What medication do you take to deal with flight anxiety?
 

Hi all. As you know, i'm flying tomorrow. My ear still hurts & i'm anxious about flying with that, but I get very panicy when I fly even in general. Just thinking about being so high up there frightens me.

Last year when we flew home from our Paradise Miami cruise to NY, I took 1 pill called "aloprazam" (my doctor prescribed it for me when I told him I need something when I fly. I know the name sounds wierd, it was the generic version on something.) Well, 1 pill did nothing, I was tight as a drum with nervousness my whole flight. The directions said to take 1 to 3, but I only took one since I had never taken a tranquilizer before.

This year, I got 2 different prescriptions for my flying anxiety and I was wondering if anyone takes them and how much. I don't want the same thing to happen last year when 1 pill did nothing to calm my nerves.

The 1st one is "Diazepam 5mg" (it says substituted for valium), it says take 1 tablet every day as needed.

The other is "Lorazepam" 1 mg. It says take 1 tablet every 6 hours needed for anxiety panic attack / no more than 5 tabs daily.

If anyone has tried either of these, let me know what you think. I feel so silly to be posting this, my rational mind knows that flying is much, much safer than driving. It's just that for no reason, when I was in my 20's I got terrified of flying. I love to travel, so it's something I need to get past.

Thanks for any advice,
Marina

I know I am going to get flamed for giving you medical advice - but since these are prescriptions from your MD ...

All 3 medications you mentioned are in the same drug family - they are all short-acting (4-6 hours) anti-anxiety medications with a high abuse/addiction potential if you take them over a period of time (that was the disclaimer). Also, you should not drink alcohol, drive, or make any important decisions after taking any of them. I do not know of any drug interaction between any of these and whatever antibiotic you are taking, but a call to the pharmacy might be a good idea. Also, combining with the Benadryl you mentioned in an earlier post will make you extra sleepy (I think this is what you want anyway), but I would also check with pharmacist about this - they actually are a great source of info and do far more than count pills.

I also am fearful flying, and know that reason and ration do not control our phobias. One thing that works well for me is to keep an eye on the flight attendants - I figure they fly so often that if all the weird bumps and noises do not distress them - they know better than me if there is something to be concerned about.

So with all the above warnings, take the valium OR ativan (lorazepam) as ordered.

Just my 2 cents. I was always getting pre-travel anxiety, and couldn't sleep 2-3 nights before a trip, even if it's a one-night weekend outing or a train trip.

Found "fear of flight" classes on the net, printed out, read a little each night before bedtime. Strange, it helped with the general anxiety as well. I felt unusually calm before my first flight after a long break.

Just some food for thought :)

Have you considered hypno-therapy? I don't have a fear of flying (actually, I love flying), but I have a silly fear of mosquitoes and midges that had a significant impact on my ability to enjoy outdoor activities. I tried hypno-therapy and while I can't say that I'm cured, it does seem to have reduced my stress levels to some extent (I only had two sessions; I think a few more would have made a difference).

The only time I've ever taken a valium-type drug (pre-root canal), it made me feel worse because I felt quite impaired and therefore out of control.

Keeping very carefully in mind Gail's warning about the addictive properties of these drugs, would it be an option for you to try one under very controlled circumstances before you fly (e.g. the evening before your flight, when you're safe at home, with no more driving - and you've already done your packing). That knowledge might assist you the next day in timing the medication, increase your comfort level because you'll already know what the effects of the drug are and calm your "night before" nerves (if you have them).

i am sure you are familiar with XANAX, well all drugs you mentioned are from same family. one tablet will not make you an addict, just take one (25 or 50 mg) before boarding and order one drink once on the air, you will feel relaxed and arrive relax at your destination. also depends on flying time... remember, that they are short term (4-6 hours) so plan accordingly... specially if you need to drive or conduct business at your final destination.