Fear of flying, take two

[kisschick1976 0]

Update: My GP wrote me a prescription for 16 1mg tablets of Ativan...or however you spell it. Let's see if it actually works!

I'm very glad to hear this!! I have only heard good things about Ativan GOOD LUCK!

[featherB 1]

That sounds promising, HA, I really hope it helps. I can only imagine how horrible it must be to feel so terrified.

[homesick_american 1]

Update: My GP wrote me a prescription for 16 1mg tablets of Ativan...or however you spell it. Let's see if it actually works!

Excellent! I hope it helps.

Did he recomend you use it just on the plane or in the days leading up to it? I have a friend with a similar fear and she starts dosing a few days before had to quell the fears in the run up to the flight. I take one just when I'm on the plane.

In case it comes up - for anyone concerned about the mix of booze and pills, etc - my doctor friend says to think of Ativan as the equivalent of one drink. So don't push your limit! She also told me that it is safe to combine one ativan with one ambien - but anyone should, of course, always consult with his/her own physician before playing around with medication!!!!! Body types and personal medical issues can alter the ways drugs take effect, of course.

With the ativan, I didn't feel too loopy and wondered if it was even working. Though it must because I know on at least two flights the captain came on to apologize for the turbulence and I *wasn't* crying or panicking. So something was working!

Don't worry, I won't be drinking at all; I don't drink. Period. I don't have a moral objection to it, I just don't like it.

I'll let y'all know how it went. I told the GP that valium didn't work and asked for xanax or ativan. She didn't know what xanax was...I guess it goes by a different name in the UK...but was quite happy to give me only enough ativan to get through the flight, which is really all I need anyway.

[TimsDaisy 0]

Don't worry, I won't be drinking at all; I don't drink. Period. I don't have a moral objection to it, I just don't like it.

I'll let y'all know how it went. I told the GP that valium didn't work and asked for xanax or ativan. She didn't know what xanax was...I guess it goes by a different name in the UK...but was quite happy to give me only enough ativan to get through the flight, which is really all I need anyway.

She gave you 16 - how many does she want you to take!

Best of luck - I can empathize with the fear and the frustration and discomfort it causes. You're almost home though. I know nothing makes it okay to face that flight, but the pills should help just enough!

[homesick_american 1]

Don't worry, I won't be drinking at all; I don't drink. Period. I don't have a moral objection to it, I just don't like it.

I'll let y'all know how it went. I told the GP that valium didn't work and asked for xanax or ativan. She didn't know what xanax was...I guess it goes by a different name in the UK...but was quite happy to give me only enough ativan to get through the flight, which is really all I need anyway.

She gave you 16 - how many does she want you to take!

Best of luck - I can empathize with the fear and the frustration and discomfort it causes. You're almost home though. I know nothing makes it okay to face that flight, but the pills should help just enough!

She's been my GP for years and knows me pretty well and she knows all about my fear of flying so she's pretty sympathetic. She says I can take up to four ativan tablets but I should not take more and I should start with a smaller dose, and I should not drink anything at all. She also warned me about the side effects; she did speak to me for a good straight five minutes about how strong the drug is.

She's a pretty good person; I'll sort of miss having her as my GP as she has a very good bedside manner, though she has shared her frustrations with the NHS with me; she doesn't like a great deal of it but she does all she can for her patients. She's just constrained by the NHS. I promised to send her a postcard when I got to Texas.