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2 Answers

Medication

Asked by: 5109 views , , ,
FAA Regulations, General Aviation, Private Pilot

I just had wisdom teeth surgery yesterday morning. All went extremely well, with minimal to no pain in recovery (in fact, the most pain I've been in was removing the bandaid where the IV was). I haven't taken any of the prescription painkillers, just simple low-strength ibuprofen as a precaution. I did, however, take a single dose of Valium a few hours before the procedure to reduce anxiety. What are the regs regarding a "waiting period" until I can fly again? (I'm a Private Pilot). I've heard everything from 24 to 72 hours.

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2 Answers



  1. Cody Barringer on Mar 08, 2014

    I don’t believe there are any regs about ibuprofen, best thing would probably be to consult a doctor and get a good idea of how long the meds will typically remain in your system.

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  2. Kris Kortokrax on Mar 08, 2014

    The guidance I have heard from CAMI is to wait until 5 times the half life of the drug before flying. Google shows the half life of Valium is in the neighborhood of 48 hours. That would come to 10 days before flying again.

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