The joy and excitement of flying is something that once felt, never leaves you. Even if you rarely fly or never flew again after that first joyous experience, you remember every detail of every moment of that first flight. You naturally speak of it with excitement in your voice and a smile on your face. How could you not? Once aviation in general and flying specifically have touched you, they become a permanent part of your entire being. For most, it never goes away, and that is a great thing.
One of the few things that can temper that joy of flying is illness or injury. Things like common colds, pollen allergies, or even air pollution sensitivities can have a significant impact on some people. A sprained ankle or wrist, for instance, can certainly be a limiting factor to flight. But often the conditions, whether illness or injury, may appear to be or feel as if they aren’t bad enough to require a visit to the doctor.
So people self-medicate by using over-the-counter (OTC) medications. While these medications may or may not have an actual impact on the illness or injury, they most certainly can have a very significant impact on the user.
From spring through fall before the first frost, pollen allergies can cause suffering among people with pollen sensitivities. There are of course a number of OTC medications that can be purchased to ease the symptoms. One such medication is Diphenhydramine, known by its popular brand name “Benadryl.” While this anti-histamine may work very well for most people, are you aware that it can make a person very drowsy? It can also cause jitteriness, anxiety, and palpitations, among other reactions.
Though Benadryl may open your sinuses and ease your headache, think! If you take medication like this, are you impacting your safety and the safety of your passengers as well as people on the ground, if you fly? Bear in mind that the side-effects can vary with changes in flight conditions, as well as altitude!
One major point is that OTC medications, while most likely not as potent as prescribed medications, can have side-effects that are potentially life-threatening when they are taken and you fly (or drive). The reactions of nearly any medication will vary per individual.
So for example, if your friend takes Benadryl and maybe seems normal – not sleepy, and able to functional as you would expect – you might think it is okay for you to take it. But if you take the very same product, it could make you very sleepy for hours, and do so in short order.
If you take a simple pain reliever like aspirin or ibuprofen, you could experience upset stomach with either product. Ibuprofen can also cause dizziness, while aspirin can cause ringing in the ears. None of these reactions is necessarily life threatening unless you are flying or driving. The point is, you need to be fully aware of the potential and actual side-effects of any medication you use or plan to use.
Always read the label for correct application and use of the medication. Never take a medication before you fully understand how to take it and what the likely side-effects will be. If your condition is serious enough to require medication, then it is serious enough to prevent you from flying. Remember, you are responsible for your condition and assessment for flight readiness. Practice using the IMSAFE personal checklist. When in doubt, contact your FAA Aviation Medical Examiner for sound advice, and be sure to think before you fly.
Disclaimer: The inclusion or mentioning of a product or brand in this article is in no way an endorsement or recommendation, nor is it meant to be negative toward that product or brand. The product or brand is mentioned solely for ease of recognition by the reader and used herein to motivate the reader to think about the products they use, while reminding the reader to read the labels and instructions clearly before use.
