Antidepressants

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Unregistered

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All,

I was prescribed Pristiq in august of 2011 for depression and anxiety because of some of the issues my ex wife and i were having and took it for about a year. During this time, i stopped flying because i know that it's verboten by the friendly feds. We've since separated, all the depression and stress causing issues have disappeared from my life and i've been off it for about 4 months now with no ill effects. In fact, i feel better mentally now then i ever did when i was on it. What do i need to do as far as reporting when i go for my next medical in 2016? Since it's more than 3 years, do i just not report? I'm sure some people will jump all over my ass about the FARs, and i'm not really wanting to hear a crock of crap, so helpful answers please
 
Per the AOPA medication list, this is a "not allowed" medication. So self-grounding during this time was the correct decision.

Dr. Bruce Chien will be along eventually with the CORRECT way to handle your situation. Follow what he says to do and no short cuts.
 
Good news is that the waiting period after you're off the SSRI's was just dropped from 6 months to 60 days, according to a post Bruce made this week. So, if you've been off for 4 months, you may be flying again very soon. If you don't see a post from Bruce here soon, contact him directly -- see http://home.comcast.net/~bbchien/site/ for contact info.
 
I've already flown with my CFII, and she said it was like i hadn't taken a year off, and then took my friend and her kids flying. this was like 2 weeks ago
 
Unregistered said:
All,

I was prescribed Pristiq in august of 2011 for depression and anxiety because of some of the issues my ex wife and i were having and took it for about a year. During this time, i stopped flying because i know that it's verboten by the friendly feds. We've since separated, all the depression and stress causing issues have disappeared from my life and i've been off it for about 4 months now with no ill effects. In fact, i feel better mentally now then i ever did when i was on it. What do i need to do as far as reporting when i go for my next medical in 2016? Since it's more than 3 years, do i just not report? I'm sure some people will jump all over my ass about the FARs, and i'm not really wanting to hear a crock of crap, so helpful answers please
Click to expand...

http://flighttraining.aopa.org/pdfs/FAA_Form_8500-8_Medical_App.pdf

"Question 18 - Have you ever in your life been diagnosed with, had...
M: Mental disorders of any sort: Depression, anxiety, etc."
​

So, three years does not get you a free ride. It's reportable.
 
Unreg, they have just reduced the "off meds waiting period" to 60 days. So you are there. For Pristiq they do want more than the minimum, and you sound like you are there.

You need a letter from the doc saying that you were on the med from such and such a date to the end date, that the need has passed, and you have no further need of treatment. It needs to reflect that he actually saw you >60 days after the treatment ended.

As you are <40 years old and 2016 is a lot of doc retirements away, you should obtain such a letter and put it in a file. for 2016. You will need it.

As for grounded until you get aeromedical approval- you actually are, until you get and obtain the letter. 67.313 remands you to be in compliance with the current policy of the Federal Air surgeon, and I just told you how to be in complaince. So wehn you are in compliance, you can fly again. And, I would say, that when you get that letter, you might as well just mail that puppy into AMCD in Ok. City and get the resultant "letter of eligibility".

CAUTION: The letter has to say, exactly what I just wrote. I wouldn't sent it, UNTIL I knew it said EXACTLY what it needs to say.
 
Last edited:
Doc Bruce,

I need to get this letter and mail it to where? I am just concerned that i have invested a lot in my training, and want to protect that investment.
 
In that case, you do not want to "roll your own".

You can engage anyone to do this, including me....

HIPAA release
I write the doc, get the records.
I write the doc, ask him to compose the letter.
We get the letter. Review it, determine that it will do (not many AMEs can do this, well).
When we are 99%+ certain, we send only that part of the record which we need, and that the agency will require.
Then we call for a letter of eligibility, so that when you check the depression box on the next medical, and that AME refuses to issue, you pull out the letter, and he sees that it's okay.

PMs and email work from this site.
 
thanks, Bruce. I have had similar stressors in my life in the past and I've just toughed it out because I did not know what the effect on my medical would be. it's good to know that medication is an option next time.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 
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