- Joined
- Jun 11, 2024
- Messages
- 266
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UTLonghorn_1979
Hi,
I got on zoloft back in 2020, coming out of Covid, for stress/anxiety related to the presentation and "public" speaking demands of my job. Prior to being prescribed zoloft I was self medicating with alcohol in the evenings, which admittedly was a habit that got worse during lockdown. I did a HIMS round for the SSRI seeking special issuance, which was denied, I assume, after the treating physician's report showed history of alcohol "dependence," general anxiety and panic disorder. The FAA said they would reevaluate upon additional requirements (i.e. more evaluations, alcohol/drug tests, IOP treatment, etc).
During the deferment process I actually self admitted myself to an IOP treatment for alcohol, which FAA said I needed to do this go around, and was sober for 6 months. All this transpired while in the 15+ months process of doing the HIMS/SSRI deferral.
I've since quit the job that was causing so much stress, but I did have a relapse in January and have been on and off of sobriety for the past 6 months - I'm a week and a half into sobriety this time. I met with my AME again and I'm going through the steps requested of the FAA, most of which I've already done other than the mandatory alcohol/drug testing (first random test was today), but I'm wondering:
1. Will this be another 1-2 year process (I'm 44 now) or quicker since it's has already been reviewed once for the SSRI, and
2. Since I'm not longer exposed to the situational/job related anxiety trigger, is it better to get off of the zoloft and start the 60 day window or just stay on it?
It's so disheartening dealing with this when I know I'm a very safe pilot, I already had 200 hours prior to being prescribed zoloft, and gained another ~ 200 hours between 2022 and now, flying with various instructors while working towards my IFR. My medical lapsed and I needed to get current for the IFR check ride, but now I'm over a year past taking the IFR written (got a 97 grade) and that test will likely be expired by the time this is all sorted out.
Thanks in advance for any guidance/feedback.
I got on zoloft back in 2020, coming out of Covid, for stress/anxiety related to the presentation and "public" speaking demands of my job. Prior to being prescribed zoloft I was self medicating with alcohol in the evenings, which admittedly was a habit that got worse during lockdown. I did a HIMS round for the SSRI seeking special issuance, which was denied, I assume, after the treating physician's report showed history of alcohol "dependence," general anxiety and panic disorder. The FAA said they would reevaluate upon additional requirements (i.e. more evaluations, alcohol/drug tests, IOP treatment, etc).
During the deferment process I actually self admitted myself to an IOP treatment for alcohol, which FAA said I needed to do this go around, and was sober for 6 months. All this transpired while in the 15+ months process of doing the HIMS/SSRI deferral.
I've since quit the job that was causing so much stress, but I did have a relapse in January and have been on and off of sobriety for the past 6 months - I'm a week and a half into sobriety this time. I met with my AME again and I'm going through the steps requested of the FAA, most of which I've already done other than the mandatory alcohol/drug testing (first random test was today), but I'm wondering:
1. Will this be another 1-2 year process (I'm 44 now) or quicker since it's has already been reviewed once for the SSRI, and
2. Since I'm not longer exposed to the situational/job related anxiety trigger, is it better to get off of the zoloft and start the 60 day window or just stay on it?
It's so disheartening dealing with this when I know I'm a very safe pilot, I already had 200 hours prior to being prescribed zoloft, and gained another ~ 200 hours between 2022 and now, flying with various instructors while working towards my IFR. My medical lapsed and I needed to get current for the IFR check ride, but now I'm over a year past taking the IFR written (got a 97 grade) and that test will likely be expired by the time this is all sorted out.
Thanks in advance for any guidance/feedback.