Valium and flying

So I’m flying on Thursday for the first time since the MAV started (for the first time in 5.5 years, actually…yikes), and starting to get nervous. Fortunately it’s a short flight, only two hours, and will be my test-run for hopefully going to Europe in the spring.

Anyway, I plan on taking valium for the flight (I haven’t taken any in years) and I’m wondering what dose you all normally take for a flight. I want to be very calm, but not passed out (we’ll have the baby with us too). Thanks, and wish me luck!

Good luck! Let me know how you do! I’m taking my first trip since MAV in February - 6 hour flight to Hawaii. I just keep reminding myself of the reward once I get there but I’m nervous as well!

— Begin quote from “cassada”

So I’m flying on Thursday for the first time since the MAV started (for the first time in 5.5 years, actually…yikes), and starting to get nervous. Fortunately it’s a short flight, only two hours, and will be my test-run for hopefully going to Europe in the spring.

Anyway, I plan on taking valium for the flight (I haven’t taken any in years) and I’m wondering what dose you all normally take for a flight. I want to be very calm, but not passed out (we’ll have the baby with us too). Thanks, and wish me luck!

— End quote

Valium wouldn’t be my first choice of a benzodiazepine for a one-off flight because it has a long half life. If someone **insisted **I take Valium for a flight then I’d probably take 5mg and if that wasn’t enough I’d add a half tablet (2.5 mg) during the journey.

-Wexan

Perhaps I should look up other posts on flying, but what benzo would you recommend for flying? I already take Clonopin 3 times a day. Perhaps just ask for an increased dose? Both my kids live across the country and I may become a grandmother for the first time tonight! My daughter lives in Alaska and Dr Hain REALLY doesn’t want me to fly there in the winter. My other neurologist doesn’t have as strong of an opinion.

Just curious,
Claudia

— Begin quote from “cassada”

Anyway, I plan on taking valium for the flight (I haven’t taken any in years) and I’m wondering what dose you all normally take for a flight. I want to be very calm, but not passed out (we’ll have the baby with us too). Thanks, and wish me luck!

— End quote

I take lots. But 5-10mg should be plenty.

I have a long post on this already, which you can look up, but I flew with MAV last summer from Chicago to Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand, etc – all while dizzy 24/7. I took about half of a 0.5 klonopin before take off, and then another small piece after about 10 hours in the air. So that would be roughly 5mg valium and then another 2.5mg, but that was for 13 hour flight.

For a two hour flight, bring a bunch of 5mg pills. You probably only need one, but worst case scenario you can take a couple and really chill out.

As others have pointed out, the flying itself is not so bad. It’s the checking of the bags, the inspections, passports, transport, etc.

Good for you to go ahead with the trip.

Hi
I fly all the time and it’s fine. Time change is a pain but taking the low dose klonopin keeps my brain calm. 5 mg Valium should do the trick.
Kelley

— Begin quote from “rockyksmom”

I fly all the time and it’s fine. Time change is a pain but taking the low dose klonopin keeps my brain calm. 5 mg Valium should do the trick.
Kelley

— End quote

Here in the UK, clonazepam (US name: Klonopin) is a benzodiazepine which is normally used to help with epilepsy. It’s not officially approved for anxiety or sleep problems.

Just wondering if someone can say what its status is in the US and Canada?

-Wexan

Thanks all! I also have to be careful with dosage since I’m still nursing the baby, so I want to take enough so that I’m calm but not too much so it doesn’t affect him. Fortunately, our flights there and back are both in the late afternoon/evening, so I can just rest and go to sleep afterwards, and hopefully won’t have to nurse him until morning. I’ll let you know how it goes!

I made it to Europe with 2mg per sector…

This is an interesting post, because in prior discussions I noticed that many took Vallium when they flew. Some of us can’t because we already take a benzo (myself Klonopin), so I am curious to know - those of you who take Klonopin to fly: do you already take it as a daily preventative? Did you just take more of it to fly? I have yet to fly since the MAV hit and my neuro doc suggested the following when I do:

  1. take a shorter flight to start the first time
  2. take a another half .5 pill of Klonopin
  3. also take my regular over the counter antivert (Bonine) pill that I always took before the MAV hit
  4. due to the above, I MUST have someone drive me to/from the airport
  5. don’t travel over the holidays or rush times as it will overstimulate
  6. give myself extra recovery time

Once I figure out what I need to take/can handle, then I can adjust all the above as needed. I’d also add that I would fly on a large plane rather than a small plane - my choice even before the MAV as even then the movement bothered me.

— Begin quote from “bcrelief”

… Once I figure out what I need to take/can handle, then I can adjust all the above as needed.

— End quote

If you’re taking a scientific approach to using benzodiazepines then you may be interested in the duration of action and the time for onset. There is a lot of variation between the benzos as this article shows: List of benzodiazepines - Wikipedia.

Strictly speaking the benzodiazepines are not completely interchangeable with one another because they can work in slightly different ways. In practice, people have found a lot of similarity between them.

-Wexan

Can anyone else comment on this? Would like to hear from those who take Klonopin in particular. Thanks.