New Student Pilot AME Deferred to FAA...

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Darth523

Filing Flight Plan
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Darth523
I am about halfway through my flight schooling to be a private pilot. No intent of making it a career and am doing it as it's always been my dream. I had my 3rd class AME today and being honest put two medications on my MedX app that I take on an as needed basis, one being Tizanidine and the other Xanax. They were both prescribed for night time use, on an as needed basis, for a nerve issue that occasionally flares up in my back when I lay horizontal and try to go to sleep. I do not take it during the day and I don't take it every night. The examiner referred my application to the FAA obviously because of these meds. Everything else was passed with no issue. Has anyone else dealt with something like this so I know what to expect? Recourse? I could actually stop taking both meds altogether as they do not really provide me any benefit so they aren't medically necessary. Am I out of luck now on becoming a pilot?

Any insight would be helpful. Thanks from a newbie.
 
Darth523 said:
I am about halfway through my flight schooling to be a private pilot. No intent of making it a career and am doing it as it's always been my dream. I had my 3rd class AME today and being honest put two medications on my MedX app that I take on an as needed basis, one being Tizanidine and the other Xanax. They were both prescribed for night time use, on an as needed basis, for a nerve issue that occasionally flares up in my back when I lay horizontal and try to go to sleep. I do not take it during the day and I don't take it every night. The examiner referred my application to the FAA obviously because of these meds. Everything else was passed with no issue. Has anyone else dealt with something like this so I know what to expect? Recourse? I could actually stop taking both meds altogether as they do not really provide me any benefit so they aren't medically necessary. Am I out of luck now on becoming a pilot?

Any insight would be helpful. Thanks from a newbie.
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I can't speak to the Tizanidine but I can speak to the xanax. I took xanax for an extended period of time continuously along with adderall. On my paperwork the FAA only asked for the Cogscreen and neuropscyhological exam along with the treatment notes from the doctor on my xanax, my discontinuation of it and how my prognosis was. The withdrawal was horrible because I'd been on it a while but once I got through that I was fine. Needless to say I made it through and got a Special Issuance for the Xanax & sleep apnea. I've seen things about having to potentially see an FAA known psychiatrist as well but luckily they didn't send me down that path and the stuff from my doctor along with the cogscreen and neuropsychological was sufficient although your mileage my vary and as AggieMike88 said Doctor Lou and Doctor Bruce are the subject matter experts.
 
no you are not out of luck as a pilot. stop taking both medication. you will have a few hoop to jump thru. I would have advised you to quit both meds and apply in 90 days.
 
lbfjrmd said:
no you are not out of luck as a pilot. stop taking both medication. you will have a few hoop to jump thru. I would have advised you to quit both meds and apply in 90 days.
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And gets a letter from you doc as to why you were taking them , in what frequency, and that your Rxs have been cancelled for 90 days….
 
bbchien said:
And gets a letter from you doc as to why you were taking them , in what frequency, and that your Rxs have been cancelled for 90 days….
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Thank you for your response. So when you state get a letter from my doctors, you are referring only to the two medications Xanax and Tizanidine, correct?

For you information, the Xanax is prescribed at .25mg up to twice daily on the current bottle. It used to say as needed at night for sleep. The Tizandine is 4 mg up to twice daily. Again, previously the bottle said as needed at night for sleep. Having switched to CVS pharmacy a few months ago from Walgreens, I note the difference in language on both.
 
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There is a website where FAA lists medications and if they are allowed or not. The medical exam is not a surprise, it’s a flow chart. This question pops up every week from a different poster. POA could post a list to the FAA meds list on the website to help other posters.
 
John Spartan said:
What happens if you took Xanax years ago during a stressful divorce? I haven’t seen the forms yet so I’m trying to figure out what info/letters I will need from doctors. Do you have to explain ancient prescriptions or just recent ones?

You should probably write a book at some point BTW.
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You need to list that and a DWI you got during the antebellum period
 
bbchien said:
And gets a letter from you doc as to why you were taking them , in what frequency, and that your Rxs have been cancelled for 90 days….
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For future readers....what happens when you "stop for 90 days" and see an AME at that point
 
midcap said:
I knew you didn't I was just making a point.

The problem with all of this stuff is that it's super expensive to see the specialized docs.
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the problem is extreme bureaucratic BS. The system is so inconsistent it’s mind boggling. If you go Sport pilot none of this matters much. Somehow being in a 1320 plane removes all the dangers they presume to be protecting society from by using lots of red tape for a meager 3rd class that allows a 2300 plane and 2-4 whole extra passengers. I get it for ATP but give me a break some of this is absurd. Then there is BasicMed which lets older pilots to end around the system. I’m sure everyone is happy to have it but good grief. Anyway I digress. It’s irrelevant since this is what we have, big government warts and all. I certainly will work to get it 100% RIGHT but %$&@ if there aren’t some absurdities in the system.
 
John Spartan said:
the problem is extreme bureaucratic BS. The system is so inconsistent it’s mind boggling. If you go Sport pilot none of this matters much. Somehow being in a 1320 plane removes all the dangers they presume to be protecting society from by using lots of red tape for a meager 3rd class that allows a 2300 plane and 2-4 whole extra passengers. I get it for ATP but give me a break some of this is absurd. Then there is BasicMed which lets older pilots to end around the system. I’m sure everyone is happy to have it but good grief. Anyway I digress. It’s irrelevant since this is what we have, big government warts and all. I certainly will work to get it 100% RIGHT but %$&@ if there aren’t some absurdities in the system.
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To be fair, that 3rd class allows up to 12,500 without a type rating, and you can fill up your Cessna Caravan with friends, and fly above the clouds—or through them, if properly rated.
 
Would be great if everyone could go straight to basic med. would remove a big barrier to entry for a lot of folks. Myself included. Time to call my congressperson!
 
Kenny Phillips said:
To be fair, that 3rd class allows up to 12,500 without a type rating, and you can fill up your Cessna Caravan with friends, and fly above the clouds—or through them, if properly rated.
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Yep. I just threw out the round about weight of a 172 as an example. I’m aware you could fly larger but compared to an airliner it’s silly. And of course the cost of a Caravan being prohibitive means it’s unlikely any crazy person will slip past the 3rd class and do something horrific and happen to have the cash. Like I said. It’s pointless complaint on my part but this system is inconsistent and illogical in some ways.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
To be fair, that 3rd class allows up to 12,500 without a type rating, and you can fill up your Cessna Caravan with friends, and fly above the clouds—or through them, if properly rated.
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no reason you should need a 3rd class for that. like TomF said, there should be basic med options where you don't have to jump through some hoops.

Speaking of somthing like ADHD, a kid doped up by a parent at 10 needs to go through the same thing as a dude who just got off them a year ago
 
Kenny Phillips said:
To be fair, that 3rd class allows up to 12,500 without a type rating, and you can fill up your Cessna Caravan with friends, and fly above the clouds—or through them, if properly rated.
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Yep ... us sport guys only get to take people out two at a time. It really doesn't make much sense as the early Cessna 150's only had another 180 lbs. over the light sport planes.

There isn't much difference between some of the older certified taildraggers that are LSA compliant and the ones that are not (too much weight). Seems the line was drawn at any of the old planes that had enough weight for a battery and a starter. :rolleyes:
 
John Spartan said:
What happens if you took Xanax years ago during a stressful divorce? I haven’t seen the forms yet so I’m trying to figure out what info/letters I will need from doctors. Do you have to explain ancient prescriptions or just recent ones?

You should probably write a book at some point BTW.
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There is no question that asks about old prescriptions, so you will not have to disclose the Xanax on the form. You will need to disclose any diagnosis that accompanied it.
 
Daleandee said:
"Please continue to hold! Your call is important to us. Your call will be answered in the order it was received. Current wait time is 2 hours and 47 minutes ..."
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For faster service, enter your credit card number, expiration date, and CVV code.

For Premier Service, dial 1 to discuss wire transfers, cryptocurrency donations, or handing over bags of cash in our secure-yet-dimly-lit parking garage.
 
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Lindberg said:
There is no question that asks about old prescriptions, so you will not have to disclose the Xanax on the form. You will need to disclose any diagnosis that accompanied it.
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geeez. I don’t even know if that doctor is still in practice. Not even sure I remember his name. Can I just put “was divorcing Satan’s favorite handmaiden” and be done with it? ;)
 
John Spartan said:
geeez. I don’t even know if that doctor is still in practice. Not even sure I remember his name. Can I just put “was divorcing Satan’s favorite handmaiden” and be done with it? ;)
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See, if you’d murdered her you wouldn’t need an SI.

Live & learn.....
 
Half Fast said:
See, if you’d murdered her you wouldn’t need an SI.

Live & learn.....
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Ha! Can only imagine how PO’d Satan would have been when she got there. He would be spending all his time topside, I assure you that. Even H3ll has its limits.

That said, with as backwards as their logic is, the FAA probably would be more accepting of that scenario. But alas, I hate stripes. And orange ain’t my color. :)
 
Lindberg said:
There is no question that asks about old prescriptions, so you will not have to disclose the Xanax on the form. You will need to disclose any diagnosis that accompanied it.
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Darth:

That is SUCH misinformation. That ol' doc had to give you an insurance diagnosis to make the insurance pay for the Xanax. So if you don't check 18m, I assure you it will rise up in the future and swat you. Hard drives are everyplace.
 
bbchien said:
Darth:

That is SUCH misinformation. That ol' doc had to give you an insurance diagnosis to make the insurance pay for the Xanax. So if you don't check 18m, I assure you it will rise up in the future and swat you. Hard drives are everyplace.
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What, specifically, did I write that was "misinformation"? And who is Darth?
 
John Spartan said:
Yep. I just threw out the round about weight of a 172 as an example. I’m aware you could fly larger but compared to an airliner it’s silly. And of course the cost of a Caravan being prohibitive means it’s unlikely any crazy person will slip past the 3rd class and do something horrific and happen to have the cash. Like I said. It’s pointless complaint on my part but this system is inconsistent and illogical in some ways.
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See the thread about the Malibu crash a couple of days ago; you only need money.
 
robin ardoin said:
I don't think that incident is relevant as it appears the PIC had no license much less a medical certificate. Scary.
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I think that was the point of that post. I think the point was that there are some reasons why they have a "screening" process for pilots.
 
SkyChaser said:
I think that was the point of that post. I think the point was that there are some reasons why they have a "screening" process for pilots.
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if you have money you can buy a tank and go run over cars for fun. No amount of screening stops crazy people. It is false security. I saw the Malibu post. ;). Crazy story.

The basis of my complaint was the inconsistent logic. Drivers license can fly for X with no deep dive on history. 3rd class to fly slightly bigger plane requires tons of stupid stuff. It’s illogical. But again this is what we have.
 
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