Surgery policies and procedures

Practice Policy on Diazepam for Fear of Flying

At Glenmill Medical Practice we will not prescribe diazepam for fear of flying. Whilst we appreciate that fear of flying can be frightening and debilitating this decision is in your interests and considers your safety and the safety of other travellers. The reasons we have taken this decision are as follows:

1. Diazepam is a sedative. This means it is designed to make you more relaxed and sleepy. This can impair your ability to respond to an emergency and could potentially result in harm to yourself or fellow passengers.

2. Diazepam can make you fall asleep and result in you being less mobile throughout your flight. This increases the chance of clot formation in your legs that can potentially travel to your lungs and cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolus.

3. Alcohol is frequently consumed on flights and this taken alongside diazepam can increase sedation which exacerbates the issues outlined above.

4. Prescribing guidelines used by every doctor in the United Kingdom do not advocate for the use of diazepam in the case of phobias. Therefore, doctors are potentially undertaking a legal risk for prescribing it for this indication.

5. Diazepam is illegal in some countries. Should you be found with it on your person or in a urine drugs screen then you would be at risk of possible legal repercussions.

As mentioned we understand that fear of flying is potentially debilitating. We recommend tackling this phobia with fear of flying courses offered by various airlines. Examples of some of these are documented below. Some of these courses do cost money however they have none of the potentially harmful side effects of medication and the positive effects of the courses continue after completion.

· British Airways – flyingwithconfidence.com

· Virgin Atlantic Airways – lovefly.co.uk

· Easyjet – fearless-flyer.com