Diazepam for Fear of Flying and Medical Procedures
After very careful consideration, we have reviewed our Benzodiazepine prescribing and established our new policy NOT to prescribe Benzodiazepines or sedatives (such as diazepam) to patients for medical procedures or fear of flying. Most other GP practices have a similar policy.
Prescription of Benzodiazepines for indications such as Fear of Flying and for Medical Procedures, by GPs, is not considered to be safe.
Medical Procedures
GPs are not trained to provide the correct level of sedation for a procedure or scan. Providing too little sedation will not help you, providing too much sedation can make you too sleepy, which could lead to the procedure being cancelled. Too much sedation can dangerously affect your breathing. After taking a sedative for a procedure or scan, patients require close monitoring to keep you safe.
Diazepam usually makes people feel sleepy, but it can sometimes cause agitation.
Timing of sedation can be difficult, in terms of accounting for delays in procedures or scans.
If sedation is required for a scan or procedure in hospital, the hospital team can arrange this.
Please consider talking to the Department who have organised the scan / procedure ahead of time, if you have significant concerns.
Dentists are able to prescribe sedation if they feel it is necessary.
Fear of Flying
We receive requests for Diazepam to help with fear of flying or to assist with sleep while travelling.
Diazepam in the UK is a Schedule IV controlled drug.
Diazepam, while often used safely for specific medical indications, can have serious side effects such as short-term effects on memory, co-ordination, concentration, and reaction times. It can cause slower reaction times and slowed thinking.
Potential problems during flying
In the event of an emergency, a passenger may not be able to react in a timely manner.
Sedative drugs may make you sleep more deeply than you otherwise would. This might mean less movement during sleep, which might increase the risk of developing a DVT (deep vein thrombosis).
As mentioned, Diazepam can make some people agitated and aggressive, which for obvious reasons, is potentially unsafe on a flight.
There are various aviation industry recommended flight anxiety courses which are easily accessible for those who wish to fly & conquer their fear of flying: