acl65pilot

There are different levels and types of anti-depressants as well.

A 2mg does of Lithium a day is a lot different than a 20mg dose of Prozac.

rickair7777

I'm OK with this in some circumstances...it's probably better than having guys who need the meds flying without them because nobody knows.

buzzpat

Why are Qantas guys so bummed out? Hot chicks, great beer, great weather. Sheeeshhh....

JetPiedmont

I wonder how many pilots these days are now out on company disability due to depression, and this is part of a move to get them off disablity and flying again.

cobber

Agreed, Lithium is an anti-psycotic and treats a much different issue than the SSRI's. Also the SSRI's are not just for treating depression but used for treating anxiety as well. I think its important that this be passed because as was said before, there are most likely many pilots that are already being secretly treated. Now that its permitted they can be monitored more closely.

As food for thought you can be disqualified for uncontrolled high blood pressure but even if you go on drugs that bring it down you are still at a muck higher risk for stroke and heart attack. Those are just as serious a risk as vision problems and possibly having a seizure. What about high cholesterol problems? Im just saying that there are many things that could cause health issue for humans and the FAA is trying to manage the risks with each one.

Airdale

I am not really sure I agree with the FAA letting people with diagnosed depression fly airplanes, medication or not.

BUT, I believe Anti-depressants should not be on the no-fly list and I think this is a good move on their part.

Why? Because I was diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) following a parasite infection. I tried all kinds of meds and had little relief. I went on medical leave for 6 months to be treated on Paxil CR, an anti-depressant. My primary physcian has great success treating his IBS patients with this drug, DESPITE the fact that IBS is not depression, the thought behind it is a mind/body connection disorder. In which stress (just normal stresses, like commuting, relationships etc.) can drive the bowel to disruptions. I was on Paxil for 6 months and my IBS nearly 99% went into remission. It was the ONLY drug that did anything to help. Problem was - no fly.

So I stopped taking it to get back to work and have missed quite a few days of work because of it. I am THRILLED about this change from the FAA and can't wait to get back on the Paxil. Not sure how long I'll have to be on it, but it allows me to do my job.

So before you throw your arms up about safety in the skies, think for a minute. Not all of those prescribed anti-depressants are actually depressed. I'm far from being depressed. Was just under a lot of stress from my job, an intestinal infection and some other things that threw my bowels into a very bad state. Thank God for Paxil, it got my life back.

rickair7777

I know several women who take mini-doses of prozac to preempt thermonuclear PMS...nothing wrong with them that should preclude aviation IMO.

Also I think the idea is NOT to let depressed pilots fly...the idea is to allow someone who is no longer depressed but may still need meds to ensure he stays that way.

SSRI's are long-term meds...they takes weeks or months to start working and you are not going to go pyscho if you forget to take your pill one day, or even for a week or more.

I assume they are not going to let people fly on lithium or heavy-duty or side-effect prone meds.

jonnyjetprop

Come on guys,

One of the greatest things that has come along to promote your health and well being during your working years and retirement was the change from the "you can't take anything" to let's treat the problem. I believe one of the reasons why airline pilots died young was that they either didn't seek medical help or got it on the DL. There was a time when no high blood pressure medications were allowed. How many pilots lived for years with border line high blood pressures that any MD today would treat. When the FAA finally allowed them, it was a mandatory 6 months off and then a battery of tests to get your medical back. Today, it's a two week wait and any AME can get you back into the air. The only thing holding the FAA back on depression was a stigma that some even today hold.

davidpa28140

agreed 100% with last two post.

Wellsupdude

Any update on this for CANADIAN pilots (Transport Canada), I've been forced to stop flying in 2000 because I had to go on Effexor and hook on it because my super doc din't let me finish the first protocol normaly, had to go back on a second protocol...