Sedatives for flying or hospital procedures/investigations

New Forest Central Medical Group will not prescribe sedatives (such as diazepam) to patients for fear of flying or before hospital treatment/investigations.

The reasons for this can be found below:

Benzodiazepines (like diazepam) are sedatives, which means they make you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an in flight emergency they impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and your fellow passengers and crew. The same principles apply in a healthcare setting.
Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. You can then be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than four hours.
While most medications like these are sedative, sometimes they can cause agitation and in aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers/healthcare workers and could also get you into trouble with the police.
According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow Benzodiazepines are not licensed for use in phobia. Your doctor would be taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines. Benzodiazepines are only licensed for short term use in a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the problem you suffer with, you should seek proper care and support for your mental health.
In several countries, diazepam and similar drugs are illegal. They would be confiscated, and you might find yourself in trouble with the police for being in control of an illegal substance.