What medicines really work for fear of flying?

I am very scared of flying and I would say I was a severe case. I have flown quite a few times but the distress became so much that I have not done it for 15 years. I know what keeps a plane in the air and I am fully aware that my fear is neither logical or rational and that I have more chance of being killed by a bee sting than by flying but none of that matters to me, I am just very scared of being in a plane. However, I would actually like to be able to do it because I would like to travel more. I have tried hypnotherapy and Neuro Linguistic Programming but they didn't help at all. Alcohol helps but not as much as I would like although it is definitely on the right track. So I am thinking that maybe there is a drug that I could take which although I knew I was flying I just wouldn't care about it. So are there any drugs that really do work for this condition please?

[Burton Dunaway, PharmD]

The most commonly prescribed medications for phobias such as fear of flying are benzodiazepines. Drugs in this class include alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium), and several others.  These medications are very effective but do have side effects such as drowsiness and dizzyness. Benzodiazepines are controlled substances and should not be taken with alcohol and many other presctription medications.