anti-dpressants

Anti-depressants are disqualifying for any medical certificate. Without a medical certificate, you can still recieve dual from an instructor, but you won't be allowed to solo or act as pilot in command of an aircraft. Since you're required to be PIC on your checkride, you won't be able to do that either.

I know all this because I once considered taking anti-depressants myself. Unfortunately, the FAA is incredibly anal about them for reasons that they've never clearly disclosed. I ended up deciding not to take the medication and go ahead with flying. For the most part, it seems that flying has served as the best anti-depressant of all for me.

Good luck...
 
The FAA may give anti-depressants the okay eventually. Think about it this way. If an airline pilot is suffering from depression, wouldn't you want him on the drugs! So what if the guy can't ejaculate; at least the flight will be made even more safe! And as one guy logically put it, this could even be safer for the flight stewardesses as well!
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Come on

How many airline pilots do you think are already taking SSRI (anti-depressants) without informing anyone? Which would you rather have...an airline pilot thats drinking too much to deal with his/her problems, or taking anti-depressants? Seems to me like the FAA is just ignoring this issue, hoping it will merely go away.
 
does the medication itself make it unsave for someone to operate as sole pic?

or does the faa just see someone requiring those kind of meds to not be in the state of mind they think a sole pic should be?
 
frog_flyer said:
does the medication itself make it unsave for someone to operate as sole pic?

or does the faa just see someone requiring those kind of meds to not be in the state of mind they think a sole pic should be?
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The FAA is in the dark ages when it comes to mental health issues.
 
i wonder if it has to do with the fact that a lot of anti-depressants cause drowsiness. i know a guy that takes paxil....man he could easily sleep 22 out of 24 hours. he always says thats the worse part about it, not being able to stay awake
 
notawannabee said:
I'll suggest Kava Kava for relaxant , or St. John's Wort.
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Do they still sell Kava Kava in the US? Used to live in Micronesia and used to drink the stuff every night at the "Sakau Markets" . Take to much of that stuff and it will make you higher than a kite.

LPLArunway15
 
skydriverdc6 said:
How many airline pilots do you think are already taking SSRI (anti-depressants) without informing anyone? Which would you rather have...an airline pilot thats drinking too much to deal with his/her problems, or taking anti-depressants? Seems to me like the FAA is just ignoring this issue, hoping it will merely go away.
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I would wrather have someone who has the ethics, morals, and professionalism to realize that these drugs, while they help, can alter your mood, cause vertigo, etc. The rules are there for a reason, and doing something like lying on your medical shows a deeper problem than what is causing you take the drugs.
 
I just got my FAA First Class deferred because of the Wellbutrin that I am taking to quit smoking! My doctor prescribed me the medicine as it has proved to help ween people off of smokes. Little did I know that it was an anti-depressant and that it is a no-go on the FAA's list of medications. Now I am kinda screwed because I am going to be attending a flight school in a couple months and don't know if I will be able to get my medical by then. Anyone have any experience with getting the FAA to hurry the deferral through? I have neven been diagnosed with any depression or ever been to a psychologist. The FAA person I talked to seemed like it was no problem and that she had "dealt" with this problem before but she could't give me an exact time frame on how long it would take. :(
 
OH yeah and another thing that really grinds my gears is that someone who has been free basing cocaine for a month straight could pass the 1st class med. certificate with no problems and an honest guy like me trys to quit smoking and takes the wrong kind of perscription drug gets deferred. Thats a bunch of BS if you ask me. If you are going to make people taking certain perscription drugs go through all the legal federal BS then at least test for the illegal drugs.

just my 2 cents :confused:
 
Doug Taylor said:
Flight attendants man! Don't get me beat up at work!
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Hey, at least he didn't call 'em "in-flight waitresses"! :buck:

St John's Wort is a natural SSRI (well, it also inhibits reuptake of dopamine and epinephrine, two of the brain's other "feel good" neurotransmitters, so it's not exactly an SSRI), and combined with the serotonin precursor 5-HTP has been as effective for some people as the pharmacological antidepressants--and most important, the FAA doesn't care. Both of these are available at most any drug store, even WalMart.
 
Yeah, I ran into that problem when I went to get my second class a couple of weeks ago. Had to get a letter from my old doctor saying I was over all of it.

Passed with flying colors, save that.
 
Dugie8 said:
I would wrather have someone who has the ethics, morals, and professionalism to realize that these drugs, while they help, can alter your mood, cause vertigo, etc. The rules are there for a reason, and doing something like lying on your medical shows a deeper problem than what is causing you take the drugs.
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I'm not advocating that a person lie on their medical, I'm simply saying, it happens. Take an airline pilot who is knee deep in debt with a mortage and a wife, 2 kids, you think he is going to risk anything to lose his bread and butter?
 
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