I lost my medical, what do I do?

buttman wrote:

I've had symptioms of SAD since
I was in middle school, yet I was able to get all my flight training
through CFI done with the condition, so the SAD is no factor.

So why start taking a banned drug now? Seek out a treatment that avoids
problems with your medical.

- Andrew

Montblack wrote:

What if the root of the problem is something akin to emotional epilepsy?
Meds please.

He managed to go through his entire life, including flight training, w/o any
medical intervention in this condition (or so I gather from a prior post).
There should be a fair bit of option space between "nothing" and "banned
medication".

- Andrew

Rachel wrote:

Are there some cases that need meds? Sure. But I bet you a lot of them
are like I was.


I've had numerous cases over the years where a doctor has written me a
perscription "just in case". For example, I once had a nasty stomach flu
(or some such; I don't recall the details) where she prescribed something
that I presume was anti-nausea. I never filled the prescription.

It's nice, I suppose, that a doctor is willing to provide options, but she's
always quite clear that it's my choice whether I actually need to exercise
the option.

This may not be analogous to the OPs situation, of course.

- Andrew

I've been doing therapy for the past 8 months. It has changed my way of
thinking a bunch, but I still get jittery, my heart rate increases, my
hands sweat, and my body shakes when I'm in a social situation. Yes, I
went many many years like this, but why continue any longer?

Its sort of like that classical experiment where they ring the bell and
feed the dogs. After a while the dogs begin to druel when the bell is
rang because they expect food. When I was younger, my mind associated
social situations with bad, bad things, so whenever they come up, my
body goes into whistle-emergency-panic-siren mode. Also when I was
younger, because of my horrible upbringing, my undeveloped mind
couldn't deal with what was coming at me, so I developed a nasty
"avoidant personality" to deal with it. To this day I have trouble
making eye contact with people. Sure I can force myself, but I'll never
atcally enjoy doing it.

All the therapy has helped me realize all of this, but it will never
make it all go away. Just like how you can't wish away cancer, you
can't just make your body react a different way when your body has been
reacting that way since childhood. Hopefully the medication will end
all of the anxiety that my brain has been trained to release when I'm
in a social situation, so I can retrain my mind to act cool.

buttman wrote:

Yes, I
went many many years like this, but why continue any longer?

So you can fly. But if you're happy with the trade off you're making, then
I'm certainly in no position to second guess that choice. Good luck, and I
wish you a speedy recovery and return to flight status.

In the meantime, others have posted various possible alternatives to keep
airborne. Sport Pilot is one good choice, but I'm not sure how the FAA
would take to someone exercising that option while on a banned medication.
I don't know the details of how a Sport Pilot is to judge his/her medical
competence.

I'd recommend asking AOPA.

- Andrew

You know the diffreance between a drug dealer and a drug pusher?

The drug pusher has an M.D.


"Jim Macklin" wrote in message
news:r1NGf.79306$QW2.76907@dukeread08...
Find a doctor that will treat you without drugs, drugs are
not a requirement for treatment of a thought process. I had
an anxiety disorder about whether I'd ever have sex, but
after a few years an older girl took action and I found out
I wasn't as anxious anymore. So find a doctor that talks
and ditch the doctor who peddles drugs.



"buttman" wrote in message
ups.com...
| My condition is Social Anxiety Disorder, which I have been
told my both
| my doctor, and AOPA that is not an issue in itself. The
issue is the
| medication they have me on to treat it. I've had symptioms
of SAD since
| I was in middle school, yet I was able to get all my
flight training
| through CFI done with the condition, so the SAD is no
factor.
|
| I actually never thought about getting a wavier. I have no
idea how
| this thing works. I glanced over part 67 and saw no
mention of a wavier
| subpart, maybe I'll look into that a little more closley
tonight. Does
| anyone have any experience with getting a medical wavier?
Is the
| atitude over at the FAA along the lines of "banned
medication = no
| medical under any circumstances" or is it up for
case-to-case review?
|

"Rachel" wrote in message
...
Montblack wrote:
("Rachel" wrote)

Personally, I'd stop taking the medication and find a doctor who will
get to the root of the problem.



Maybe its something like a broken fight-or-flight switch ...where meds
would help.

What if the root of the problem is something akin to emotional epilepsy?
Meds please.

All I know is my own experience. When I was a freshman in college, I
was told I had "depression". I never took the meds that were
prescribed. What I couldn't put a finger on then, and know now, was
that what I was feeling was homesickness, stress, loneliness. Really,
college is a huge adjustment, and without a good support system, anyone
will go a little crazy. It was NOT depression. The problem is, most
doctors are so quick to diagnose anyone who's not happy as having
clinical depression. It's simply not true.

Are there some cases that need meds? Sure. But I bet you a lot of them
are like I was.

I agree I think doctors today are to happy to give drugs out to support
their investments in the manufactures!

"buttman" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've been doing therapy for the past 8 months. It has changed my way of
thinking a bunch, but I still get jittery,

No, **** your on drugs!

my heart rate increases, my
hands sweat, and my body shakes when I'm in a social situation. Yes, I
went many many years like this, but why continue any longer?

Dam, when I am in a social situations especially with a girl I want to nail
I have the same symptoms.


Its sort of like that classical experiment where they ring the bell and
feed the dogs. After a while the dogs begin to druel when the bell is
rang because they expect food. When I was younger, my mind associated
social situations with bad, bad things, so whenever they come up, my
body goes into whistle-emergency-panic-siren mode. Also when I was
younger, because of my horrible upbringing, my undeveloped mind
couldn't deal with what was coming at me, so I developed a nasty
"avoidant personality" to deal with it. To this day I have trouble
making eye contact with people. Sure I can force myself, but I'll never
atcally enjoy doing it.

Ok, cannot be any worse that a lot of other people out there that live
without taking dope.


All the therapy has helped me realize all of this, but it will never
make it all go away. Just like how you can't wish away cancer, you
can't just make your body react a different way when your body has been
reacting that way since childhood. Hopefully the medication will end
all of the anxiety that my brain has been trained to release when I'm
in a social situation, so I can retrain my mind to act cool.


Do us a favor stop taking the dope! Go find someone you can talk to and get
to the problem don't mask it with dope! It seems from reading this that you
are just having issues with coping with reality!

Why dont you try this,

Go make some social situiations good ones there are many hookers out there
that can help you out and it's a lot safer than the dope you are taking.

Slamati may have a point here, about the medical that is. The FAA has
started the Sport Pilot Category, wherein if one has never had a
medical, or failed a medical (I hope I have that right) then one can
tootle about the skies without a medical.

Add that new bunch to the folks who fly with medical problems that the
examiner doesn't find, or the pilot knows nothing about.

The bottom line is, most of the Saturday/Sunday pilots out here have no
need for a medical.

wrote:
Contact Bashir Slamati (Bushy Salami) he is somehow associated with or
is a competitor of Belfort Instruments. Bushy advocates lying on FAA
Medical Exams, and maybe he can introduce you to his doctor named
Albert Puskas (his doctor) ... not sure about the first name though.

Bushy Salami is laying low now, after he slammed Belfort and one of
their former employees in this newsgroup! Good Luck!

Grumman-581 wrote:
"buttman"wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm a CFI with a first class medical issued 6/15/05. I began taking a
banned medication (celexa) about a week ago. I have not flown since I
started the drugs, and I don't plan on returning until the medication
stops (the doc said that may not be for another 6-12 months). When I
"get back" will my current medical still be current, or will I have to
reapply for a new one? Am I supposed to tell the FAA about this, or do
I just wait it out or what?
Ditch the Celexa and get laid more often... That'll cure your depression...
Either that or it'll make you too tired to be depressed... evil-grin

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:

The problem you are going to have is not so much the medication as the
underlying condition. Hop over to the AOPA web site and read this...
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/medical/psych2.html


Actually it is both. The FAA refuses to accept any legitimate
purpose for drugs that have any psychoactive connotations. This
means no SSRIs period, no wellbutrin for smoking cessation, no
weak dosages of trycyclics for autonomic muscle spasms, etc...

They have their heads up their asses with regard to this.