[oncereluctantspouse]

This may have been addressed before. If so my humble apologies. Do any of you have any advice for an individual that finds himself in a medium to high state of anxiety while flying?? I'm not really much for taking prescriptions and I figure it wouldn't look really good if I showed up in Moscow plastered.. .Any ideas short of putting myself in a trunk and hiding in the cargo hold of the aircraft ???

[Vicki H]

Try some tylenol pm to help relax you if you do not like prescriptions.

I have a low dose of xanax I can take in stressful situations. Nothing too high, I can still function it just takes the edge off.

[AbqLiz]

Ativan/lorazepam works well too. I have a lot of anxiety when I fly and Ativan makes me feel 'normal' not drugged. Good luck-you can do it!

[nungesser]

Go out to a drop zone and make a few skydives. Then flying on commercial aircraft will seem tame by comparison. I'm serious.

When you get to Russia, if youhave to leave Moscow, you can take the train instead. If you get a compartment all to yourself, it's a very comfortable and relaxed way to travel. I'm not afrain to fly, but in Russia I much prefer the train. It's just so much more relaxed.

[Jen_in_OH]

I can completely relate. I hate to fly. HATE TO FLY.

I come by it naturally. My grandmother hated to fly and would hold her feet in the air while sitting on a plane. She thought (for some strange reason) that this would protect her from certain death. It goes without saying that she only flew 1-2 times in her life & never to Russia!

Years ago, I casually mentioned my fear to my general practitioner during a yearly exam. We were talking about vacation plans. I mentioned an upcoming trip which I was looking forward to assuming I survived the flight. She wrote me a prescription for a benzo and it made all the difference in the world. Mind you, I still think I will die while flying, but the drug just makes me not care. It wears off nicely (no 'drugged' feeling).

So you might want to consider a prescription med it's better than trying to keep your feet off of the floor of the plane.

Jen

[Jim_in_PA]

Aside from finding a way of relieving your anxiety, be sure you let the crew know of your discomfort before your trip gets started. There are many people who are uncomfortable flying and the crew will know of ways to help you along.

[oncereluctantspouse]

Thanks for all the tips.
Jim ..I think me running up and down the aisle of the cabin screaming previous to departure will be a huge tip to the flight crew..

[Kasey]

I also have a fear, more of the take off and landing, but it has never stopped me from flying. Well with this adoption I knew we would havea flight in Russia which we didn't our first time around, plus the fact I was leaving my 2 1/2 yr for the first time. I was anxiety ridden for 2 weeks prior. I also dont take meds, but I knew I needed something just in case.
I talked with my doc about Ativan, since I knew it was short acting, didn't drugg you and we used to give it the the little old ladies and they did good. So I got Rx for 0.5 mg, didn't take it on the first flight to region and was completely anxious the whole time, took it on the way home and loved it, truly didn't knock me out, I just felt like I didn't care, I was very relaxed at ease and now was kicking myself for not taking it sooner. I also broke that half and only took .25.
I know this time I will be taking it, no sense is spending 2+ hours anxious on the flight.

[pequele]

if you DO plan on taking drugs that decrease your mental capacities then try it out at home BEFORE the trip. You may not like how they make you feel. Also you may want to know HOW your mental capacity is dimished when taking them in the unforseen AND VERY UNLIKELY event that you DO need to make an emergency exit! Besides you do not want to be one of the few people who actually experience the adverse effect (side effect) of a panic attack. Yes, benzos CAN actually CAUSE a panic attack rather than hinder one in a handful of people (I raise my hand here as one of those few people and probably the WORST feeling I have ever experienced in my life and I was only trying to use them to help me fall asleep, I do not normally get panic attacks). Trust me, you do not want to be on the plane and learn there that you are one of those people! In addition, I do not know of your travel situation, but if you are travelling alone, by all means DO NOT take ANY drug! It would be akin to someone slipping you something in your drink at a bar, you'd make yourself vunerable to ANYONE on that plane!

[Aphi86]

I used to be an international flight attendant and I can tell you this. DON'T drink, it really does make it worse! Seriously though, you are safer in the plane than on the freeway! I know that sounds a little trite, but think of how many flights take off every single hour every single day without incident. If that doesn't make you feel better, take the Tylenol PM, or if that leaves you groggy, take some Dramamine (sp?) to sleep your way through.

But, also be smart. Never remove your shoes through take off and landing. When I was a F/A I read this excellent article by a guy that had survived the US Air crash back in 89 or 90 and he wrote about things he wished he had known. Know what aisle you are on and count how many rows to the nearest exit. I know you may "know" you are on row 40, but touch the seats and say them to yourself to help remember. The emergency lights don't always work to light your path to the exit. Also, I always keep a scarf or something that can be tied around my nose and mouth as a shield from smoke. I don't say these things to freak anyone out, but some of the anxiety stems from losing control and by being prepared you gain some of the control back.

Finally, I think you can actually take a class on this. I remember one funny flight had a "graduation" of this class on board. It was all of these first time flyers. We offered them all champagne when the plane landed. Pretty funny.

[TweetyMom04]

On our flight from JFK to Moscow and on several of my walks around the plane (on the overnight flight), I noticed this guy with a strange look on his face, fear and pain. He was gripppping the arm rests so hard, I was surprised he didn't crush them.
There were many good suggestions here to help with the fear. Inflicting and concentrating on pain, didn't help his fear of flying.
Tylenol PM makes me a bit groggy. There is another product OTC, Only Sleep or Just Sleep or something like that. I sleep well and don't feel foggy in the morning. Be sure to try anything BEFORE you fly. Ginger Ale helps with flip-flop tummies. You can buy the Ginger Tablets at a health food store, but again try it BEFORE you fly.
As for the shoes, I agree. We brought house-slippers on the flight. My feet swell up, that I can only untie the laces. If I take my shoes off, I can't tie them until we are inside the terminal and it is still painful. Personally, I'd prefer to leave my shoes on.

[jroc]

Hey there!

I don't have anxiety while flying, I just can NOT stand to sit for longer than an hour or two. I go nuts! My DH calls it 'Ants in the pants'. Sometimes I'll just get dressed and run out the house cause I 'got ants'. Well, needless to say, flying isn't my favorite thing to do. This is what works for me - Dramimine. It is for motion sickness but it makes you not care about anything. Only lasts 1 hr or two, so you could take it before the plane takes off and it will probably put you to sleep for a nice little nap.

For our upcoming flight, I want something that will last longer. I'm going to try to get an RX for Ambien. I want to take the pill, fall asleep peacefully, and wake up as in Russia. I can't wait until they can just teleport people places. ha!

Good Luck.

[hopeful_in_Wi]

I LOVE flying so I'm not much help but take something with you that will take your mind off of it. Read a very engaging book; make sure you haev your DVD player and watch movies; try REALLY hard to sleep ... its a long flight so maybe start off by sleeping via sleep aids (a little valium is a good thing!!) and then doing the other things after you're awake.

I used to be afraid of heights until I went skydiving. Broke me of that fear no problem!

You really are much safer on a plane than in any other form of transportation. Keep your eye on the prize -- your new family needs you to be calm on the flights

[hopeful_in_Wi]

Also, any chance you can leave a few days early and stop over in a major Euro city? My mom, who will travel with me (and up until around the last week or so was not all that excited/supportive) asked if we could stop over in London for a few days on the way there. Would help with jet lag (give a few days to get used to the time diff) and give her a chance to see one of my favorite cities.

Maybe we'll stop at London on the first trip and Paris on the sedond ... if $$ allows.

[mikeintexas]

I did a fear of flying course online and it helped me tremendously! I will PM you with the web page. A very low dose of xanax also helps me as well.