Going through the HIMS process

C

ChrisD

Guest
Hi there,

I'm a private pilot with a third class medical. Five months ago I started taking Prozac to treat anxiety and depressive symptoms. Since I've been on the medication there hasn't been any side effects of symptoms from my disorder. I was wondering if anyone out there has been through the process of getting a special issuance medical for this kind of thing and was willing to share their experience. Thank you.
 

Heh, glad my post is already of use!

ChrisD, I'll try to give you a little extra information, but contacting Dr. Bruce is strongly recommended, especially in case anything I say is incorrect - he can tell you exactly what needs to be done, whereas I can only guess based on my own experience and limited understanding of the whole process.

The first question Dr. Bruce asked me was "are you a better [FirstName] on medication, or off medication?" Obviously, your own health is the most important part, and it sounds like the SSRI is doing well for you and you'd like to continue taking it. That means "Decision Path II", certifying on-medication.

As noted in my post, hopefully your SSRI has been prescribed by a "board certified psychiatrist" rather than a general practitioner. If not, you'll want to find a "board certified psychiatrist" right away and be under their care - they will need to be the one to certify that you have been on the medication stably for over 6 months before you can proceed to an evaluation by a HIMS psychiatrist. Note that the "board certified psychiatrist" and the "HIMS psychiatrist" need to be two different people - I wish I could have just used my HIMS guy as a one-stop-shop, but that's not allowed. Beyond that, I think the rest of the steps in my post would apply.

Since you already have a third class medical, going BasicMed will be a much easier path than getting the special issuance - you may very well have specific needs that require you to keep the third class, though. While that was certainly an option for me, I really don't want the stress (or expense) of going through cognitive testing every 24 months as a requirement, and as much as I like Dr. Bruce, having to visit him every 6 months to maintain the SI would probably get old quick.
 
Heh, glad my post is already of use!

ChrisD, I'll try to give you a little extra information, but contacting Dr. Bruce is strongly recommended, especially in case anything I say is incorrect - he can tell you exactly what needs to be done, whereas I can only guess based on my own experience and limited understanding of the whole process.

The first question Dr. Bruce asked me was "are you a better [FirstName] on medication, or off medication?" Obviously, your own health is the most important part, and it sounds like the SSRI is doing well for you and you'd like to continue taking it. That means "Decision Path II", certifying on-medication.

As noted in my post, hopefully your SSRI has been prescribed by a "board certified psychiatrist" rather than a general practitioner. If not, you'll want to find a "board certified psychiatrist" right away and be under their care - they will need to be the one to certify that you have been on the medication stably for over 6 months before you can proceed to an evaluation by a HIMS psychiatrist. Note that the "board certified psychiatrist" and the "HIMS psychiatrist" need to be two different people - I wish I could have just used my HIMS guy as a one-stop-shop, but that's not allowed. Beyond that, I think the rest of the steps in my post would apply.

Since you already have a third class medical, going BasicMed will be a much easier path than getting the special issuance - you may very well have specific needs that require you to keep the third class, though. While that was certainly an option for me, I really don't want the stress (or expense) of going through cognitive testing every 24 months as a requirement, and as much as I like Dr. Bruce, having to visit him every 6 months to maintain the SI would probably get old quick.
Hi there,

Thank you for your response. Your thread was very helpful. Unfortunately it seems that I still need an SI since my symptoms developed after I got my first medical, so I won't qualify for just BasicMed until I have the SI. Also unfortunately my psychiatrist died last week, so I'll need to find a new one. Thank you for your help.
 
Hi there,

Thank you for your response. Your thread was very helpful. Unfortunately it seems that I still need an SI since my symptoms developed after I got my first medical, so I won't qualify for just BasicMed until I have the SI. Also unfortunately my psychiatrist died last week, so I'll need to find a new one. Thank you for your help.

Mental health conditions requiring one SI before being eligible for BasicMed:
A mental health disorder, limited to an established medical history or clinical diagnosis of—
  • A personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts;
  • A psychosis, defined as a case in which an individual —
    • Has manifested delusions, hallucinations, grossly bizarre or disorganized behavior, or other commonly accepted symptoms of psychosis; or
    • May reasonably be expected to manifest delusions, hallucinations, grossly bizarre or disorganized behavior, or other commonly accepted symptoms of psychosis;
  • A bipolar disorder; or
  • A substance dependence within the previous 2 years, as defined in §67.307(a)(4) of 14 Code of Federal Regulations
Emphasis mine. Do you have a diagnosis that meets one of those conditions? Hint: anxiety and simple depression, by themselves, don't.
 
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