GP refused me Valium for a long flight

[MinesaBottle]

DH and I are flying to Australia next week for a family funeral. I don’t cope well with flying at all, and for the last few years I’ve gone to the GP and been prescribed a few 2mg Valium for the flights (we’ve already been to NZ this year - another funeral) and last year (dsd’s wedding). Which is a way of saying I’ve taken it on long flights before with no issues. I don’t drink alcohol on flights either.

I went to the GP today to ask for some Valium or similar and she flat out refused! She said she won’t prescribe Valium for flights because ‘you won’t move around and you’ll be at risk of DVT’. How much did she think I’d take?! I’ve flown on it before and always been conscious (I can’t sleep on planes anyway) and moved around; I always get an aisle seat so I can get up. She prescribed propranolol instead; I’ve never had it and it only calms physical symptoms of anxiety, not mental ones (is what she said). I’m also worried it might interact with paroxetine; she said not but didn’t actually look it up!

Weirdly I was in tears when I got in—I think because of the disruption to my usual routine when flying. I feel like she was judging me too. But regardless, should I see a private GP (there’s one near work) and see if they would prescribe five or six Valium or similar? I need the mental calming too. I have ADHD and my thoughts race at the best of times, never mind on a long flight heading to a funeral!

Shes right not to, when there are safer alternatives. I take propranolol and it doesn't interact with paroxetine or any other SSRI. It works very well at calming your body and prevents panic attacks.

Also I didn’t mean to enable voting! Oops

nothingcanhurtme Thank you, I needed to read something like that - I always get nervous taking new medication. How long before a flight do you take it and how long does it last?

There's a signnin surgery statjng that NICE no longer supports certain meds for travel related anxiety so it may be that the GP is limited in what they can do

If you can, I'd just go to the private GP and get some Valium there. Hopefully there'll be less red tape and you can get what you need.

GPs are apparently discouraged from prescribing this for flights now. It goes against aviation guidelines.

You might be suprised at how much better you're able to cope when the physical anxiety symptoms aren't there.

She very much phrased it as though it was her personal preference, if she’d explained they’ll no longer prescribe certain meds (and I’m not sure about that, my neighbour who goes to the same surgery got some three weeks ago) then fair enough. She said she didn’t care what her colleagues did, she never prescribes them for anything.

Use the push doctor app. They prescribed it for me no problem.

More expensive than NHS but cheaper than a private GP!

I think you’ll find that the medical defence unions have told GPS to stop prescribing it for flights. Since private GPs also need indemnity, they likely won’t prescribe it either.

Benzos have been massively over prescribed over the years. They're highly addictive and the withdrawal is horrific, they are really vile drugs in anything other than the short term. GPs have much stricter guidelines now and so they should. These guidelines are probably not to protect people like you but it is necessary to have much stricter controls on them. Propranolol is a good choice.

If she’d told me that then I’d be much happier and more accepting! I’m not stupid...telling someone who’s taken Valium on flights before that they’ll pass out for twelve hours and get DVT is a bit insulting . She could have told me if that’s the reason, but did say she’s never been keen on prescribing it.

So does propranolol make you drowsy? How long does it (10mg) last? Should I take one tonight to see how it feels?

I personally HATE Valium. It gives me a horrible trip even at low dose. You're lucky she offered you anything at all but I'd jump at the propranolol. It's really effective for panic attacks, IME.

Propranolol works well for short term anxiety. Most peoples short term anxiety is perpetuated by the physical symptoms, it's the physical symptoms that go haywire in a panic attack, propranolol helps that.

Most gps are moving away from benzodiazepines as a means to manage anxiety anyway. I work in.mental health and were seeing them prescribed less and less, they're not nice medication.n

They don't make some people pass out! They certainly don't for me!

I don't think GPs are allowed to prescribe this anymore, due to the effects it can have on you at altitude.

www.meadowssurgeryburgesshill.nhs.uk/info.aspx?p=2

It's also a prohibited drug in a lot of countries.

Yes, just make a private appointment. I can’t fly without Valium, I get about 15 a year so absolutely not chance of getting addicted and I’m always able to walk about - and even read a book - perfectly fine.

It's quite inconsistent from GP to GP.

I'm in Cambridgeshire and mine recently got some for flights. She didn't bat an eyelid.

Valium is diazepam isn't it?

The Meadows surgery link contains a lot of inaccurate info

Propranolol made my heart beat too slow and I felt awful last time I took it

Those guidelines may have changed in the last three weeks since your neighbour got hers ...

There's no way you can get it nowadays. The GPS are dead against it.

@MinesaBottle I do see what you are saying. But the prescriber still is autonomous so they can prescribe it if they want. It's just her personal preference not to and thinks it's safer for you to have something else. I know prescribers especially don't like handing out repeated short scripts as this can cause over reliance (not suggesting you are).
Having seen the horror of benzo withdrawal, worse than a lot of illegal drugs, I totally get why she would prefer other options.
Propranolol doesn't make you drowsy, sad she didn't explain propranolol a bit better!