I lost my medical, what do I do?

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 16:34:37 -0600, Rachel wrote:

Jim wrote:
On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:15:13 -0600, "Gig 601XL Builder"
wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote:


"Roger" wrote in message
...


As do many over-the-counter meds. You take them for a while to see if
there is any adverse side effects and if none, you fly.

Quite some time back I took an antibiotic which killed all the good
critters as well as the bad. I didn't fly, of course part of that was
because I didn't dare get more than about a 100 feet from the can for
a while.

Many people have some reaction to specific foods and probably most
haven't even made the connection. I don't know the numbers, but my
understanding is, it's quite a large number. Just because a bunch
of people have a reaction to ... say tomatoes, they are not a banned
substance and if you have an allergy or reaction to them you report
it, and stay away from tomatoes.

I agree with Ron, if the person has no adverse effects from the drugs
and does not have physiological problems then why ban them when the
purpose for the prescription is not a problem.




There is a wide difference from the effects of a food allergy and that of a
psychoactive drug. The psychoactive drug effect can be very slow onset and
not outwardly visible. Add to that the fact the effect may be that you want
to kill yourself or someone else I think the FAA has a pretty good set of
rules in effect on this one.



In my view, this attitude is tragic and uninformed. It ignores the
living experiences of many who benefit from these medications and who
function better with them than without them in all aspects of their
lives.

So what happens when someone forgets to take their medicine or slips and
ends up in a major depressive episode and *won't* take it?

I confess I don't know how to seriously answer this question. One
answer, I guess the one you are looking for, is that the person in
question will thereby become unsafe as a pilot if the reason for the
medication also renders the person unsafe as a pilot, or if there is
an effect to the lapse in taking the medication that renders the
individual unsafe as a pilot. This seems simple. I suppose that if a
"major depressive episode" does result suddenly, a very unlikely
sudden outcome, the individual may find just getting out of bed too
much of a challenge to face. Flying may not be in the cards for the
individual at that time.

These medications must be considered with caution and with careful
attention to the circumstances that have led to an individual being
prescribed these medications and to the effects the medications may
have on the individual.

It is easy to think of circumstances, real circumstances, that render
an individual unsafe as a pilot. This CAN be one of them, but it is
not the case that it MUST be one of them.

There are other medical conditions requiring on-going medication that
may not be disqualifying.

These medications are prescribed for many situations other than "major
depressive episodes". It is a sad and unjust attitude to ignore the
individual's circumstances. As it would be for the other medical
conditions that may allow for wavers after individual evaluation.

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:34:12 GMT, Jose
wrote:

Just because a bunch
of people have a reaction to ... say tomatoes, they are not a banned
substance and if you have an allergy or reaction to them you report
it, and stay away from tomatoes.

Report it? To whom? For what purpose?

Yes, the FAA, and it's required on your medical app (question 18e with
an explanation below).

If you have to be treated for a sever allergic reaction it's one of
those doctors visits that have to be reported on you medical app. You
also have to report allergies on there as well.

OTOH if the tomatoes only give you the runs, or a rash and you've
never gone to the Dr for help it's not considered a problem.

I'm allergic to dust, mold, and some pollen. I take allergy shots.
The shots take care of the problem and that keeps the FAA happy. I
just have to be sure not to take any banned meds for them and when it
comes to decongestants and antihistamines, there are a whole bunch of
those.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Jose

Roger wrote:
On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:34:12 GMT, Jose
wrote:


Just because a bunch
of people have a reaction to ... say tomatoes, they are not a banned
substance and if you have an allergy or reaction to them you report
it, and stay away from tomatoes.

Report it? To whom? For what purpose?


Yes, the FAA, and it's required on your medical app (question 18e with
an explanation below).

If you have to be treated for a sever allergic reaction it's one of
those doctors visits that have to be reported on you medical app. You
also have to report allergies on there as well.

OTOH if the tomatoes only give you the runs, or a rash and you've
never gone to the Dr for help it's not considered a problem.

I'm allergic to dust, mold, and some pollen. I take allergy shots.
The shots take care of the problem and that keeps the FAA happy. I
just have to be sure not to take any banned meds for them and when it
comes to decongestants and antihistamines, there are a whole bunch of
those.

Really? I've discovered that I'm pretty limited in what I can take. I
actually had to change allergists because he wanted to put me on
Zyrtec...I refsued to take it (sedating and not allowed), and he told me
that he would prefer I find a new doctor because I wasn't taking his
advice. You know, because I didn't tell him *why* I couldn't take it.

Anyway, I've only found a handful of medications that are allowed, and
only three work for me.

In article ,
Rachel wrote:

Really? I've discovered that I'm pretty limited in what I can take. I
actually had to change allergists because he wanted to put me on
Zyrtec...I refsued to take it (sedating and not allowed), and he told me
that he would prefer I find a new doctor because I wasn't taking his
advice. You know, because I didn't tell him *why* I couldn't take it.

I'm confused. Why couldn't couldn't you tell him?

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:15:13 -0600, "Gig 601XL Builder"
wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote:


"Roger" wrote in message
.. .

As do many over-the-counter meds. You take them for a while to see if
there is any adverse side effects and if none, you fly.

Quite some time back I took an antibiotic which killed all the good
critters as well as the bad. I didn't fly, of course part of that was
because I didn't dare get more than about a 100 feet from the can for
a while.

Many people have some reaction to specific foods and probably most
haven't even made the connection. I don't know the numbers, but my
understanding is, it's quite a large number. Just because a bunch
of people have a reaction to ... say tomatoes, they are not a banned
substance and if you have an allergy or reaction to them you report
it, and stay away from tomatoes.

I agree with Ron, if the person has no adverse effects from the drugs
and does not have physiological problems then why ban them when the
purpose for the prescription is not a problem.




There is a wide difference from the effects of a food allergy and that of a
psychoactive drug. The psychoactive drug effect can be very slow onset and

I used food as an analogy, but in some cases the effects of particular
foods can take a prolonged period to develop. Some effects are
aggression and depression, yet like with many drugs there is only a
casual link shown from a few studies.

It takes a lot of controlled studies of sufficient size to show a true
link, not the *reported* few instances of adverse effects. You find
in many cases the reported instances are no more than what was
reported from a placebo. Still, those reported effects have to be on
the label.

Among the foods listed were milk, sugar and drinks containing
caffeine..
Of course they have different effects on different people. Sugar just
makes some of us fat while it puts others into orbit. High milk
intake over a prolonged period was allegedly linked to aggression in
a couple of studies back in the 80's or early 90's. How valid were
these studies? I have no idea, however for a drug that probably would
have been enough to put it on the banned list.

The thing with allergies is they can pop up all of a sudden. Some
kids outgrow allergies, yet what ever the substance you have used, or
eaten it last week with no problem and have a severe reaction today.

not outwardly visible. Add to that the fact the effect may be that you want
to kill yourself or someone else I think the FAA has a pretty good set of
rules in effect on this one.

There are quite a few people who fall into that category with out
taking the drugs.

They really need to look at the individual and how long they have
taken the drug and if there are any side effects. If the underlying
condition is disqualifying then it matters little what they are
taking.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:00:15 -0600, Rachel wrote:

Roger wrote:
On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:34:12 GMT, Jose
wrote:


Just because a bunch
of people have a reaction to ... say tomatoes, they are not a banned
substance and if you have an allergy or reaction to them you report
it, and stay away from tomatoes.

Report it? To whom? For what purpose?


Yes, the FAA, and it's required on your medical app (question 18e with
an explanation below).

If you have to be treated for a sever allergic reaction it's one of
those doctors visits that have to be reported on you medical app. You
also have to report allergies on there as well.

OTOH if the tomatoes only give you the runs, or a rash and you've
never gone to the Dr for help it's not considered a problem.

I'm allergic to dust, mold, and some pollen. I take allergy shots.
The shots take care of the problem and that keeps the FAA happy. I
just have to be sure not to take any banned meds for them and when it
comes to decongestants and antihistamines, there are a whole bunch of
those.

Really? I've discovered that I'm pretty limited in what I can take. I

That was what I meant. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I meant there are a
whole bunch of decongestants and antihistamines that are banned.

actually had to change allergists because he wanted to put me on
Zyrtec...I refsued to take it (sedating and not allowed), and he told me
that he would prefer I find a new doctor because I wasn't taking his
advice. You know, because I didn't tell him *why* I couldn't take it.

I'm very up front with the doctors and tell them I'm a pilot and
please don't give me any meds that are going to affect my medical
status. Sometimes they don't know and I have had to go back and tell
them I couldn't take the drug on the prescription.

One example is (and pardon the spellings) Astelin which is banned and
Beconase which is not, yet they are for the same thing. It's just
there have been a few individuals who has some reported side effects
from Astelin.

Anyway, I've only found a handful of medications that are allowed, and
only three work for me.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Bob Noel wrote:
In article ,
Rachel wrote:


Really? I've discovered that I'm pretty limited in what I can take. I
actually had to change allergists because he wanted to put me on
Zyrtec...I refsued to take it (sedating and not allowed), and he told me
that he would prefer I find a new doctor because I wasn't taking his
advice. You know, because I didn't tell him *why* I couldn't take it.


I'm confused. Why couldn't couldn't you tell him?

I did. He said that if I wanted to put my medical above my health, then
he didn't want to deal with me. Good riddance.

Roger wrote:
snip

That was what I meant. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I meant there are a
whole bunch of decongestants and antihistamines that are banned.

Oh, yeah. See, that whole reading comprehension thing...


actually had to change allergists because he wanted to put me on
Zyrtec...I refsued to take it (sedating and not allowed), and he told me
that he would prefer I find a new doctor because I wasn't taking his
advice. You know, because I didn't tell him *why* I couldn't take it.


I'm very up front with the doctors and tell them I'm a pilot and
please don't give me any meds that are going to affect my medical
status. Sometimes they don't know and I have had to go back and tell
them I couldn't take the drug on the prescription.

One example is (and pardon the spellings) Astelin which is banned and
Beconase which is not, yet they are for the same thing. It's just
there have been a few individuals who has some reported side effects
from Astelin.

I actually filled a prescription for Astelin before I checked it. My
new, good, allergist said it probably wouldn't be an issue. It
was....but Atrovent works the same way and isn't banned.

Rachel wrote:
Jim wrote:

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:15:13 -0600, "Gig 601XL Builder"
wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net wrote:


"Roger" wrote in message
...


As do many over-the-counter meds. You take them for a while to see if
there is any adverse side effects and if none, you fly.

Quite some time back I took an antibiotic which killed all the good
critters as well as the bad. I didn't fly, of course part of that was
because I didn't dare get more than about a 100 feet from the can for
a while.

Many people have some reaction to specific foods and probably most
haven't even made the connection. I don't know the numbers, but my
understanding is, it's quite a large number. Just because a bunch
of people have a reaction to ... say tomatoes, they are not a banned
substance and if you have an allergy or reaction to them you report
it, and stay away from tomatoes.

I agree with Ron, if the person has no adverse effects from the drugs
and does not have physiological problems then why ban them when the
purpose for the prescription is not a problem.




There is a wide difference from the effects of a food allergy and
that of a psychoactive drug. The psychoactive drug effect can be very
slow onset and not outwardly visible. Add to that the fact the effect
may be that you want to kill yourself or someone else I think the FAA
has a pretty good set of rules in effect on this one.



In my view, this attitude is tragic and uninformed. It ignores the
living experiences of many who benefit from these medications and who
function better with them than without them in all aspects of their
lives.


So what happens when someone forgets to take their medicine or slips and
ends up in a major depressive episode and *won't* take it?

The guy is taking it for a Social Anxiety Disorder. If he forgets to
take it he'll get really stressed IF he hits a bar after his flight and
someone tries to strike up a conversation. He might even put his beer
down and go home! Now, I'm not saying SAD is not a serious condition
for the sufferer, but I don't think I have to stay awake nights worrying
about how safe this guy is.

I had a student once and her mom assured me before a field trip that
the kid had taken her anti-anxiety meds ... I thought maybe mom needed
the meds as the kid was a fairly level headed, sweet girl. Never a
problem in class, nice kid. So, we are in some park having a wonderful
time and this kid spots a dog about 1,000 feet away, well, I'm only 5'2"
tall and this 5th grader was about 5' flat. If you've never been
climbed by someone almost your height, it's an expeience! She was a bit
anxious about dogs!

If you don't have to live with anxiety, you shouldn't. If a year or two
of meds holds you together enough to re-train your thought patterns,
it's worth it.

Go for it and good luck on your new medical. The paperwork might make
you a bit nuts!

Margy

On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 17:21:44 -0600, Rachel wrote:

Roger wrote:
snip

That was what I meant. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I meant there are a
whole bunch of decongestants and antihistamines that are banned.

Oh, yeah. See, that whole reading comprehension thing...


actually had to change allergists because he wanted to put me on
Zyrtec...I refsued to take it (sedating and not allowed), and he told me
that he would prefer I find a new doctor because I wasn't taking his
advice. You know, because I didn't tell him *why* I couldn't take it.


I'm very up front with the doctors and tell them I'm a pilot and
please don't give me any meds that are going to affect my medical
status. Sometimes they don't know and I have had to go back and tell
them I couldn't take the drug on the prescription.

One example is (and pardon the spellings) Astelin which is banned and
Beconase which is not, yet they are for the same thing. It's just
there have been a few individuals who has some reported side effects
from Astelin.

I actually filled a prescription for Astelin before I checked it. My
new, good, allergist said it probably wouldn't be an issue. It
was....but Atrovent works the same way and isn't banned.

I took it for a while...*before* it was banned and reported it on the
medical "back then". I see that it is banned now, but switched to
Beconase which isn't.

It's kinda like the sports and banned meds. They suspended one guy
who was taking a hair restoration product. When he started it the
stuff wasn't banned. They changed the list and he was suspended.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com