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Fear of Flying Prescriptions

We are often asked to prescribe benzodiazepines (e.g. diazepam, temazepam, lorazepam) for fear of flying. We have agreed a practice policy that we will no longer prescribe these drugs for fear of flying.

There are several good reasons why prescribing benzodiazepines for this purpose is not deemed safe and is no longer recommended and we have taken the decision to put our patients’ safety first and will no longer issue

  • Benzodiazepines such as Diazepam and other sedative drugs are no longer recommended for treatment of phobias because other treatments are safer and more effective.
  • Benzodiazepines are sedating, which means it makes you sleepy and slows reaction times. If there is an emergency during a flight, it may affect your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and others.
  • The sedative effects of these drugs can affect breathing and cause low oxygen levels, which could be life threatening, especially with the lower circulating oxygen levels on an aeroplane, in people with breathing problems or when combined with alcohol.
  • Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however this is not a natural sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep and this can increase your risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in your leg or lung. Blood clots are dangerous and can be fatal. This risk is greater if your flight is longer than four hours.

Many people with a phobia don’t need treatment and avoiding the object of their fear is enough to control the problem.

However, it may not always be possible to avoid certain phobias, such as a fear of flying. In this instance, you may decide to get professional help and advice to find out about treatment options.

Most phobias are treatable, but no single treatment is guaranteed to work for all phobias. In some cases, a combination of different treatments may be recommended.

The main treatment types are:

You can refer yourself directly to an NHS talking therapies service without a referral from a GP.

You can also visit:

Fear of Flying – Living Well Partnership

How to manage a fear of flying and flying anxiety

Fear of Flying – Anxiety UK