Ask My Sky Mom. Aviation wit and wisdom.

Dear Mom,

I have been a pilot now for about 3 years and I have just recently been experiencing extreme amounts of stress at work. I consulted with a physician to help me cope with the symptoms of the stress that I am currently under and the doctor prescribed Lorazepam.  Like a good patient, I went ahead and filled the prescription on the way home from the doctor’s office.  Upon reaching home I looked up the Lorazepam on the FAA’s website and found that if I were to take one tablet I would have to not fly for a minimum of 90 days. I would then be subject to a medical flight review before they would reinstate my flying privileges. My question to you, Mom, is: since I have not yet taken any of the Lorazepam (nor do I intend to) is it too late to dispose of these pills and pretend this never happened or should I consult an FAA FSDO and find out more about this subject before I fly again? The pills were never mandatory and are only to be taken “as needed”.

Like any pilot, I find flying is a great way of relieving stress. Not being able to fly would make things worse. Do you have a recommendation as to how I should proceed with this?

Thanks,

Under Pressure

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Hello, my high pressure friend,

This is kind of a tricky one. What I would advise you to do is exactly what I did: Call AOPA (the venerable Airplane Owners and Pilots Association) 1-800 872-2672 so that they can discuss all the details of your particular situation with you.  I’d highly recommend that every pilot and student pilot join AOPA for just this sort of thing. They give great, free, expert advice on all matters medical and legal for their members and can often smooth the way for those who have less usual situations to contend with. Anyhow, I gave them a call. Here’s what they had to say:

Firstly, do not pass go, do not collect $200, and for the love of aviation, DO NOT call the FSDO.  That’s what they said. The FSDO is likely to overreact and ask questions later, which is not terribly helpful to you, to say the least. Secondly, they looked up the requirements for Lorazepam and discovered that it’s not actually disqualifying and does not require the draconian measures you detailed above. Well, that’s a relief.  If it was prescribed on an “as needed” basis, you may take it.  What’s the dosage schedule? You should double the dosage schedule since the last time you took it before you fly again. For instance, if you may take it as needed every 12 hours, you must wait 24 hours since the last time you took it before you may fly again. Those oh so helpful AOPA folks assured me that even if you took it continuously for a week “as needed” and then stopped, that this would not be a problem. If you find you need to take it on a daily basis over a longer period of time, that will be another matter and there will be some different requirements for you in that case.

Kinda nice to find out that it may not be as dire as it first sounded, isn’t it? However, don’t (PLEASE don’t;) take my word for it. If you’re not an AOPA member already, get thee signed up! Join now. And call them. They’ll have a few additional questions for you beyond the information you sent in your email and the answers you give may make a difference. The other obvious consideration is the stress level you’re trying to manage in the first place. Stress and fatigue are huge factors behind many (most) aviation accidents and incidents. If you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, I guarantee you that your focus is not as good just now as it otherwise might be. Good enough? Maybe. Is that a chance you’re willing to take? I know a couple of very good pilots who’ve made some impressive, expensive mistakes on days when they were very very stressed or starting to feel the effects of fatigue. Something to think about. It’s easy sometimes to figure that just because something isn’t prohibited, there’s nothing wrong with doing it. Especially when the “it” in question has to do with flying and you really, really want to. Sometimes good decision making requires hard choices, at least in the short term. Like I said, something to think about. Only you know how stressed you are right now and how that stress is affecting you. Better safe than sorry, though. A bad day in an airplane can add to your stress load considerably…

Your prescription? Make that phone call, and fly safe,

Mom

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You’ve got questions?  I’ll find you an answer.  Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posed. The more you know, the safer you’ll be.  Read on, and fly safe!

~ by myskymom on September 17, 2009.