Pilots license question regarding anti anxiety/ocd medication history.

[unregistered]

I have always wanted to be a pilot but had stopped training when i was young after developing ocd and a form of anxiety. Will I be able to obtain a pilots license eventually, even if i have taken xanex and other anti anxiety prescription medications in the past?
thanks

 

[Wade]

sure just don't put it on your application and don't ever wreck and you'll be fine. JK kinda.

If your currently taking those pills and put it on your application be prepared to waste lots of time and money.

 

[Skip Miller]

To get a better idea of what your chances are, and how much it may cost, contact Dr. Bruce Chien at http://www.aeromedicaldoc.com.

He specializes in difficult medical certifications. If it can be done, he will know how. If it can't be done, there are other avenues like gliders and sport pilot, which have far less stringent med cert requirements.

On initial contact tell the good doc you need a consult for the medical, not the medical itself. Don't make written records that can cause you untold grief later.

Good Luck!

-Skip

 

[BillTIZ]

sure just don't put it on your application and don't ever wreck and you'll be fine. JK kinda.

If your currently taking those pills and put it on your application be prepared to waste lots of time and money.

So you are encouraging someone to lie on a federal form. Not a smart idea.

 

[bbchien]

How far in the past are we talking here..... (?)
And can you prove good function and "psychiatric hygiene" in a long period since, or did you just stop going to docs?

It boils down to how good you can look on paper with qualified testimony.

 

[Anonymous]

I have just gotten off of them. I don't want to pursue flying just yet, but I just want to make sure this doesn't completely rule me out for getting a medical certificate.

 

[anonymous]

How far in the past are we talking here..... (?)
And can you prove good function and "psychiatric hygiene" in a long period since, or did you just stop going to docs?

It boils down to how good you can look on paper with qualified testimony.

see the post above i forgot to quote you

 

[bbchien]

see the post above i forgot to quote you

A lot depends on how many episodes you have had. Two episodes make it very tough to get a certificate. Three - not going to happen. You need a long period of time, perhaps ten years - with well documented function, nothing happening psychiatrically (and documented by periodic evaluations), before you might have a reasonable evaluation.

 

[RyanB]

Not to override anything mentioned above, but I know of a close friend that was on anxiety meds for years. Took lessons up to solo back in the 90's and was unable to get a medical due to his prescription med use. His pursuit for a pilot certificate stopped and after 20+ years he is now off of the medication and is still interested in flying. He's taken a disco ride and has been reading ground school materials, but the majority of his flying has been with me riding as a passenger.

Not sure how much has changed since the 90's but his anxiety medication use was a show stopper.

 

[mulligan]

A lot depends on how many episodes you have had. Two episodes make it very tough to get a certificate. Three - not going to happen. You need a long period of time, perhaps ten years - with well documented function, nothing happening psychiatrically (and documented by periodic evaluations), before you might have a reasonable evaluation.

So most of us on this board are in trouble then??

 

[flyingron]

So most of us on this board are in trouble then??

Ah, most of us never had our episodes documented.

 

[unregistered]

A lot depends on how many episodes you have had. Two episodes make it very tough to get a certificate. Three - not going to happen. You need a long period of time, perhaps ten years - with well documented function, nothing happening psychiatrically (and documented by periodic evaluations), before you might have a reasonable evaluation.

I have underlying ocd and anxiety so it isn't really episodes. It is just more of a constant stream but it has been getting better and soon i will be off the meds. So i guess that means i wont be able to get my certificate for a long time.

 

[RJM62]

I have underlying ocd and anxiety so it isn't really episodes. It is just more of a constant stream but it has been getting better and soon i will be off the meds. So i guess that means i wont be able to get my certificate for a long time.

Well... Once you're off the meds for a while, I suppose you could talk it over with your shrink and then make a decision about SP. But wait until you've been off them for a while -- I think six months would be the minimum -- and preferably don't take up flying until after you've successfully navigated your way through some earthbound stressful situations that would have provoked severe anxiety in the past. Even in an LSA, being at altitude would be an inopportune time to find out that your recovery isn't quite as far along as you'd thought it was.

If you do decide to do it that way, be aware that if you ever apply for a medical that doesn't happen, you lose your ability to fly under the SP rule as well. So don't ever apply for a medical unless you're sure it will be approved.

Or you could just go 103 and fly ultralights. It's flying, it's fun, it's [relatively] cheap, and it's gloriously free of red tape.

Rich

 

[Dave Jackson]

sure just don't put it on your application and don't ever wreck and you'll be fine. JK kinda.

If your currently taking those pills and put it on your application be prepared to waste lots of time and money.

Amen! If I had known what I know now, I would’ve taken your advice. I’m only trying to get a third class medical and it is literally, and I mean literally has to go to Washington, an act of Congress. It has to go to Washington to be reviewed. So much time and money wasted. I don’t even take ANY medication.

 

[bbchien]

Amen! If I had known what I know now, I would’ve taken your advice. I’m only trying to get a third class medical and it is literally, and I mean literally has to go to Washington, an act of Congress. It has to go to Washington to be reviewed. So much time and money wasted. I don’t even take ANY medication.

John Travolta flies his Boeing 707 on a third class.

With that attitude, Light Sport is what you need to do. This race is NOT for the faint of heart, of commitment or of resources. This is America, where you are still free to spent large sums of energy, funds, time and effort, to demonstrate that you can operate “with equivalent safety.....”

 

[Maqhug]

Most meds lose their potency when expired but are still safe.
Some like aspirin taste awful and should be returned to the pharmacy. Do not put them in the garbage can.

 

[AKiss20]

Do not put them in the garbage can.

Just FYI the FDA does have guidelines for disposal in the trash if you can't return them to a drug return site for whatever reason and the medicine is not on the flushable list. I had to do one of those anti-prescription drug abuse trainings for university and this is literally the only thing I learned.

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/disposal-...isposal-dispose-non-flush-list-medicine-trash

 

[flyingron]

Our county has set up medicine disposal boxes all over the place (police stations, etc...). They're trying to encourage people not to leave stuff around the house for inquisitive children (especially teens) to try out.

 

[Charlesrot]

I also have 20 years expertise in the treatment of addiction issues. If you have questions on this you may post it here or privately email me.

Joel Nathan, MD
Diplomate American Board of Addiction Medicine.

 

[Chuckde.]

I thought faa stated 60 days off meds and good letter from psych

 

[mryan75]

sure just don't put it on your application and don't ever wreck and you'll be fine. JK kinda.

If your currently taking those pills and put it on your application be prepared to waste lots of time and money.

This is an absolutely horrid answer, by the way OP. Don't do this.

 

[Domenick]

Most meds lose their potency when expired but are still safe.
Some like aspirin taste awful and should be returned to the pharmacy. Do not put them in the garbage can.

When aspirin begins to smell like vinegar or wintergreen it's past its usefulness.

Most meds DO NOT magically lose their potency at their expiration date. The expiration date is simply that date for which the manufacturer can guarantee full potency of the product. This could be simply because they stopped their stability studies. Or it could be because the manufacturer wants you to periodically restock.

I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 30 years. Expiration date is a tricky concept. Part of it is true--think of refrigerated insulin and various vaccines and other (mostly) biologics. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are required to retain lot samples from EVERY lot of drug. This is part stability study, part safety, and part full supply chain traceback.

Some expiration dates are set because the company simply stopped its stability studies at a certain time. For example a company retains lot samples from every lot of drug, but after 10 years they simply stop testing their ten year old samples. The drug could be stable for another 10 years, but the packaging will retain a 10 year expiration date.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything