What sedative is good for flying?

People often come to us requesting the doctor or nurse to prescribe diazepam for fear of flying or assist with sleep during flights. Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed.



People Also Ask

Medication is sometimes prescribed on a temporary basis to treat the symptoms of a flying phobia, such as anxiety and nausea. These drugs are usually taken shortly before a flight. They include: Anti-anxiety medication, such as diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax).

MORE DETAILS

While Xanax may be useful for flying on an airplane, it will not help you with your anxiety. It may help in the moment but you will not tackle your fear of flying if you are asleep the whole flight. If you ran out of your medication or left it at home, the anxiety will still exist if you go on an airplane again.

MORE DETAILS

For example, deep breathing or meditation during take-off, landing or turbulence can reduce your symptoms of anxiety. You can also learn to “talk back” to negative thoughts about flying when they arise.

MORE DETAILS

4 Aerophobia is treatable, so don't hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional who can help. Many professionals specialize in specific phobias or other anxiety-related issues, and because aerophobia is so common, many therapists have likely worked with people on this issue before.

MORE DETAILS

Aerophobia is a fear of flying. It's very common, affecting more than 25 million adults in the U.S. Psychotherapy can usually help people overcome their fear and fly without extreme anxiety or panic attacks.

MORE DETAILS

People often come to us requesting the doctor or nurse to prescribe diazepam for fear of flying or assist with sleep during flights. Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. There are a number of very good reasons why prescribing this drug is not recommended.

MORE DETAILS

People sometimes ask the doctor or nurse to prescribe diazepam, or similar drugs like lorazepam temazepam or clonazepam, for fear of flying or to help sleep during flights. Prescribing these drugs is not recommended any more for these reasons: The Grange Practice does NOT prescript sedatives for fear of flying.

MORE DETAILS

Xanax, a member of the same pharmaceutical family (benzodiazepines) as diazepam, is a strong one. Take it about two to three hours before you fly, and do not mix it with alcohol. There is a risk of dependency, though, with these benzodiazepines, but only if you are taking them more than once a week.

MORE DETAILS

“You will want to help the anxious flier by being prepared with activities to do on the plane, to help them stay busy,” Matthews said. While most flights have in-flight entertainment, it's not a guarantee, so make sure they pack all the things, including a book, a downloaded podcast on their phone, and so on.

MORE DETAILS

Flight attendants are trained in first aid – and this covers panic attacks and supporting people with anxiety on a flight. This training includes the questions they should ask someone having a panic attack and how to manage you out of one.

MORE DETAILS

Stay calm and be supportive.
Don't take your passenger's attitude personally. It's not that they don't trust you. Human beings aren't designed to fly, so it's only natural for our minds and bodies to get nervous! But most importantly, don't let a nervous passenger distract you from being a good pilot.

MORE DETAILS