Prescriptions

We will no longer prescribe Diazepam for patients who wish to use this for a fear of flying. This is for many reasons:

Diazepam is a sedative. This means, the medication makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there would be an emergency during the flight, this could impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions, or react to the situation. This could seriously affect the safety of you and the people around you.

Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however, when you sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means, your movements during sleep are reduced and this can place you at an increased risk of developing blood clots (DVT). These blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk further increases if your flight is over 4 hours long.

Although most people respond to benzodiazepines like Diazepam with sedation, a small proportion experience the opposite effect and can become aggressive. They can also lead to disinhibition and make you behave in ways you normally wouldn’t. This could also impact on your safety and the safety of your fellow passengers or could lead you to get in trouble with the law.

National prescribing guidelines followed by doctors also don’t allow the use of benzodiazepines in cases or phobia. Any doctor prescribing diazepam for a fear of flying would be taking a significant legal risk as this goes against these guidelines. Benzodiazepines are only licensed for short-term use in a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the problem you suffer with, you should seek proper care and support for your mental health, and it would not be advisable to go on a flight.
In several countries, diazepam and similar drugs are illegal. They would be confiscated, and you might find yourself in trouble with the police for being in control of an illegal substance.

Diazepam has a long half-life. This means it stays in your system for a significant time and you may fail random drug testing if you are subjected to such testing as is required in some jobs.

We appreciate a fear of flying is very real and very frightening and can be debilitating. However, there are much better and effective ways of tackling the problem. We recommend you tackle your problem with a Fear of Flying Course, which is run by several airlines. These courses are far more effective than diazepam, they have none of the undesirable effects and the positive effects of the courses continue after the courses have been completed.

Examples of Fear of Flying Courses –

Easy Jet

https://www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com

Tel: 0203 8131644

British Airways

https://www.flyingwithconfidence.com/

From the 1 April, the Government is launching the HRT Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) to reduce prescription costs for women receiving Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

The HRT PPC will be available to buy in one single payment online at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/hrt-ppc, or in-person at some pharmacies. You can call 0300 330 2089 for help and support.

Before buying an HRT PPC, you should check if:

• you’re eligible for free NHS prescriptions using the eligibility checker: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check
• your medicine is covered by the HRT PPC. For a list of eligible HRT medication, visit: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/hrt-ppc-medicines
• a 3 or 12 month PPC is more suitable. It covers all NHS prescriptions, not just HRT items. Visit: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/ppc

Patients on repeat medication will be asked to speak to a pharmacist, doctor or practice nurse at least once a year to review these regular medications.

These charges apply in England only.   In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales prescriptions are free of charge.

• Prescription (per item): £9.65
• 3-month PPC: £31.25
• 12-month prepayment certificate (PPC): £111.60

If you will have to pay for four or more prescription items in three months, or more than 15 items in 12 months, you may find it cheaper to buy a PPC.

• PPC Telephone advice and order line 0845 850 0030
• General Public – Buy or Renew a PPC On-line

We are unable to prescribe sedatives, such as diazepam, for any procedure or scan being undertaken outside of The Medical Centre, this includes MRI scans and dental procedures.

If you feel you need sedation in such circumstances, please speak to the team undertaking the procedure or scan, as they are responsible for providing this if needed.

Sedatives are medicines which make patients sleepy and relaxed. There are several reasons why healthcare practitioners at The Medical Centre do not prescribe these medicines for procedures outside of our practice:

• GPs are not trained to provide the correct level of sedation for a procedure / scan. Providing too little sedation won’t help you, providing too much sedation can make you too sleepy, which could lead to the procedure being cancelled. Too much sedation can dangerously affect your breathing. After taking a sedative for a procedure or scan, you will need to be closely monitored to keep you safe.
• Although diazepam makes most people who take it sleepy, in some rare situations it can have an opposite effect and make people aggressive or agitated.
• Scans and hospital procedures are often delayed, therefore the team performing he procedure or scan should provide the sedation, to ensure you become sleepy and relaxed at the right time.

Feel free to show this policy to your hospital team or dentist.

Take it to the pharmacy you got it from or bring it in to the surgery. Do not put it in your household bin or flush it down the toilet.