I row on a women's recreational crew team. Our ages span from 20s to 70. I'm on the older side. A young woman (age 23) recently joined us, a former college rower who had graduated. She was sitting in front of me during practice and somehow medications came up. I expressed that I don't take any drugs. She said she took her medications before our early morning practice that day because she kept forgetting afterward. She was feeling some effects which she described as a heart flutter which I found alarming in such a young woman. Our practices are very physically challenging. I asked what it was and she said fluoxetine. Not being familiar with the generic name for Prozac I asked what it was for and her response was anxiety. I wanted to shout "no" at her. I know first hand how harmful these drugs are. But of course I could say nothing...
From what I can tell, there's no evidence that this policy has caused any harm? It seems like a storm in a teacup. Beat up. It looks like it's addressing the reality that pilots were already using these drugs - secretly - yet planes aren't falling out of the sky as a result. Pilots have to be stable for a year on the meds according to your report. I highly doubt there's convincing evidence that SSRIs cause more plane crashes than untreated depression. Remember the placebo effect is huge in depression and may well compensate for any harmful side effects. You're arguing in the absence of any evidence that SSRIs cause late onset suicidality in stable patients. If you're happy to make shit up, okay, but acknowledge that there is absolutely no evidence for your claims. Doesn't mean none exists, but does attest to your lack of scientific method.
There was also a massive increase in the flight hours requirement for pilots in 2013 after a crash killed 50 people. Even after flight training hours was debunked as the cause of the crash, the increase of flight hours from 300 or so to 1500 has perpetuated the pilot shortage that we face today.
And this makes the FAA now allowing and expanding psychotropic drug use even more egregious.
I row on a women's recreational crew team. Our ages span from 20s to 70. I'm on the older side. A young woman (age 23) recently joined us, a former college rower who had graduated. She was sitting in front of me during practice and somehow medications came up. I expressed that I don't take any drugs. She said she took her medications before our early morning practice that day because she kept forgetting afterward. She was feeling some effects which she described as a heart flutter which I found alarming in such a young woman. Our practices are very physically challenging. I asked what it was and she said fluoxetine. Not being familiar with the generic name for Prozac I asked what it was for and her response was anxiety. I wanted to shout "no" at her. I know first hand how harmful these drugs are. But of course I could say nothing...
Most interesting and disturbing. I wonder what the EU equivalent has done.
And if I remember correctly I think they also changed some cardio markers on their fitness tests once the pandemic injections were rolled out.
From what I can tell, there's no evidence that this policy has caused any harm? It seems like a storm in a teacup. Beat up. It looks like it's addressing the reality that pilots were already using these drugs - secretly - yet planes aren't falling out of the sky as a result. Pilots have to be stable for a year on the meds according to your report. I highly doubt there's convincing evidence that SSRIs cause more plane crashes than untreated depression. Remember the placebo effect is huge in depression and may well compensate for any harmful side effects. You're arguing in the absence of any evidence that SSRIs cause late onset suicidality in stable patients. If you're happy to make shit up, okay, but acknowledge that there is absolutely no evidence for your claims. Doesn't mean none exists, but does attest to your lack of scientific method.
There was also a massive increase in the flight hours requirement for pilots in 2013 after a crash killed 50 people. Even after flight training hours was debunked as the cause of the crash, the increase of flight hours from 300 or so to 1500 has perpetuated the pilot shortage that we face today.
And this makes the FAA now allowing and expanding psychotropic drug use even more egregious.
https://theaircurrent.com/aviation-safety/whats-missing-from-the-debate-over-the-1500-hour-rule/
I should also add that the 1500 hour requirement is prohibitively expensive.
I'd love to know more about why so many pilots are depressed. Great post. Thank you.