Sedation for scans and dental procedures

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We at Glebe Park Surgery will not prescribe Benzodiazepines (including Diazepam) for patients who wish to use this for a fear of flying, or for phobias in relation to medical and dental procedures (including scans). We have made this decision due to the following reasons:

  1. Benzodiazepines have become a widely used drug of abuse, and the use of Benzodiazepines in the UK is much more controlled. They are now a Class C/Schedule IV controlled drug, which puts restrictions on when and how much can be prescribed.
  2. Diazepam is a sedative. This means the medication makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there were to 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 your safety and your fellow passengers’ safety or lead you to get in trouble with the law.
  5. National prescribing guidelines followed by doctors also don’t allow the use of benzodiazepines in cases of 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 of generalised anxiety. If this is the problem you suffer from, you should seek proper care and support for your mental health, and it would not be advisable to go on a flight.
  6. 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.
  7. 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 and other phobias are very real and very frightening and can be debilitating. However, there are much better and more 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.

Fear of Flying Courses

For phobias in relation to medical and dental procedures, patients should consider a self-referral for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) via Steps 2 Change