Pilots Allowed to Fly While Taking Antidepressants

Washington, DCIn a move designed to increase airplane safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it is changing the way it certifies pilots with depression. It is unclear what impact, if any, this may have on plane crashes, but many groups say the move is a good one, and allowing pilots on certain antidepressants to fly will enhance air travel safety.


On April 2, 2010, the FAA announced that it would allow pilots with certain types of depressive disorders to continue to fly, provided they met certain criteria. Those criteria include the use of one of four common selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants—Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa or Lexapro—evidence that their symptoms responded to treatment with the use of only one of the above medications, evidence that the pilot's dosage had been stable for at least 12 months prior to the certification and evidence that the symptoms had not exacerbated in the previous 12 months.

The FAA had previously prohibited antidepressant use by those in the cockpit, although both Transport Canada and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in Australia allow it. In the US, pilots who were deemed depressed lost their first, second and third class medals.

According to the Wall Street Journal on 4/03/10, a main reason for the ban was fear over the possible side effects of psychiatric medication, one of which is fatigue.

The new policy allows pilots with mild to moderate depressive disorders, including major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder or adjustment disorder with depressed mood, to continue flying. Those pilots will now be given a special issuance medical certification.

The FAA also announced that pilots who did not previously disclose their use of antidepressants have six months to notify officials and apply for a new medical certificate. Pilots have until September 30, 2010, to reapply for their medical certificate, after which they may face prosecution for falsifying their medical condition. Pilots who are found to have falsified information on this reapplication could also face prosecution.

The allowance only applies to pilots who use one of the four accepted SSRI medications. Other falsifications will be prosecuted. Furthermore, situations in which a pilot takes an antidepressant without medical oversight or where the pilot should be on medication but is not are still considered unacceptable.

This new policy is no guarantee that pilots who take one of the antidepressants will be allowed to fly. Officials said they make that decision on a case-by-case basis. Pilots with new cases of depression or those who want to change their medications are subject to the one-year waiting period.