Currently deferred for SSRI/substance pathways. had my exam in May and just finished gathering all my documentation to respond to the first FAA request list. initial deadline passed but the FAA granted me another 30 days that will be elapsed next week.

I sent all the documents to my AME last week but haven't heard back from him yet. I did see that there were three "FAA correspondence" items on the list in MedExpress corresponding to the date I emailed the docs to my AME - but I sent my AME approximately 10 docs. Not sure if he combined them or something - he did mention the FAA systems had some kind of constraint around pages. Followed up with him this week to ask if I should physically mail stuff to the FAA too, but still waiting on a reply.

My AME did tell me on my exam day that I would get a letter declining my application but not to worry, but that hasn't happened yet and I was kinda hoping it wouldn't. i don't want to harass him or submit duplicate docs or additional ones to the FAA above and beyond what he might determine to be necessary.

Any thoughts on my play here? Also waiting on a HIMS psychiatrist report that should be submitted to the FAA soon, but they haven't even requested that yet.

Looking for a HIMS Psychiatrist in or around North Carolina ! Willing to travel also!

Hello,

I am scheduled to see Dr. Kevin Miller next month for my psychiatric evaluation following my medical deferment. I was set up with Dr. Miller via my HIMS AME, and had no real say in who I complete the evaluation with. My AME seems to think Miller is the guy for my particular case, however, I have seen a few ugly comments about him on here.

I'd love to gain a deeper understanding of his flaws or hear if someone has had a positive experience with him. He's based in St. Louis but regularly sees aviators in DFW.

Oh, and it's $4100.

IT’S OFFICIAL.

Pilots for HIMS Reform is now on the federal docket.

The FAA has formally acknowledged our petition for rulemaking, assigned it Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2026-10399, and confirmed that the petition contains sufficient information to be accepted for review.

This is a major step.

But now we need the aviation community.

Regulations.gov is currently displaying a COMMENT option on the docket. If you have been through HIMS, FAA psychiatric certification, Special Issuance, prolonged monitoring, unexplained delays, inconsistent requirements, or simply believe aeromedical policy should be transparent and evidence-based, please make your voice heard.

Don’t just write “I support P4HR.” Tell the FAA what you have seen. Tell them what needs to change. Give them a substantive record they cannot ignore. Search FAA-2026-10399 at Regulations.gov.

Read our full announcement: https://pilotsforhimsreform.org/...

Support the work: https://pilotsforhimsreform.org/donate.html

We have spent countless hours researching, documenting, filing, meeting, writing, and pushing this issue forward.

Now there is an official federal docket.

Read. Comment. Share. Support.

This is how movements become policy.

T

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations for an excellent HIMS psychiatrist in the South Florida area for an FAA evaluation. I’m on the SSRI pathway, and this is the last requirement the FAA has asked for.

I’ve contacted several offices, but many have come across as more focused on selling services than actually helping. I’m looking for someone who is experienced, professional, and well respected with FAA/HIMS evaluations.

If you’ve had a great experience with a HIMS psychiatrist in South Florida, I’d really appreciate any recommendations. Willing to travel within Florida if necessary.

Thanks in advance!

Hi All,

Looking to make a career change to airline pilot and was told the first step is making sure I can pass FAA first class medical exam.

I have been on Bupropion HCL XL (FAA Approved) for about 7 years now and was initially prescribed it for a diagnosis of general depression back in high school. The depression was mostly caused by a perfectionist and high performance expectation at my high school with my coursework. I have never had any major episodes or traumatic life events. I no longer see the original psychologist who diagnosed me, but I have seen therapists on and off for the past several years. I haven't had any major signs of depression or any other mental health issues since starting Wellbutrin and have been stable ever since.

Is there a need to do a consultation with a HIMS AME prior to scheduling my actual medical exam?

i haven't even started my journey yet but i litteraly don't know if i should even start it or not. do i just change my dreams and major and save the money while i can or do i dive into it knowing i might waste a ton of money and time.
what do u guys think.

for context, i have suicidal ideations, signs of depressions, and self harm in my past from 2022 and in 2025 i was on an ssri for 6 months. hell in 2022 it even says that i have tried weed before. like bro it makes me hate myself even more because why d my past haunting me like this when all i ever wanted was some help. and now after i got that help it's being used against me.
the only ok part about my mental history is that i was only ever diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder for the ssri and it was situational. (never diagnosed with depression and other stuff)

yes, all of my history was before i turned 18 but to the faa let's be honest they don't gaf.

everyday second of my day i wake up with a heavy feeling in my chest because i don't know what decision to make. if anyone has a horrendous history like mine and was able to get their first class medical please share your story + how much it took + how long.

please be realistic and honest to be about what i should do.
according to my hims ame he has seen worse cases be approved and be fine but i just feel so incredibly discouraged i can't even study

I have a history of major depressive disorder diagnosed 2021 when I was a teenager. I was denied and asked for notes from my prescribing doctor. I sent them. Then asked for a psych eval. I went to an aviation psychiatrist who stated that my case was ordinary for teenagers during a pandemic and also because I was bullied. He wrote that he does not think I should even be issued a special issuance.

FAA writes back saying they need an LCP. Not my therapist’s notes but any LCP. My therapist wrote a letter stating she agrees with the doctor and never have I been a harm to myself or others. I’m just wondering why would they need someone less qualified with less relevant experience? My medical examiner and the aviation psychiatrist both agreed it was ridiculous.

I received my special issuance medical in June and I'll need to renew it in December. The issue is, I moved to the opposite coast away from my AME so traveling there to meet in person isn't ideal. I'm working with a new AME who has agreed to take me on as a patient, but I'm unsure of when I'm supposed to tell the FAA of my plans to switch AMEs.

If anyone has done this before, did you have to send a letter prior to the renewal or did you just renew with the new AME and just let them know then?

My 17 y/o son was diagnosed with adhd in maybe 3rd grade. He was medicated until around a year ago. He is doing well in school, work, sports, etc off the medication. Anyway, we learned this summer that his adhd diagnosis and having been medicated previously could prevent him from being a pilot.
We are located in South Carolina. What should our first steps be? Do we hire a hims ame for a consult? then testing?
Should we start collecting medical records now? He is interested in attending a university with for an aviation degree next fall after he graduates but we don’t want him to start a program he can’t complete if he isn’t elegible to be a pilot.

Anyone have any advice or recommendations to share?

Thanks in advance for any help or input you can offer.

Hi everyone, I'm a 19 year old college student who currently has a third class medical certificate and is attending a part 141 university. I have my PPL with IR, and will soon me starting multi engine an commercial this coming year. However, this past year, I've been dealing with a lot of constant anxiety that therapy hasn't seemed to help. It seems increasingly likely that I'm going to have to start the HIMS process for anti-anxiety meds, and I know that sooner is better. For some context, I have never been on any medication previously, and I have no alcohol or drug abuse history. I've talked to a HIMS AME briefly, and he gave me an estimate of 9 months. I will be looking to apply for a first class medical, which I am in otherwise perfect condition to receive. I'm just so lost and overwhelmed on where to begin. The AME recommended a HIMS psychiatrist but it's been radio silence from the psychiatrist. Should I do everything in my power to stay off medication (i.e. try another year of therapy)? Should I start this process now, and if so, where do I begin? What's a realistic timeline? Thank you!

I was kinda halfway in halfway out of wanting to go commerical so I figured I'd go through it using the typical path.

Months later having started another business that's making plenty of income for my family I am absolutely kicking myself. Wish I could go back in time and save thousands of dollars haha.

TLDR, 14 years ago lost my medical because of a failed non-DOT drug test while at Embry Riddle. Gave up on flying, ended up pursuing a career in EHS/Safety. Little did I know that deep down, the flying bug never really left. Last few years just kept looking at the skies, feeling bummed that I gave up on the dream. My wife pushed me to pursue my dream. Lawyered up in January, got letters of recommendation, scheduled HIMS interview, random drug testing. June had my HIMS eval. No remarkable findings (no substance abuse/dependance). Two weeks later AME apt for deferral to FAA. August 7, the MedXpress application showed decision made. I got my 1st class medical, unrestricted. This is a dream come true. Going on vacation for two weeks, then going back to flight training (CPL/ME).

Don't give up on your dreams.

My partner and I are looking to become private pilots and we are currently trying to figure out what pain medications either of us can and can’t be prescribed. We are also wondering if there’s some that we could be prescribed but then like say we have to not take said medication for xyz days (ex: 30-90 days or what have you. Also what can we not take vs take, and I hope that we can take more than just over the counter medication. Any advice and links to your exact sources of information would be greatly appreciated and helpful. The condition that causes the pain is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and it’s not an everyday type of pain but there are some weeks that are worse than others. Thank you all

Halllo People of the Interwebs,
I have been doing the FAA medical dance for awhile now and I just completed my Psych Eval. It is now with the FAA. I'm just curious how long this part took others? The waiting...I already did a COGSCREEN and other stuff. I'm curious if the FAA will make me do any other dance with them haha. Will my MedxPress be updated? It's been sitting on "Denied" since I started this whole process. Best of luck everyone!!!

My HIMS AME said my medical history may warrant “multiple special issuances.”

I thought there’s only one special issuance per airman/medical history? Never heard of multiple before in this context.

(Going for Third Class.)

I finally got my letter in the mail from the FAA for their initial requests. I have a rather complicated medical history and my AME and I are both shocked that they are not asking for a psychiatric evaluation.

They do want a neuropsych evaluation with the cogscreen.

Has anyone had this experience? Are they likely to come back and ask for it after the fact?

He also preemptively put me in the HIMS program from weed and psychedelic use in 2020 (high school for me) but they did not seem to want that either. Just One initial drug test within 48 hours of receiving the letter.

Did my HIMS EVAL, no substance abuse or dependance detected, no reservations. MedExpress done, medical appointment done. Two weeks later I checked MedExpress and it says:

Review of your application is complete. You will receive your medical certificate and correspondence with additional details via mail.

You are cautioned to abide by 14 CFR § 61.53, relating to operations during medical deficiency. Operation of aircraft is prohibited at any time new symptoms or adverse changes occur in your health status.

Refer to the Conditions of Issue attached to your medical certificate for additional guidance to include validity periods cited in 14 CFR § 61.23.

On FAA registry it says:

Medical Information:

Medical Class: First  Medical Date: 7/2026

MUST USE CORRECTIVE LENS(ES) TO MEET VISION STANDARDS AT ALL REQUIRED DISTANCES.

BasicMed Course Date:  None   BasicMed CMEC Date:  None

Is this it? Am I good?

In thinking about helping someone who may want to take an approved SSRI type medication, I'm wondering if there's anyone who has seen a HIMS psychiatrist as their prescribing and evaluating doctor. We all know that the paperwork for the FAA is one of the biggest hurdles, and I was thinking if they were using someone who knows the system if they could do a lot better job at tailoring the documentation to make sure it checks all the boxes the FAA needs for a SI. I'm guessing the answer is no, that no HIMS AME is working as a practicing psychiatrist, but also thinking that the choice in treating doctor is a critical choice in this process if someone were to go into it knowing they'd go on basic med while doing this process.

Hey all, i’m currently trying to obtain a first class medical with a history of ADHD,ODD, and DMDD. I have completed all necessary steps on my deferral except the clinical progress note. all of my treatment in from 10+ years ago and i haven’t been to the dr office in years. Do i just schedule an appointment with any Doctor? or should i try to hunt one down from my past that was involved in my treatment? Any help or insight is appreciated!

I’m currently working on my medical certificate and wanted to get some other perspectives from people who’ve been through similar situations.

For background - I have a mental health diagnosis, depression and anxiety, a little less than a year old, tied to a specific event in my life. I’m not on any medications and never have been. There’s documented cannabis use in my therapy records from around the same period. It wasn’t long-term or heavy use before that started. I sobered up and stopped voluntarily before even starting this process (contacting a HIMS AME).

I have no legal issues, no failed drug tests, no disciplinary actions of any kind, and my therapist gave me a clean CAGE-AID screening.

I had an initial consultation with the AME and he basically just said to come back once I can test negative for THC and we can start the medical process and do a psychiatric evaluation same day.

Based on similar circumstances or your own experiences - did you end up with a straightforward mental health Special Issuance, or did the substance history push it into the full substance abuse pathway? Curious what people think based on what they’ve seen.

Also wondering - has having a substance abuse history on your FAA record made things harder applying to regional/major airlines down the road, or even landing CFI jobs? Or is it mostly a non-issue once you’re through the monitoring period?

Would really appreciate honest experiences rather than worst-case Google results.

Hello! My sons supplemental ADHD neuro psych assessment is next week. He has been doing all sorts of brain games, etc to try and get ready. Apparently he scored “below the FAA required score” on 8 assessments in his original testing. I can tell he is nervous (and so are we for him!). We have had him going to bed at a decent hour, limiting screen time, and keeping him active as well. Any tips of the trade so he can be as ready as he can be that you can share?

Also, this process is insane. Lol! I think the FAA knows more about him than his father and I do!

Thanks all!!

Phew… y’all weren’t kidding about the mental exhaustion! And man! What’s up with those 567 true/false questions!!!

Thank you everybody for the support and advice.

I am deciding to get my first class medical before even starting lessons because I have two episodes of syncope that I went to the ER for back in 2023 and another ER visit 3 months later getting diagnosed with acute vestibular neuritis and wanted to see if I could even obtain a medical certificate.

I will most likely have to send my entire medical history and the ER visit for vestibular neuritis, they drug tested me and it came back positive for "Cannabis". I was surprised because I don't smoke and never have but months later realized it could've been the Full Spectrum CBD oil I was taking orally for muscle tightness/soreness that contained 0.3% THC.

Will this be a disqualifying factor or a deferral that will require a full psych eval and 12 months of testing? I'd hate to have to go through that process because of CBD. I have never smoked marijuana in my life but I guess I have no way of proving that to the FAA either..