Diazepam for flying, dr refused!

[Hopefulholiday]

I think things like this often depend on the Dr, I occasionally have sleeping tablets precribed, some Drs seem happy to prescribe and some don’t, so definitely worth the face to face with a different GP.

I’ve also been offered certain antidepressants to help with sleep to be taken on an as and when basis because some of the side effects are drowsiness, it’s not the same as the effect on depression which requires a consistent dose to be effective so something like amitriptyline could help but without the risks of diazepam.

[srh]

I think there are two things here.

Is your daughter vomiting because she is travel sick or because she is anxious?

For travel sickness my son and I both take joyrides which have the addition of making us both drowsy. They are fabulous and can be taken 20 minutes before departure.

If it is anxiety and fear of flying you have my sympathy. From the age of about 18 I had a terrible phobia of flying. It is irrational and all consuming. Terrible if you suffer from it. I have tried kales and resume remedy. It is only 5 mg of diazapam that would get me on a p,and and keep me there whilstthe doors were open. As I have grown older I am glad to say that I have got better, although turbulence still terrifies me and I don’t like flying over water.

When I read your post initially I had the same though of giving your daughter a kales and using it as a placebo.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[JessBlu]

Try giving her a paracetamol and tell her it’s the anti anxiety drug, think the placebo effect will work here.

[Chilli-pepper]

Giving one medication and saying it is another without the persons knowledge is wrong and can be dangerous. Please do not do this.

[Sandra & co]

Originally Posted by FizzyWhip

It could be because it’s not a long haul flight and there would be no time for it to wear off ? As my gp asked me this when I got some for this holiday .

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She didn’t even let me tell her where we were going so it’s not that!

[Chilli-pepper]

Is this mostly about your daughter being sick and the anxiety with that rather than overall anxiety?

The reason I ask is that I used to get terrible sickness and vertigo on flights, I used to get so stressed and anxious about this and unfortunately for passengers around me I was always that person with their face in the sick bag. I used to feel awful not just in myself but for other passengers having to hear me honking up thought the flight. To be honest I probably made myself worse with the anxiety. I also get dreadful motion sickness and can’t do most rides or even look at 3D cinema shows.

My GP used to prescribe me Diazepam which did help somewhat (more so for the anxiety I think) with only occasional vomiting if particularly bad flight, one year I forgot to renew my prescription and only had enough to get to Orlando, once there I went to Walsgreen for advice on what to take on the way home, and they suggested Dramamine, ever the sceptic in me thought it would never work but gave it a try, it is the best thing I have taken, I take the 24 hr less drowsy one and I can say hand on heart I have not been sick at all since, even with turbulence, I still won’t eat anything and only drink water or juice but I no longer get sick and the anxiety around this is gone. Dramamine is the best anti sickness medication I have ever taken and now always stock up. So if it is more sickness that anxiety Dramamine could work.

I appreciate this will not help on the way out but definitely worth a try for the way back if you can't get medication from the GP.

[Tinkerbell]

TBH, I am not surprised it was not given especially over the phone. Just because a GP prescribed it one year does not mean they will prescribe it the following. I also remember reading that many surgeries will no longer prescribe tranquillisers on the NHS for Holiday purposes also if there is an emergency if you are on diazepam your reactions will be slow.

I hope you can get something sorted but 30 plus years nursing tells me the GP is acting in the 17year olds best interests
Have a great holiday whatever the outcome

Edited
Do not give her a placebo. That’s a complete breakdown of trust, after all shes 17 adult and able to make decisions if it doesn’t work what are you going to tell her that next time you’ll increase the dose

[Sandra & co]

Originally Posted by srh

I think there are two things here.

Is your daughter vomiting because she is travel sick or because she is anxious?

For travel sickness my son and I both take joyrides which have the addition of making us both drowsy. They are fabulous and can be taken 20 minutes before departure.

If it is anxiety and fear of flying you have my sympathy. From the age of about 18 I had a terrible phobia of flying. It is irrational and all consuming. Terrible if you suffer from it. I have tried kales and resume remedy. It is only 5 mg of diazapam that would get me on a p,and and keep me there whilstthe doors were open. As I have grown older I am glad to say that I have got better, although turbulence still terrifies me and I don’t like flying over water.

When I read your post initially I had the same though of giving your daughter a kales and using it as a placebo.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

See more...

We thought she had travel sickness but at age 9/10 started getting sick and feeling sick. If she went to sleep she got worse, the smell of food also made her ill. Tried bands for wrists and different meds but nothing worked, on the tarmac she started vomiting once before we had gone anywhere. I figured it was anxiety, at the airport last year before our flight to Florida she started getting upset saying not to bring her anymore. I got her to try a tablet and she was like a different person, laughing, watching films, eating (she won’t eat or drink for the whole flight). Hopefully my gp who gave them last time will give them again!

[Guest]

Maybe GP will prescribe something else. I have recently been given Propranolol for anxiety, it is in a small dose and you can start/stop when ever you need. Maybe she needs something not as powerful as you had before.

My DS got really anxious 2 years ago flying, to the point he was sick and close to panic attack at Heathrow. We now travel with him wearing a sunflower lanyard, he was much better this summer.

[Tinkerbell]

Originally Posted by Sandra & co

We thought she had travel sickness but at age 9/10 started getting sick and feeling sick. If she went to sleep she got worse, the smell of food also made her ill. Tried bands for wrists and different meds but nothing worked, on the tarmac she started vomiting once before we had gone anywhere. I figured it was anxiety, at the airport last year before our flight to Florida she started getting upset saying not to bring her anymore. I got her to try a tablet and she was like a different person, laughing, watching films, eating (she won’t eat or drink for the whole flight). Hopefully my gp who gave them last time will give them again!

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Might sound a bit “wacky” but... there are hundreds of apps out there that she could listen to to help with the anxiety. I am not a lover of flying despite flying at least ten time a year. I plug in at the airport and focus on the APP. It might be worth trying, even with the drug

Long term, again it’s only my opinion, relying on medication at stressful times is not healthy. Good luck