Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications Tool Kit ... - Home

Medical Information Center. These medications are sometimes used for non-psychiatric
conditions, but are still not approved for use in flight in this context.
The FAA generally requires the pilot to wait 60-90 days after completing treatment with
the medication. You must submit records of your treatment to the FAA for the agency's
approval. Formal psychological testing is often required. VFS can assist with this
process.
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Antihypertensive (blood pressure-reducing) medications: These include a wide
variety of medications such as diuretics, beta-adrenergic blocking agents, ACE inhibitors,
calcium channel blockers, labetolol, prazosin, and minoxidil. The FAA does not
automatically authorize use of these medications. See Blood Pressure in the VFS
Medical Information Center for more specific information on this topic.
The agency requires that you demonstrate normalization of blood pressure and undergo a
required evaluation to make sure you have no other disease. Your aviation medical
examiner (AME) can grant initial approval for using these medications if you hold a first,
second or third class airman medical certificate.
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Anti-inflammatory/arthritis/pain medications: OTC medications such as aspirin,
Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, Mediprin, Motrin IB, and so forth are allowed for flight deck use.
Prescriptions for similar medications, including Motrin, Naprosyn, Voltaren, Ansaid, and
Indocin, are allowed as long as you experience no side effects after 48 hours of use. As
noted above, Vioxx and Celebrex are also authorized. This assumes that the condition
that a pilot is using the medication for will not interfere with the safe performance of
flight duties.
See "New Medications Recently Authorized by the FAA" for information on Remicade
and Imuran as powerful anti-inflammatory medications.
The FAA will also approve Methotrexate, a medication used both for cancer and for
inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, after a two week observation
period without side effects. This approval is not for cancer under treatment. Reporting
to the FAA may be done at the airman's next physical exam.
The FAA does not approve for flight duty use any medications containing narcotics or
codeine--Tylenol No. 3, Demerol, Darvon, Darvocet, Lortab, Percodan, Ultram, etc. If
you use these medications, you must wait a specified amount of time--usually 72 hours-after
ceasing to take the medication before returning to the flight deck. Earlier return may
result in a positive DOT random drug test with some of these medications.
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Asthma medications: The FAA approves use of certain medications for treatment of
mild asthma. The agency must review and approve the condition and treatment on a caseby-case
basis before permitting the airman to return to flight duties. VFS can assist pilots