Sedation for Flying, Dental Appointments and Scans

Flying
In line with Airline guidance we DO NOT prescribe medication for flying or flight anxiety.
Sedating medications work like alcohol - some people can get quite agitated rather than being sedated, which poses a risk on the flight. Similarly some people get overly sedated despite small doses, which makes evacuating them off a plane in an emergency difficult.
You can obtain over the counter mild sedating medications, or most airlines will offer or signpost you to flight anxiety courses if you ask.


Dental Sedation
Dentists are able to prescribe certain medications including sedation.
We do NOT prescribe sedation for dental procedures. We do not know what procedure you are having, what level of sedation is required and the impact this may have.
Being sedated can also affect your ability to consent to a procedure, meaning it may not take place if you are overly sedated on the day.
Speak to your dentist about your options if you are worried about needing sedation.
Scans
Patients often ask if sedatives can be prescribed before radiological procedures (e.g., CT or MRI scans). It is important to note that it is NOT safe for GP practices to prescribe sedatives for these purposes.
Small doses of benzodiazepines, such as diazepam, are probably not strong enoughfor most adults for any effective sedation. Conversely, anxiolytics can have an idiosyncratic response in patients, and even very small doses can cause increased agitation in some subsets of patients.
A patient may take a sedative before their assumed procedure, to then attend the hospital to find their procedure has been delayed, therefore the timing of the anxioyltic being sub-optimal.
All hospital consultants, both those requesting imaging and those providing it, have access to the same prescribing abilities as GPs. If a patient needs a certain medication to enable an investigation to go ahead, they are just as well positioned to provide a prescription, either through the hospital pharmacy or a hospital FP10.
The scanning department MUST know if you have been issued sedation for a scan as they may need to arrange additional monitoring for you.

Page created: 23 March 2021