I don’t like to fly. It freaks me out. Yes, I know. Air travel is safer than driving a car. And, admittedly, it’s way safer than me driving a car. But that bit of logic doesn’t give me any comfort. And neither does this. A couple of weeks back the FAA cleared pilots for taking anti-depressants. On the surface, one might think that makes sense. After all who wants a depressed pilot at the controls of a giant flying coffin [sorry, I meant jumbo jet]. However, if you invest five minutes into researching these ‘wonder’ drugs you come up with a long list of disturbing side effects.
Take Prozac for instance. I’m not going through all the side effects. I just want to touch on a few. In clinical studies, some of the most common side effects are: Insomnia (33%), drowsiness (17%), anxiety (15%) and dizziness (9%). Vision changes are also reported in over 1% of study respondents. Of course, anyone can have more than one side effect at a time. So, it’s possible to end up with a pilot who hasn’t slept well, is drowsy, dizzy and whose vision is a bit blurred. On top of that, he or she is anxious. I don’t blame them. That is just a few of the common side effects. Unusual but reported side effects also include aggressive behavior, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. You get the picture.
Personally, I would like the airlines to come across with additional information when booking a flight. They already let you pick your own seat. Why not give us the option of flying with a pilot who doesn’t need happy pills? You know, someone naturally alert? I would be delighted to pay more for that flight. Since that’s probably not going to happen [because of a pilot’s version of the patient privacy act?], maybe I’ll make other travel arrangements. Swimming to the Bahamas is looking better and better.
