Hello, everyone. New here but been lurking the forum. I am looking to hopefully start PPL training soon and starting to research the 3rd Class Medical requirements. In April 2020, due to the pandemic and social isolation, I went to my Primary Care Doctor. He quickly diagnosed mild seasonal depression and gave me a script for minimum dose of bupropion (150MG XL). The bupropion didn't help and actually made me anxious, so I quit taking it September 2020. Around that time, we were hit with two major hurricanes (South Louisiana) and I started to experience some burnout due to volunteering with cleanup efforts, so in November 2020 I went to a counseling center that does medicine management. So my therapist, working with a psychiatrist in that practice, started me on a very low dose of Lexapro for anxiety (also saying that the initial diagnosis of depression was inaccurate. It was my first ever visit with that doc and I think he just assumed depression right away). To make it clear, I was never on both at the same time. Though there may be confusion on my medical record (I emailed my doctor that I was stopping the bupropion but not sure if he noted it down on the chart. I have an annual coming up in a few weeks and will make sure he notes down the stop date, and maybe even correct the diagnosis of depression - which was situational due to the pandemic). So now, I am on 10mg and about to start weening off of it since I was able to make changes in my life to negate the need for it (getting promoted in my software development career, finding new groups to be a part of, not drinking alcohol anymore - never had a problem, but it contributed to anxiety). So here I am, finally wanting to look into getting a PPL, which I have wanted to get since I was a teenager and did an introductory flight in 4H, looking at an uphill battle for taking an SSRI. Will I run into trouble with an AME? Would rather avoid HMI AME since there are none in my state. Would it be recommended once a few months have passed since weening off to get a letter from the psychiatrist/therapist? What about the depression misdiagnosis that is on my medical record from my primary doctor? Im hopeful that the FAA sees the pandemic as an extenuating circumstance (I started working from home mid-March and have been working from home ever since).
If you go into the exam without proper education and proper plans? Absolutely. --AggiMike88 (who needs to stock up on his 9-foot Hungarians)
FAA Medical doesn't "see" things like pandemics, but it sees antidepressant medication very well. So, the antidepressants are definitely something that will make getting an FAA Medical Certificate a challenge. If you are willing to fly as a Sport Pilot (fly a light sport aircraft during day VFR and only take one passenger with you), you don't need to get a medical certificate--a valid driver license is all you need. If you want to fly as a Private Pilot, you will need an FAA Medical Certificate, and you may need to use an HIMS AME to get the certificate. My suggestion is to contact @bbchien via his website: http://www.aeromedicaldoc.com. Dr. Chien is an HIMS AME and a PoA member who might respond to this thread. On his "How to Start" webpage, you can send him your questions (he doesn't charge for this, I think), and know that the answers you get are correct--not just answers from "some guy on the internet." Dr. Chien was one of the doctors who helped convince FAA Medical to allow pilots to get a medical certificate while taking certain SSRI meds, so "he's the man!" You are doing totally the right thing by determining if you can qualify for a medical cert before applying for one! Good job!
You may wish to see my FAA medical page which discusses how to do an AME consult and has links for the various SSRI protocols and alternative ways to fly either before or without the medical. http://tinyurl.com/faaMedicalInfo
Do get an AME consult. Don’t file any FAA paperwork until you know what you’re doing. Get Good, professional advice.
When people say "Don't file any paperwork until..." what they mean is "Don't fill out the electronic form on MedXpress and click on the Submit button, until..." Some AME's (or the person on the phone who makes appointments) will want you to fill the MedXpress thingy out before coming to their office, so they can make the exam "go live" before learning anything about you. If this happens, politely explain that you just want a consultation before submitting anything to the FAA. It will likely mean that you'll pay for at least two appointments (the consult and the "real" one). But soooo worth it to get human answers. Good luck,
I reached out to Dr. Bruce and he was incredibly quick at responding. Thanks. My timeline to start training is atleast 6-12 months from now, so I am being patient in the meantime and getting everything in order. Sports Pilot license would not be an option just because I live in an area that has a high population of people but no flying clubs at all, so really the only option is to rent a 152 or 172 from a flight school if you want to fly.
Don’t forgot the glider option to get you started as well. No medical required. And spring is the start of good soaring weather.
