Expert Opinion
AINsight: Medications and Flying
There is no formal list of approved medications, as both the medication itself and the ailment are factors in whether it is approved.

One of the more confusing aspects of FAA medical certification is the role of medications. Whether a medication is prescription or over-the-counter, the FAA usually has justifiable reasons to be informed as to their use. That said, the “rules” involved can be mystifying both to pilots and their AMEs.

Before you run to the medicine cabinet to discard all of your medications or assume that you must shred any documents that even mention prescriptions, please take comfort in that many medications and the conditions for which they are being taken are potentially approvable. For the most part, a pilot is not dead in the proverbial water if he/she needs to take medications.

Robert Sancetta, M.D.
AIN Contributor
About the author

Dr. Robert Sancetta is a former DC-10 captain with 11,000 flight hours. He has worked as a Senior AME since 1993 and is appointed as AME Consultant to the FAA Federal Air Surgeon.

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