akv
04-03-2010, 22:33
"Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit, amphetamines/sniffing glue? ":)
Seriously though, can this end well? What about passengers who are now depressed to hear the pilots are on Prozac? YGBSM.
Depressed Pilots Can Fly on Medication, FAA Decides
By SHIRLEY S. WANG And MELANIE TROTTMAN, WSJ ONLINE
The Federal Aviation Administration will let some pilots who take four popular antidepressants return to the skies, saying Friday that it is easing its long-standing ban on psychiatric medications.
The old policy stemmed in part from concerns over possible side effects of psychiatric drugs, including sedation. But newer medications have fewer side effects, and pilots' associations have pressured the agency to reconsider the ban.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said some pilots with depression likely weren't being treated or were doing so in secret out of fear of losing their jobs. "We need to change the culture and remove the stigma associated with depression," said Mr. Babbitt.
Starting Monday, the agency will consider granting waivers that will allow pilots to fly while taking Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa or Lexapro, as well as their generic equivalents.
Medical experts and mental-health organizations supported the move, noting that untreated depression itself has an impact on job performance. They cautioned that the FAA needed to monitor the changes and keep pilots' confidentiality in mind.
Another risk: If some pilots who come forward aren't granted waivers, the agency may inadvertently discourage others from doing so, said Ken Duckworth, a psychiatrist and medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an advocacy organization.
The Air Line Pilots Association, the world's largest pilot union, backed the move. "This policy change should improve aviation safety and pilot health," it said in a statement.
The FAA says it can't estimate how many pilots might come forward but believes pilots' depression rate doesn't differ much from that of the general population, about 10%.
Antidepressants are the fourth biggest-selling class of drugs in the U.S., netting nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. For the four antidepressants, nearly 75 million prescriptions were dispensed in the U.S. last year, according to IMS Health, which tracks prescription-drug sales.
The new policy doesn't mean pilots who want to begin taking one of the medications can get in the cockpit right away. Before being granted a waiver by a physician certified by the FAA, a pilot must be considered "satisfactorily treated" for 12 months; in the meantime, he or she will be grounded.
For pilots who have been secretly taking antidepressants, the FAA is offering a grace period. The agency said it wouldn't take action against such pilots if they come forward within six months. However, pilots with a recent case of depression or who want to begin a new medication regimen will be subject to the one-year waiting period, according to FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette. "We're really looking for stability," she said.
Pilots must be examined by an aviation medical examiner every six months to one year to be recertified. They are required disclose what medications they are taking; lying on the form is considered a federal offense. The FAA says it doesn't track the number of pilots who have been grounded because they are taking psychiatric medications.
Psychiatrists said it usually takes three to six weeks for an antidepressant to begin taking effect, and doctors should have a good sense of how people are responding within three months. It takes an additional six months or so to get a sense of whether the depression will recur while on the medication.
The four medications that are allowed by the new policies are part of the so-called SSRI family. They work by preventing a brain chemical called serotonin from being reabsorbed by neurons. Their most common side effects are nausea and sexual dysfunction, said psychiatrists.
The FAA said it would consider allowing other psychiatric medicines in the future.
Psychiatrists say that it is far better to encourage pilots to get help than allow them to fly with untreated mental illness. "Untreated depression affects cognition probably more than any possible detrimental effect of any of these antidepressants," said P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of biological psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052702304871704575159740692643072.html
Seriously though, can this end well? What about passengers who are now depressed to hear the pilots are on Prozac? YGBSM.
Depressed Pilots Can Fly on Medication, FAA Decides
By SHIRLEY S. WANG And MELANIE TROTTMAN, WSJ ONLINE
The Federal Aviation Administration will let some pilots who take four popular antidepressants return to the skies, saying Friday that it is easing its long-standing ban on psychiatric medications.
The old policy stemmed in part from concerns over possible side effects of psychiatric drugs, including sedation. But newer medications have fewer side effects, and pilots' associations have pressured the agency to reconsider the ban.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said some pilots with depression likely weren't being treated or were doing so in secret out of fear of losing their jobs. "We need to change the culture and remove the stigma associated with depression," said Mr. Babbitt.
Starting Monday, the agency will consider granting waivers that will allow pilots to fly while taking Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa or Lexapro, as well as their generic equivalents.
Medical experts and mental-health organizations supported the move, noting that untreated depression itself has an impact on job performance. They cautioned that the FAA needed to monitor the changes and keep pilots' confidentiality in mind.
Another risk: If some pilots who come forward aren't granted waivers, the agency may inadvertently discourage others from doing so, said Ken Duckworth, a psychiatrist and medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an advocacy organization.
The Air Line Pilots Association, the world's largest pilot union, backed the move. "This policy change should improve aviation safety and pilot health," it said in a statement.
The FAA says it can't estimate how many pilots might come forward but believes pilots' depression rate doesn't differ much from that of the general population, about 10%.
Antidepressants are the fourth biggest-selling class of drugs in the U.S., netting nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. For the four antidepressants, nearly 75 million prescriptions were dispensed in the U.S. last year, according to IMS Health, which tracks prescription-drug sales.
The new policy doesn't mean pilots who want to begin taking one of the medications can get in the cockpit right away. Before being granted a waiver by a physician certified by the FAA, a pilot must be considered "satisfactorily treated" for 12 months; in the meantime, he or she will be grounded.
For pilots who have been secretly taking antidepressants, the FAA is offering a grace period. The agency said it wouldn't take action against such pilots if they come forward within six months. However, pilots with a recent case of depression or who want to begin a new medication regimen will be subject to the one-year waiting period, according to FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette. "We're really looking for stability," she said.
Pilots must be examined by an aviation medical examiner every six months to one year to be recertified. They are required disclose what medications they are taking; lying on the form is considered a federal offense. The FAA says it doesn't track the number of pilots who have been grounded because they are taking psychiatric medications.
Psychiatrists said it usually takes three to six weeks for an antidepressant to begin taking effect, and doctors should have a good sense of how people are responding within three months. It takes an additional six months or so to get a sense of whether the depression will recur while on the medication.
The four medications that are allowed by the new policies are part of the so-called SSRI family. They work by preventing a brain chemical called serotonin from being reabsorbed by neurons. Their most common side effects are nausea and sexual dysfunction, said psychiatrists.
The FAA said it would consider allowing other psychiatric medicines in the future.
Psychiatrists say that it is far better to encourage pilots to get help than allow them to fly with untreated mental illness. "Untreated depression affects cognition probably more than any possible detrimental effect of any of these antidepressants," said P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of biological psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052702304871704575159740692643072.html