i am terrified to fly and will be flying later this week. i am already taking lex. and wellbutrin for anxiety and depression, but am wanting to know what the best med would be to help me calm down during the flight. any info. on this and encourage ment would be really helpful and greatly appreciated.

Hi fatcat, I take xanax for flying. It helps me so much! Can you visit your doctor and ask for this? There is another thread on here about fear of flying, you might search and read it. Good luck! :)

Hi I take xanax to when flying. In fact I would never be able to fly without it. I feel claustrophobic when flying and I hate not being in control. I suffer with panic attacks and the Xanax definitely helps take the edge off.
Have a safe trip! :)

Hi fatcatdogbog,

I used to be a flight attendant for 14 years and met a lot of people with fear of flying. I agree that if you can get some short term xanax that would help you. If I saw someone extremely terrified I would comp them an adult beverage. Other things that help are cold clothes on back of neck and wrists. Get involved in a book or in-flight project to divert your attention. Try to say hi to the pilot too. Making a personal connection with the cockpit helps some people feel more secure. You are definitely not alone in this. Try not to drink caffeine. Try to avoid middle seat so you don't feel closed in. When able too, walk around a bit. In the 14 years of flying and millions of miles flown, I never had any major incident occur. I few international and domestic. Watch the flight attendants, they know if anything is up. I am weird as I liked turbulance.

The hardest part of flying is getting through security.......

warm wishes.

I take Ativan for fearful situations. The first time I flew I was 32 (and terrified). I actually saw a psychologist who taught me some relaxation methods so I could make it through the flight.

thanks so much for the tips. how much xanax do you guys take.

.5 to .75 for a 3 hour flight. .75 to 1.0 for a cross country flight. An extra .25 if the weather is bad.

If you can't get the drugs (or even if you can!) have you thought about breathing? It's one of the best natural ways to relieve anxiety, especially situational. I use it all the time. It will also help lower your blood pressure. It's the Breatheasy method.