Class 1 Medical, previous dependency
Hi fellow avatars, just signed up t PPRUNE-seems like a great community and resource. I'm currently an aspiring pilot progressing through the PPL syllabus, and loving every minute in the air. I would love to become a commercial pilot eventually.
However I have a major worry, five years ago I suffered injuries, including a broken arm and collarbone, in a gnarly car accident. The docs prescribed me opioid analgesics (Morphine, Oxycontin) for the pain. Despite taking them exactly as instructed, over time my body developed a dependence and ultimately tolerance to the substance. I never took the medication for a psychoactive effect, I used it completely as prescribed. Once my pain had eased, I no longer needed the medication. However, my body did. If I didn't take it, I would suffer intense withdrawals, which I couldn't go through with as in full time employment.
This was a frightening experience for me, I am a tee-totaller. I haven't drank alcohol in 8 years, nor have I ever used an illegal substance in my life. Drugs just aren't my thing. So to find myself addicted to something that I took under the guidance of medical professionals, I was completely bewildered. I done exactly what my doc. told me to do, and this happened. I demanded that my doctor stop with the medication completely, but was told that a "cold turkey detox" could prove dangerous to my general health, and was strongly advised to consider substitute therapy instead. I'm only human, when the Captain of a jet turns the seatbelt sign, I belt up because I trust his or her judgement and professional acumen. I assumed that the doc had my best interests at heart (to be fair, in his eyes he probably did) So I followed his advice, and went on substitute therapy. This was horrible for me, and 5 weeks into the therapy I decided that the best course of action for both myself, my job and family was to detox completely from this horrible substance.
I was successful, and that was over 5 years ago. Haven't used anything since, and that includes alcohol The only drug I take from time to time is caffeine! I am terrified that this will affect my eligibility for a Class 1 Medical. Flying is and always will be my ultimate ambition, I am so happy when in the air it is what I live for and I am so determined to craft a career out of it. I just cannot believe that following the advice of a doctor ended in this way. I done everything I was instructed to, and would never even consider taking more than I was told. To me it was simply medicine.
Would I perhaps be better applying for a FAA medical? As I believe that they dictate "No abuse/dependency within the past two years".
Finally, when you go to the JAA medical I assume they get full access to your medical history, or is it based on what you declare? I would never consider being dishonest with my application as integrity means a lot to me, but nonetheless I am curious as to what the actual procedure is.
Many thanks for reading about my predicament, I appreciate any guidance that you can offer.
T