We are unable to prescribe sedatives, such as diazepam, to treat fear of flying.

Sedatives are medicines which can make you sleepy and relaxed. There are several reasons why healthcare practitioners at Manor View Practice do not prescribe these medicines to treat fear of flying:

• If an emergency were to occur on a flight, being under the influence of this kind of medicine would worsen your ability to react.
• By being sleepier, you will move around less. This increases your chances of suffering a blood clot, such as a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can be fatal.
• Although diazepam makes most people who take it sleepy, in some rare situations it can have an opposite effect, and make people aggressive or agitated, which would be dangerous on a plane, and may lead you to suffering legal consequences.
• Sedatives such as diazepam, are illegal in some countries. Transporting such drugs could lead to legal consequences in other countries.

We appreciate that fear of flying can have a significant impact on your quality of life, affecting ability to visit relatives abroad, attend family functions and enjoy family holidays. Therefore, we recommend either self-referring for talking therapy via the NHS wellbeing team or undertaking a fear of flying course as a safer and more effective treatment.

https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/services/community-services/wellbeing-service/self-referral/

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-assistance/flying-with-confidence

https://www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com/

https://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/passenger-services/Travel-advice/fear-of-flying/

www.flyandbecalm.co.uk