I have a huge fear of flying. I basically act like a small child. Anyway, I was supposed to get some valium from a friend, but he had a death in the family and went out of town. Is there anything I can get at Eckerds, etc., that would calm me down enough to deal with a plane trip? Also, getting drunk just isn't an option. Thanks!

8/23/2007 8:04:32 PM

In before the flaming.

8/23/2007 8:05:41 PM

a tank of gas and a car. really, if you are so afraid of flying, dont bother or man up.

8/23/2007 8:07:45 PM

how about quit being a pussy and take the flight

8/23/2007 8:20:54 PM

So far these are all useless replies.

I don't know about getting a sedative, but you could try like half a pill of a sleep aid or something, something to make you drowsy, but not enough to totally knock you out.

Or you could take a few tablets of a non "non-drowsy" allergy medicine. Whenever I took more than the recommended dose of Claritin when I was on it (allergies got too bad sometimes), it was extremely
difficult to focus.

Or have you ever tried a different route, like relaxation techniques or listening to music? When I flew a month after 9/11 I distracted myself with music, hot tea and a book.

8/23/2007 8:37:00 PM

http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/A/addiction/images/heroin/heroin_gallery_10.jpg

[Edited on August 23, 2007 at 8:41 PM. Reason : .]

8/23/2007 8:41:28 PM

A. don't be a puss
B. buy any benzo from a random frat kid
C. kava kava works for some ppl but doubt you can get it local
D. I feel about the same after a bunch of benadryl as I do on valium..aka, tired as fuck.
E. Quit being a panzy, the plane isn't going to crash.. and if it's going to, taking valium sure as hell isn't going to help anything

[Edited on August 23, 2007 at 9:07 PM. Reason : asdf]

8/23/2007 9:06:17 PM

just get some dramamine

8/24/2007 9:38:23 AM

you need a prescription for valium. If I have to recommend one, try benedryl.

8/24/2007 10:38:41 AM

Quote :

"try benedryl."

My mom does that and says it works well.

8/24/2007 10:51:19 AM

how are they useless replies? drugging yourself into a stupor everytime you have to do something you find scary doesnt help the problem at all.

8/24/2007 11:01:51 AM

Quote :

"you need a prescription for valium"

REALLY?!?!?!!11!!?

[Edited on August 24, 2007 at 11:17 AM. Reason : ^ exactly..and at worst, you need to know what the hell is going on for best chance of survival]

8/24/2007 11:16:39 AM

^I was making the point that there's no such thing as OTC valium.

8/24/2007 11:19:45 AM

I believe she is well aware of thatfact.

she is, obviously, looking for something that will generally have a similar effect that is legal to obtain without a prescription.. kava kava for example would do it very well, in my experience anyways.

8/24/2007 11:21:22 AM

just go to your doc, they'll most likely give you a scrip for a few.

8/24/2007 12:02:36 PM

duramine works for me. I would not take a sleeping pill.

Honestly, go to student health and get a prescription

8/24/2007 12:04:20 PM

^^yeah, any doctor worth a crap will give you something if you just tell them what's up.

8/24/2007 12:07:30 PM

benadryl = the same stuff in tylenol PM etc, that might help. it sounds like youve never been diagnosed with any kind of general anxiety problem before or you'd have a prescription already.

i do know a number of people who get "travel packs" of 2-4 xanax or valium when they have to fly, but you have to remember that if you want something like that its a schedule 4 controlled substance (with a minimal potential for abuse) so you'll need to see a doctor. otherwise, theres not much thats gonna relax you in the same way, because benzodiazepines are designed specifically to act a certain way that you can't mimic through a home remedy.

if you're a student, i'd try going to student health WITH THE FLIGHT INFO and see if they will write you a 2 day supply of a benzo for there and back. also, your general doc should have no problem doing this for you. the other (and easiest) option would be a shrink, but i guess you're not seeing one or you'd have what you're looking for already.

i dont like flying at all, but i'll do it (w/o drugs - was offered but refused, different story, different thread). i went once years ago, and it freaked me out so bad that i didnt get back on a plane until really recently.

8/24/2007 12:13:20 PM

Quote :

"^^yeah, any doctor worth a crap will give you something if you just tell them what's up."

wrong. most family practitioners are not regularly prescribing controlled painkillers, especially to new patients, due to the abundance of drug seekers

8/24/2007 2:10:33 PM

Quote :

" OTC Valium?"

That's like saying

OTC Oxycodone?

8/24/2007 2:13:40 PM

Quote :

"most family practitioners are not regularly prescribing controlled painkillers, especially to new patients, due to the abundance of drug seekers"

Benzodiazepines aren't painkillers.

It's true that a lot of docs are reluctant to prescribe them because of the abuse potential, but it's certainly worth a shot.

8/24/2007 2:26:33 PM

Quote :

"wrong. most family practitioners are not regularly prescribing controlled painkillers, especially to new patients, due to the abundance of drug seekers"

wrong once again.

valium is not a controlled painkiller, although in RARE cases it is prescribed as a muscle relaxer when other muscle relaxers aren't working. but still, that's far from a painkiller.

stop with the bullshit "knowledge" unless you know what you are talking about. i hate that i know so much about this stuff, but i do, and now i actually do some work in the field of SA prevention and counseling.. and i'll take any chance I have to cut down someone who acts like they know what they are talking about. stop giving misinformation about DRUGS. luckily, this case is backwards and you are making it sound worse than it is... but many times I see people giving "Advice" that can fucking kill people.

so think about it next time before you open up your mouth...

8/24/2007 2:28:19 PM

Quote :

"in RARE cases it is prescribed as a muscle relaxer when other muscle relaxers aren't working. but still, that's far from a painkiller."

I'd have to say that's very rare--I've certainly never seen it used that way.

We do sometimes give it to people who are in a lot of pain as an adjunct, just to help them relax and maybe get some sleep.

8/24/2007 2:29:48 PM

^ iirc you're pre-med, or even in med school by now, right? don't you think the chance of this person's regular doctor prescribing 2-4 tabs of a benzo a LOT different than someone who is seeking to scam/divert a whole 7 day supply of oxycodone or the like?

just want to clarify that part. as valium is C4 and the painkillers are C2s iirc

8/24/2007 2:30:55 PM

^final year of med school

and yes, I think it would be a reasonable request. It's just going to depend on the physician in question, and how they feel about the risk that person presents. Everyone kind of has their own thresholds.

8/24/2007 2:34:30 PM

also, PDR defines valium as a treatment for muscle spasm, although there are tons of better ones (obviously). its not one in a million rare, but it is uncommon

and as for esgargs last post, well, we just ignore that bag of ignorance. ha ha

8/24/2007 2:34:53 PM

From the studies I'm looking at, it seems like benzos are actually pretty effective--they seem to be comparable to several of the drugs we do use. I guess the reason I just don't see it in practice these days is because of the abuse potential.

8/24/2007 2:45:28 PM

ok off topic, but I have a lot of oxycodone tablets sitting in my room from my surgery. I was prescribed like 3 tablet for 4 days of pain, but only took 3 total. What's the rule on this? Should I return the tablets to the doctor or what?

8/24/2007 2:48:37 PM

im with you on that dave, plus they have to be so much "weaker" for that than a drug given to people with lifelong conditions. or maybe its a brain game, give em something they've heard of and they feel better.

esgargs, i would say flush it. but ive read some crap lately about drugs showing up in the drinking water, which i think is total bullshit. if youre that worried about it, just take em back to the pharmacy. they can dispose of em .

or im sure you just got 1000 pms god this wolfweb is crawling with junky lurkers

8/24/2007 2:54:22 PM

So would it be illegal if I like got a sprain or something and took a tablet, even though it was prescribed to me earlier?

I am just curious. I don't really understand the point of abuse, though...it's not like the tablets were fruit flavored or anything.

8/24/2007 3:00:15 PM

That's one of the interesting things about opioids--if you take them when you're in pain, they alleviate it without having much of an effect on your mental state.

8/24/2007 3:05:53 PM

The directions said to take it BEFORE the pain got severe, though. It said something about reduced attaching to receptors or something.

Crap, I need to revise all the biochem courses I took.

8/24/2007 3:09:58 PM

in other words, he's telling you to eat 2 and come back in an hour and tell us how you feel.

[Edited on August 24, 2007 at 3:11 PM. Reason : you like the way i tag along with the doctor. i wish they had a pharm/law school.]

8/24/2007 3:10:37 PM

actually, i like to equate addiction to economics. lots of counselors do that. if your parents always bought fords, then when you go to buy a car, you're gonna end up on heroin.

8/24/2007 3:14:17 PM

I think oxycodone binds to the opiod receptor, thus blocks the ascending pain pathway.

8/24/2007 3:16:03 PM

Quote :

"wrong. most family practitioners are not regularly prescribing controlled painkillers, especially to new patients, due to the abundance of drug seekers"

i think you've already been thoroughly pwnd on the variety of reasons you're wrong. i'll just say if you have a gp that won't prescribe you something in a situation like this or any kind of similar situation, you need a new damn doctor.

8/24/2007 3:40:56 PM

yep. based on the amount of drugs that the average person has left over at the end of each month that end up diverted, i'd say any doctor (who sees you regularly) who jumps your shit for asking for medication to be used for its invented/intended purpose... o< QUACK

[Edited on August 24, 2007 at 4:01 PM. Reason : going to the fucking houseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]

8/24/2007 4:00:51 PM

just go to the doc, and tell them you've been having problems sleeping--if it is a long flight

8/24/2007 4:13:30 PM

Quote :

"stop with the bullshit "knowledge" unless you know what you are talking about. i hate that i know so much about this stuff, but i do, and now i actually do some work in the field of SA prevention and counseling.. and i'll take any chance I have to cut down someone who acts like they know what they are talking about. stop giving misinformation about DRUGS. luckily, this case is backwards and you are making it sound worse than it is... but many times I see people giving "Advice" that can fucking kill people. so think about it next time before you open up your mouth..."

wow, overreact much? obviously this is a sensitive topic for you, but talk about making a big deal out of nothing. i realize that i wasn't exactly clear on BZDs as C4 vs. opiates as C2, but my reply to BBR was to clear up the misconception that docs will hand any of this shit out like candy. there's a reason it's a controlled substance, and a reason it's not OTC.

8/24/2007 4:33:24 PM

^ yeah but i mean, if you're going to a doctor and being up front about why you're asking for a controlled substance if you want to call things that, it's not like you're asking for straight up morphine here.
That and you have to remember although I do not know if it applies in this specific case, the US is a lot tighter on what's considered over the counter and whats not compared to a lot of countries. There's something of a society opinion that OMG just because its prescription it has to be horribly horribly addictive with tons of abuse potential so noone should ever be allowed to ask for it! Which frankly is a bunch of BS (there are of course drugs like that but there are quite a few that aren't)

8/24/2007 4:48:53 PM

^^again, if you go to a doctor and they WON'T give you something for a situation like this, it's a bad doctor. if your doctor's first reaction to a problem you're having is worrying about abuse, run.

any good gp will ask you a series of questions, check you over physically, determine what's going to work best and prescribe it. fear of abuse shouldn't enter the equation unless a red flag goes up. i.e., you're showing obvious signs of withdrawal from the medicine you're trying to get and are over eager to get a new scrip.

if a doctor is that afraid of prescribing certain medicines, they're in danger of doing harm to their patients.

[Edited on August 24, 2007 at 5:08 PM. Reason : .]

8/24/2007 5:06:29 PM

^ much like student health at NCSU does to students on a regular basis. (hence my beef with that kind of attitude, once i left state i had my new docs go wtf why havent you been treated for that for years?! for a chronic problem i've got. It's that kind of bullshit attitude about abuse that keeps a lot of people from getting good care for legit problems)

8/24/2007 5:08:38 PM

As everyone else has said, just go see your doctor. If you explain the situation, your doctor should be perfectly willing to write you a prescription for an anti-anxiety med or sedative.

I had absolutely no problems getting a prescription for Ativan (a benzo) to control panic attacks when I simply asked my GP for one. He asked me some perfectly legitimate questions before he wrote me a prescription and wanted to follow up with me in a month, but that's exactly what a good doctor should do.

I cannot think of anything that is over the counter that would help in this type of situation. You can always take some kind of over the counter sleep aid, but I really do not think that any of them would really help someone with a true fear of flying.

8/24/2007 5:51:24 PM

I haven't found ANYTHING that's as good as a benzodiazepine for relieving anxiety symptoms. I take Xanax on a fairly regular basis, and it has done a remarkable job of keeping my anxiety to a minimum. I have no problems skipping a day or two, or even a whole week. And when I take it, there are no adverse side effects.

There is some addiction potential, but if taken properly, it's almost negligible. This is coming from me, and I swear I'm genetically predisposed to addiction; every one of my mom's siblings is an addict of sorts, and so are a bunch of my cousins.

8/24/2007 6:13:42 PM

Quote :

"how about quit being a pussy and take the flight"

8/24/2007 6:23:12 PM

has she replied a single time in this thread?

8/24/2007 6:32:19 PM

Flintstones Chewable Diazepam

8/24/2007 11:46:41 PM

k

8/25/2007 12:47:19 AM

Well, thanks for all the information. I didn't respond earlier because I had to leave for the airport around the time someone suggested Benedryl! Anyway, I was able to get some Mylan from a friend but it didn't really help. It made me giddy for about 20 minutes then I was back to freaking the fuck out. I'm sure it was pretty funny for the kid next to me see a mother trying to comfort her 25 yr old daughter! Anyway, next time, will def go see the doc and get something. Thanks anyways.

8/27/2007 12:14:08 PM

flying is so much fun
no need to be afraid...

hell, i fear for my life riding in a car with several of my friends more so than flying

8/27/2007 1:07:05 PM