Anxiety on planes.

A bit more information would help. I have flown with kids on rides. and have a child who had some issues.

How old is grandchild?

Is anxiety fear based or boredom and confinement based?

JB,

How old is your grandson? Some people use the "medication approach" (ie: Ambien, Diazepam) to treat flight anxiety, but that's not a method I've ever used. Other people have responded to more of a psychological remedy such as Cognitive therapy. The first step might be to have your grandson pay a visit to his family Physician to determine which solution might work best for him.

Stopping on the east coast to break-up the flights is only going to prolong the agony, making the travel time even longer and more tiring. I prefer to find the shortest flights possible and "get it over with".

Good luck!

He is 28 and has flown from SFO to Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, Seattle and Wyoming this past year. He just flew from SFO to LA for a game...was fine on the way down but on the way back got anxiety.

I've asked him what he thinks is the problem he does not know...other than boredom and being confined. He said his throat tightened up on the way back from LA. I do know he cannot go over about 6-7 thousand feet without getting altitude sickness. He and my daughter hiked up some mountains and learned the hard way.

He has no mental health issues.

jb,

id let the medical professional try to diagnose this issue.

let them know whats going to happen and if anything can be done.

guessing wont help anyone and since "he doenst know" either, i would say its time to have someone do some examines.

happy trails.

This one's a no-brainer. He should talk to his doctor if he thinks there's going to be a problem.

I agree with them all about the med's. Sometimes it just takes one pill to take the edge off when the feeling overcomes you.

My wife is having blood pressure problems being overwhelmed by two rambunctious little grandchildren. It was from anxiety, and affecting her health. Sometimes taking a little something is well worth keeping one healthier.

Ok, never mind the altitude sickness issue.. it does not apply to planes.. he is in a pressurized atmosphere with a constant oxygen supply. My dad is a high altitude ( or was) climber so I am not making that up.

He has anxiety issues. Talk to doctor. Personally I think a bit of ativan may be the solution.. but talk to doctor. A small dose will not knock him out ( unlike some sleep drugs) and taking it just for long flights does not pose an addiciton issue.

Talk to doctor..

A few small doses of an anti-anxiety medication - such as lorazepam or alprazolam - should help him a lot. I know people with a fear of flying who have used this approach with great success. Sometimes they come back from a trip and say they never actually had to take the medicine; just knowing that they had it handy did the trick. The only possible downside is that the medicine might make him a little drowsy. I'm sure his family doc would be happy to help him.

To answer your original question, there are flights from Germany to SFO connection on the east coast. I found one connection via USAir on Expedia,

MUC 12:15 - PHL 3:20
PHL 5:54 - SFO 9:14

I used Expedia and "Multiple Destinations" rather than one-way. I used Philadelphia as the second destination and filtered for USAir because I know they fly through Philly. USAir is not my favorite airline, nor is PHL my favorite airport. I believe United flys through Newark (EWR) as well as Chicago (ORD), but Chicago would be a longer first leg. Also, flying out of Frankfurt (FRA) would shorten the first leg.

To shorten the leg from Europe, you could book Icelandic Air via Reykiavik. The stop in Iceland, which is shorter than to the east coast, but they don't fly to SFO, so you would have some more stops to get to San Francisco.

I am a nervous flier and prefer to fly direct, mimicking take-offs and landings, which is the most stressful part of the trip.

But seriously, he should talk to his doctor. If it is a panic attack thing, medication could help but only the doctor can advise that. I have a cousin about his age who cannot fly without Xanax. She doesn't take it at any other time, only to fly. It works for her.

His issue could be physical or mental. Contrary to what has been posted here, pressurized cabins in aircraft are not pressurized to sea level and you are at about 2/3 of an atmosphere. Based on that you have a lower amount of oxygen in your blood which can combined with other physiological issues cause what feels like anxiety. For many years I taught SCUBA and have seen these reactions as well as have a good understanding of pressure/oxygen related physics and air travel.

Coincidentally I have a very close friend who had a similar problem with air travel. Through an unrelated medical check up she was diagnosed with a condition of having a hole between the two chambers of her heart which allows the mixing of oxygenated and carbon dioxide rich blood in her circulatory system. The surgeon who repaired her heart told me he was not aware of a relation between her heart condition and altitude related stress but then again he is more concerned with fixing the heart and doesn't study related issues. It turns out that since her procedure (she was lucky enough to know a doctor who performed robotic surgery and didn't have open heart) she has flown numerous times with no repeat of the anxiety/stress that she had been having. She is very confident that what I proposed was the cause of her flying and altitude problems. It is very similar to the reaction people have when their wet suit constricts the carotid artery in the neck restricting oxygen to the brain and they panic.

Another coincidence is that my Father studied and had a practice as a Hypnotherapist. One of the things he had great success with is phobias and stress. He would use Hypnotherapy in combination with a personalized audio tape that the person could listen to while in flight to help them relax. I good friends wife went to him and it helped her a lot. Whenever my friends wife would get stressed about anything he would tell her to go listen to Bert (my Father). She wore the tape out.

So my recommendation is to have him go to a doctor to rule out a physiological cause and if nothing is found seek out a Hypnotherapist to work with him on the stress.

I have anxiety when flying or in high places. I talked to my doctor and she gave me a prescription for ativan. I only take it when flying. Doesn't put me to sleep but makes it possible to travel. My doctor says it is very common. I would start worrying months ahead of a trip. Important not to drive after a flight when taking medications.

I know it is an irrational fear. People tell me that I am safer flying than driving. I know all the statistics. I just don't like it. I tend to take non stops to get it over with. That seems to work for me.

Also, I have a pilots license from when I was 18 because I hoped it would help me get over fear of heights. No, I don't pilot planes now but I don't want to stop traveling.

I want to thank each and everyone of you for your suggestions. I often do not reply to posts thinking my suggestion would be unimportant. But these suggestions and advice is important to me.

My grandson has been to the doctor and recommended Ativan. He took it 1/2 hour before boarding the plane home from LA and it gave him the jitters. He cannot take caffien in any form and had a partial coke before boarding.
He had nothing on the trip down and it was fine.

He will be going back to the doctor prior to a schedule trip to Montana before Europe. I have written down the anti-anxiety meds noted above so he can discuss them with his doctor.

Again, than you for each and every post.

I will get back after trip and let you know how it all went.

Oh, he previously told me about IclandicAir. We are looking into that flight.

JB your son you take any medication recommended a few DAYS at least before trip to make sure he reacts to them in the expected way.. people can have different reactions. Ativan is not known to make people jittery.. BUT everyone is different.. the coke and his anxiety could have cancelled out a too low dose of ativan. Ativan is commonly prescribed for those who get panic attacks and they often take 1-2 mg doses when in an attack.. but I find that only .5 is more then enough for me to deal with some minor issues I have.

Talking to doctor he may change drug or adjust dosage.

My son who has some issues.. was given 6 mgs( which is a freakishly high dose btw ,, not normal) in hospital to get him calmed down enough to allow them to take a blood test.. he is terrified of needles. I still had to hold him down by "hugging" him. He is not a child either but well over 6 ft tall.

Whatever son gets.. make sure he tries before he flies!

A few years ago, my neighbor's son was working in Germany and they said they wanted to go visit him but had back problems that kept them from spending long times sitting in aircraft. I suggested they fly to Boston, spend some time there, then IcelandicAir to Reykiavik, and then on to Germany. Turns out they were actually afraid to fly. Oh, well.

I am all for drugs but see them as a last resort after other methods have been exhausted. Western Medicine (which I also believe in) has a tendency to treat the symptom instead of the underlying problem which isn't always the best method.

It does sound like anxiety, and the symptoms are presenting as somatic complaints. Use his insurance to find a good cognitive behavioral therapist to do a 10-week session. This therapy works by exposure and changing ones thoughts to change emotions to change behavior. He could combine this with medication, but it depends on the preference of the therapist he is working with.

If working with a therapist is not an option for various reasons, then he could try and do some visualization exercises, relaxation techniques, and/or repetition of a personal mantra. This is typically what a professional would do. With that said, really try and find someone who can work with him since the strategies and coping skills he will learn will translate to any other anxiety inducing situations.

And I do hate to break it to you, but anxiety is a mental health problem.

I am glad Maryann posted that.. because yes,, severe anxiety is a mental health problem.

AND more importantly there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.. Mental health problems are nothing to hide or be ashamed of .. should a person be ashamed of having Diabetes or Kidney diesease.. NO.. so why should a person be ashamed or choose to hide a mental health issue,, they don't choose to be sick any more then someone chooses to have their appendix burst.

I have a similar problem...only with me it's that after a while claustrophobia sets in and plane seems to start feeling smaller. Meds are a good solution for the first few hours, but that's about it. Anyone have any ideas that would help? I never used to have this problem until I had a flight from Rome which sat on the tarmac for 3 hours before the journey!

Lisa..

That is my actual nightmare.. I would hate to have to sit on a plane on a tarmac for three hours!!! I think that is inhumane.. adding extra time onto the flight time and making you stay confined the plane. I think if the delay is more then an hour they should pull back up and let the people off into the boarding lounge.

You never know when you're going to have to sit on a plane for 3 hours, and it's best to just deal with it. It happened to me 2 years ago when returning from Paris. They had us on a plane that was too small. I'm not sure what it was, but the seats were 3 & 3, not a wide-body plane like I'm used to for overseas flights. They diverted us to avoid some weather, and doing so meant there wasn't enough fuel to get us to Washington, D.C. We landed at some little airport in New York. I think it was a municipal airport nowhere near NYC. They put some fuel in, then decided we needed more. Before they could add any the thunder and lightning began. We were there for a total of 3 hours. Not a big deal though. Everyone was in good spirits, not a grump in sight, and thankfully no children were aboard. We tried to get them to bring out the wine, but that was a no go. My 3 hour layover in D.C. to change planes went from theoretically being plenty of time to obviously having my flight take off without me. No big deal...we gained a day in D.C., paid for by United. I try to not stress over things I have no control over.

Thats great for you Andrea.. but you need to understand that for some people its not a case of being a "grump" but of feeling confined.. many of us can handle it for a certain amount of time, not comfortable, but can deal with it.. adding an extra three hours can really be pushing limits though.

I do hope that it came across that anxiety is a mental health disorder, and that there is nothing wrong with that.

When medication is not the only solution, the only other way to handle anxiety/stress/fears is with changing ones thought patterns. As stated previously, our thoughts are what lead to behavioral manifestations of anxiety. If you are sitting on a plane for three hours, and freaking out, then one needs to start practicing some relaxations exercises to handle the situation (as stated, some are not naturals about "just dealing with it"). You can buy audio recordings where someone walks you through the process, and if you find yourself getting to a bad place, turn that on and hope it helps you get through it. Put some favorite pictures that calm you on a device and peruse through that while stating what you like about the picture. Be mindful of your thoughts: "If this plane doesn't get off the tarmac now, I will flip out", and replace them with "I will get through this", "This is not so bad", etc. Even forcing yourself to have more positive thoughts tricks your brain into a more happy and relaxed state. Ideally, you have practiced all these strategies for a couple of weeks prior to trying them when most needed.

A friend of mine who is somewhat claustrophobic flies to Europe several times a year to visit family. She has found that the trip is bearable in an aisle seat ... that being able to see up and down the aisle of the plane lessens the feeling of enclosure.

After all the good advice so far, here's an additional tip: pay a little more to fly Economy Comfort (rather than Economy Discomfort). The extra inches between rows lets you feel less confined and restricted. It has worked out to about $100 per non-stop flight from Detroit to Europe (pricing is done per segment, calculated by miles traveled).

If it's a claustrophobia issue, splitting the flights might be a good idea. I agree spending a little extra for some added space will help too.

If it's a fear of flying issue, one long flight is much better since the vast majority of the risk is during takeoff and landing.

I'll take the longer flights mainly because the flight is the worst (least comfortable, no fun) part of my vacation; I go for the shortest overall time en-route, which is the direct flight. Direct flights also eliminate the chance of missing connections due to maintenance, weather, or other delays - and losing still more valuable vacation time to transportation time.

To avoid anxiety on planes? Best to sleep through it - which is another reason for a long flight rather than a bunch of shorter ones.

It is rare to have high altitude sickness at 6000 to 7000 feet but if that's the case that could be the cause of your grandson's problem. Cabin is pressurized to about six to seven thousand feet not to sea level. If the cause is anxiety then there is a lot of medication available and also psychotherapy. Let specialist deal with that. My sister has flying anxiety and deals with it with alcohol and it is helping her.

Thanks again for all of your advice and suggestions.

I failed to mention, my grandson has never had anxiety...except on airplanes.

He is returning to his doctor.