AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014 - 104

NEWS & NOTES
|

MEMBER SERVICES

PILOT PROTECTION SERVICES

Medications and side effects
Drugs can affect performance as altitude increases
THE FAA IS CONTINUALLY concerned about
the use of medications and the potential
adverse side effects. Sedating medications
are found as a possible contributing factor
in a significant number of fatal aviation
accidents. Certain drugs, even over-thecounter drugs (OTCs), may produce
adverse side effects that can affect cognitive function, including reaction time,
judgment, and decision making skills-all
of which are needed while flying.
AOPA is nearing completion of an
online educational course that will help
pilots better understand some of the basic
physiology of the body in the aviation environment. A section of that course deals
with the interactions of medications and
how those drugs can affect performance
as altitude increases. Certain medications,
including antihistamines and OTC cold
remedies, contain ingredients that are
sedating and that have long half-lives-the
period of time required after taking a drug
for its effectiveness to be reduced by 50

BY DR. WARREN O. SILBERMAN

AOPA Pilot Protection Services

percent. The effects of a medication while
you're on the ground may be negligible; but
at even relatively low altitudes, the effects
of those medications may cause potentially
incapacitating side effects.
This brings me to a question we receive
a few questions on-medical marijuana.
Twenty-one states allow the use of medical marijuana, and at least two states have
now decriminalized/legalized the possession of small quantities for recreational
use. Federal law still preempts state laws,
and marijuana is still-and most probably
will continue to be-an illegal substance
under existing federal statutes. The use of
cannabis, whether legal or not, is an unsafe
practice in the aviation environment. It is
one of the five tested drugs under the federal drug abatement guidelines, and is
often detected in preemployment and random drug testing in the aviation industry.
Marijuana can affect your cognition
(attention, memory, and learning) and its
effects can linger for up to 24 hours after

use. It can impair your memory of recent
events. It causes difficulty concentrating,
a dreamlike state, impaired motor coordination, impaired driving skills, slowed
reaction time, and may alter your peripheral vision.
Education about all medications is
important, so if you have questions about
a drug you are prescribed or currently are
taking, please contact AOPA's medical staff.
Dr. Warren Silberman is the former manager of FAA Aerospace Medical Certification and a doctor of osteopathic medicine.
A pilot since 1986, he is recognized nationally as an expert in aerospace/preventive medicine, and is a regular writer for
AOPA's Pilot Protection Services.

ON THE

WEB

Learn more about AOPA Pilot Protection
Services (www.aopa.org/pps).

ANSWERS FOR PILOTS

Airman medical certification

MEDXPRESS

A lot has changed over the years

Successfully completing
your next medical online

PERHAPS YOU'VE HELD an airman medical certifi-

cate for a couple of decades, but you haven't been
flying much lately and your medical certificate
has lapsed. However, your daughter has caught
the flying bug and her excitement is contagious.
As you talk with her about getting her medical
certificate, and describe the form, she tells you
she knows about that. She pulls out her iPad and
shows you the MedXpress website, catching you

104 | AOPA PILOT September 2014

by surprise. The paper form is no longer used; you
must apply online. If you wonder what else has
changed in regard to medical certification over
the past few years, read September's Answers for
Pilots online (www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/
Answers-for-Pilots.aspx). And look for additional
information on the topic in an upcoming webinar,
a short video, and a podcast-all brought to you by
AOPA Pilot Protection Services.

Find out what it
takes to complete
the FAA's online
medical application
in this AOPA Live
This Week video
featuring
Dr. Warren Silberman
(www.aopa.org/
AOPA-Live.
aspx?watch).

http://www.aopa.org/pps http://www.aopa.org/pps http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/Answers-for-Pilots.aspx http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/Answers-for-Pilots.aspx http://www.aopa.org/AOPA-Live.aspx?watch http://www.aopa.org/AOPA-Live.aspx?watch

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014