To ask GP for diazapam

[MUCHtodoAboutSomething]

For flying. I haven't been on an aeroplane in years. I have asked the GP for acouple for flying there, and back. The GP rang me up, gave me a huge condescending lecture on addiction, and made me feel like a cross between a naughty school girl, and a drug addict. I have been directed to website links. I go on holiday in a fortnight's time!

I have said there isn't meditation, or anything that can help. It is like when people go to the dentist and they're just scared. I'm not on other drugs, and haven't asked for anything before. I know they're addictive, but I'm not sure 2 or 3 tablets will cause me to have a drug problem. If I'm honest I doubt they'll take the edge off. I took more than this years ago for a car accident, and forgot about them, and found them in the back of the cupboard, I don't have an addictive personality. What are they even for, if they won't give them out at all?

Thank you @annamilo for your excellent post. I think I was unfortunately unlucky with the GP I got. I think he was very over the top. I'm really not the kind of person to demand anything at all, I barely go to the GP. I'm only on medication for one chronic health condition, and there wouldn't be any interactions with this medication whatsoever.

Your GP sounds like a dick. Consult a different one!

@MUCHtodoAboutSomething so they refused you. Yeah that's annoying. They used to give them out like sweets years back. Long term use causes dementia. But it's annoying as it would help. Can you afford a private prescription?

I bow to your professional expertise on substance misuse, but if you Google “diazepam fear of flying nhs” you get pages of GP surgeries making statements similar to that which someone posted upthread saying they blanket do not prescribe.

You could try an antihistamine which has a sedative effect? I think you can buy promethazine (phenergan) online. The only problem is that you’ll probably fall asleep but maybe that’s ok!

I don't doubt you but when did doctors become experts on flying?

Talking of drugs with mood-altering effects, I was at the airport at 5am recently and it felt like every single person was drinking alcohol, there were 100's of people having pints at that time in the morning.

If airlines banned alcohol, I could understand the doctors falling into line with this- two Valium are not more dangerous than pints and shots and bottles of cheap booze which everyone is consuming endlessly at the airport! They even sell it onboard!

It's not like you're totally out of it 🤣 you dont get a high enough dose for a start.

anyone who is scared of flying will tell you that the slightest whiff of anything suss, even turbulence, means your adrenaline kicks right in and overrides any of the sedative feeling. Then when all calm and you realise the plane isn't going down and you're not going to die, you go back to serene calm. Until the next jolt. Repeat.

We as a practice and all the practices in the PCN no longer prescribe it for flying. I never prescribe is for flying, The above information I posted is from the BMA, it’s a leaflet we have give out to all patients requesting it. It now frowned upon to prescribe for flying. If something should happen to the patient taking it - the prescriber would not have a legal leg to stand on, I will not risk my registration For this.

I have also been given propranolol, I was prescribed these by a private GP and they do help
doctors seem a lot happier to prescribe these rather than diazepam

Oh I know I completely agree, I wish it sedated me that would be a dream 😂 I'm just explaining what they told me recently as they always used to prescribe it to me for flying but now they won't

I’m a substance abuse nurse and it’s incorrect that GP’s can’t prescribe it when it comes to a severe fear of flying.
also. You wouldn’t get into any trouble or have them confiscated if you had a valid prescription. There are many medications that other countries don’t allow, however, it doesn’t mean that patients then aren’t allowed to take their medications away with them, that would be extremely dangerous.
Diazepam only stays in urine for up to 60 hours and if someone was having a hair follicle test, they would need to take any medication up to 12 times for it to be detectable. Ridiculous that your GP won’t prescribe just a couple

That is the craziest thing I have ever heard. People drink alcohol before flying, they even sell it on the flipping plane. If somebody is getting off their face on 1 x 2mg diazapam than yes they shouldn't be taking it! I have taken it before a lot of years ago, and I was fully functional, better in fact as I didn't have an irrational fear clouding my judgment. Alcohol on the other hand would floor me, esp in the sky, and I can't drink anyway anymore.

I know it's ridiculous, I've been with the same GP practice for 20 years and they never had an issue prescribing it until now

Thing is, they're unlikely to not prescribe you anything at all. Propranolol is the go-to as a rescue -anxiety medication.

Oh they do love to throw propranolol at you. They need to be more careful with this if anything. They misdiagnosed me, a few years ago, I fainted after it plummeted my blood pressure.

Sorry I went on a rant at your GP through you! 🤣

Infuriating isn't it, how a GP doesn't understand how FoF works 🙄 luckily most private ones seem to. I've seen about 10 different private GPs for diazepam for flying and get them every time. Well worth the ££.

Please see my post above regarding propranolol.

The difference is that if a GP prescribes you a diazepam and something happens on the flight, you could hold them responsible, whereas they can't stop you buying/drinking alcohol - though cabin crew can certainly cut you off or stop you from boarding if they believe you're unsafe.

NHS GPs do have to do what they are told by the guidelines though most of the time. Valium was once the most prescribed drug in the world. Now it's forbidden. Same with antibiotics prescribing, so many of my friends have had awful infections this year not controlled early on which then have turned into much bigger problems due to not prescribing antibiotics and not doing specificity testing, just giving generic ones. They just have to do what the prevailing wind tells them and that's that. I wouldn't even ask an NHS GP for these type of things anymore, I'd go private.

I would find another gp. I took this drug for 2 month at a decent dose for anxiety, and I actually asked to reduce it at the end as I didn’t then need it. Nanny state NHS. If I end up feeling addicted after reading the warnings, and I still feel I need it enough to take it, then that’s my issue to sort out. Not my GPs

Yes but I was alluding to the whole you're too sedated on 1 x 2mg diazapam to act in an emergency situation hyperbole. I was then comparing that with them selling alcohol on planes, and people drinking before getting on. They are cutting you off with diazapam, you only get 1, it isn't like you're on there popping your way through a blister pack.. Alcohol is far worse imo, you hear of stories of them chucking drunk people off the plane, diverting etc. I've never ever heard of them arresting somebody who is off their face on a single 2mg diazapam. 😂

Yes there are some that won’t but many still do. I’ll be honest and say that if a doctor is giving one or 2 they normally don’t mark it as they are giving it for that reason. Slightly naughty but only to try and help the patient

Im a flight attendant and Drs are not supposed to prescribe diazepam for flying because its against guidelines. Go to the chemist and buy some phenergan tablets, they contain a drug that helps with anxiety.

Have you had it before? As you say other medications you can’t take as they don’t agree with you. If not had it before you may find the same.