. For that reason it's a huge comfort to know a diazepam is there even though ive not taken one for that yet.

I've probably taken 6 tablets in my life

Hi @op, we have very similar anxieties. The doctor prescribed me promethazine recently - it's an anti histamine, but a lot of antihistamines also act as sedatives and do a similar job to diazepam. I would highly recommend giving it a go.

If you can also get some valerian and passiflora, they are very powerful herbs that help with anxiety.

Rosie, op was offered this (phenergan) but doesn't want to try it.

As I said about 100 posts ago Phenergan can make some people hyper - myself & son included - it is in no way comparable to diazepam or clonazepam or lorazepam etc.

Why aren't the Dr's on this thread at work? I've just seen my actual gp and she's run off her feet. I'm finding all the gps on here frankly unbelievable

I've got an appointment later this afternoon with a doctor at spire.
Let's see what he says

Faz, believe it or not, not all GPs are fulltime!

Out of interest (and feel free not to reply if you think its rude or out of order) but what was it that made a ELC 'safer' than a vaginal birth?

The certainty. With a vaginal birth it can go really well or really wrong and I absolutely wanted to avoid a forceps or an emergency cesarean. A lot of it is down to luck. I also didn't want to go into labour at midnight at 2.am on a short staffed ward.

Whereas an ELCS meant I could plan pretty much every part of it and that a team of healthcare professionals would be with me 1 on 1 rather than between several woman and would work to correct a problem immediately.

So it's damage control effectively. I can't guarantee a perfect vaginal birth but I can absolutely avoid the worst kind. Incidentally I had an EMCS three years later with my twin pregnancy and it's so wildly different to an ELCS

Why aren't the Dr's on this thread at work?

Because I'll be working tomorrow & Sunday, so have a day off today. Sorry if that offends

I'd be interested to hear Lucy

They can get sued because diazepam or not, on flights especially long haul people get dvts, they get injured etc. And if you have been prescribed diazepam they are on the hook legally that injury for prescribing it and that can both bankrupt them and end their career.

Also Gps get no incentives for prescribing antidepressants or beta blockers.