Pilots with mild to moderate depression will soon be allowed to fly even when they are taking antidepressant medications under a new U.S. government policy that takes effect on Monday, according to the Reuters reports.
Unforeseen side effect of the ban and improvements in the drugs contribute to lifting of the 70-year-old ban.
Officials said they believed the ban had caused pilots to forego treatment or hide the fact they were taking medication to treat depression. The FAA is offering a six-month grace period for pilots to come forward without penalty if they are currently suffering from depression or are under treatment.
"We need to change the culture and remove the stigma associated with depression. Pilots should be able to get the medical treatment they need so they can safely perform their duties," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said.
Pilots who take antidepressants will be monitored for the length of their careers, the FAA said.
The policy applies to four antidepressants -- Eli Lilly and Co's Prozac, Pfizer Inc's Zoloft, and Celexa and Lexapro from Forest Laboratories Inc. But other medications may be allowed if pilots are being effectively treated with them, said Dr. Fred Tilton, the FAA's federal air surgeon.
However,to be cleared to fly, pilots who take the drugs must pass screening tests to show they have been successfully treated for at least a year. |
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