Diazepam Prescribing Policy – Information for patients
Sometimes patients contact us to request sedating medications such as Diazepam or Lorazepam to help with anxiety or fear of travelling/flying or before hospital scans. These medications are called Benzodiazepines which are ‘Controlled Drugs’. This means they have strict regulations regarding when they can be prescribed as they can be harmful and addictive.
Fear of travel
GPs at Ottershaw surgery no longer prescribe Benzodiazepines for fear of flying/travel. This is because:
· This medication is not indicated or not usually allowed to be prescribed for ‘phobic states’ which fear of travel is classed as. Clinicians are legally responsible for medications they prescribe and need to ensure they prescribe medications appropriately and safely.
· This medication may make you less able to respond to an emergency whilst travelling, which may put you and others at risk. Sedative-hypnotics (e.g. diazepam) should not be taken by individuals who may be called upon to make important decisions (e.g. in case of an in-flight emergency) because they can cause excess sedation, slow your thinking and impair decision-making.
· These medications can come with common side-effects such as: Confusion, dizziness, headache, low blood pressure, depression, anxiety, nausea, respiratory depression (where your breathing is unsafely slowed down), visual changes.
· In some people it can cause aggression, agitation or hallucinations. Therefore, you may act in a way you would not normally. This can impact your and others’ safety.
· The medication can make you more sleepy, which may limit your movement on a flight and potentially increase the risk of a blood clot in the legs, which can lead to serious medical consequences.
· In some countries you cannot import Benzodiazepines.
We do appreciate that travel can cause anxiety/concern for some. For fear of flying, you may find the following resources helpful:
Easy Jet : https://www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com Tel: 0203 813 1644
British Airways: http://flyingwithconfidence.com/courses/venues Tel: 01252 793 250
Virgin Atlantic: https://flyingwithoutfear.co.uk/collections Tel: 01423 714 900
Fly And Be Calm is an instant download audio course which includes instructions, a fear removal tool and two hypnotic tracks. You can find this at: https://flyandbecalm.co.uk/
Patients who wish to discuss benzodiazepines for travel anxiety are advised to consult with a specialist travel clinic.
Procedures or Scans e.g CT scans or MRI scans
We appreciate that patients may feel anxious about having a procedure or a scan and may ask for sedatives beforehand. However, we are unable to prescribe sedatives for these reasons:
· The timing of the scan/procedure can be hard to predict, and therefore the medication may be taken at the wrong time. Scans can be delayed or cancelled. Therefore, the team performing the procedure or scan are best placed to provide the sedation, to ensure this is given at the right time.
· Safe sedation requires overseeing the patients care, monitoring and having access to emergency equipment in case of an adverse response to the sedation during the procedure. Therefore, the team performing the procedure or scan should be responsible for prescribing and monitoring sedation safely.
If you are feeling worried or anxious about having a scan, do talk to your hospital consultant or secondary care team for their support.
We aim to ensure we prescribe safely and in line with recognised guidelines and therefore we are no longer able to prescribe these medications for fear of travel or scans/procedures. Many NHS GP practices have similar policies in place. We hope you find this information useful.