I was recently diagnosed with ADD. I was taking Strattera for about 4 months, but the side effects were just too severe. I went in to my doctor to see about switching medication and was rather startled to hear what he had to say.

My doctor told me that in some fields, you can be fired for taking stimulants, regardless of the fact that the person was diagnosed with ADD and was prescribed the medication by a doctor. He said it was very common in government jobs, where security clearance is needed. I'm a UNIX administrator, and I deal with servers containing sensitive information on a daily basis. The reason I found this so disconcerting is because a government job is a definite possibility in my future. He said that they even go back a number of years, and if you've EVER taken medication such as aderol or Ritalin, you can be instantly removed as a candidate for employment. I don't want to ruin my future by taking stimulants, but at the same time I need to have treatment.

He just prescribed Wellbutrin, which I'm trying out. I'm a bit worried about taking this medication as well, because I'm not depressed in any way. I'm afraid it will affect me socially and creatively. I'm giving it an honest shot, but I want to know my alternatives should this not work or have too many negative repercussions.

Has anyone had any experience with this issue? Have I already hindered my career by merely being diagnosed with ADD? Will I preclude myself from certain career choices by taking a stimulant based medication to treat ADD?

That sucks!

I wonder: Why would they do that? I thought Adderall and Ritalin were well researched medicines.

Well, anyways...Welcome to the forums Havs! :)

check with your state government department of labour on that and you may find out what the legal requirements are vs the standards invidual businesses may have.

I know that with athletes, this would be very likely true, and possibly other things but there is likely a list out there somewhere.

Good luck!

Would that be considered discrimination, firing someone for this? Steroid use with baseball players is one thing, but to take medication, to better yourself mentally, is different. Would you be able to sue a company if this were to happen? Just wondering...

I forgot to mention, welome to the forum!

No doubt!!!That cant be right!!!I wouldnt take just his word for it,I would get a second opinion.Ive had experiences when doctors were just hell bent on giving you ridalin,adderall ect.It took me 2 years!I tried strattera for several month with no effect,but everyone is diffrent.WELCOME.

You do not have to have depression to take Wellbutrin. It's prescribed for various uses, one of which is to aid in smoking cessation ( tradename "Zyban").

As far as whether or not taking stimulants can preclude you from taking a gov't job.

A lawyer who practices in the federal courts and is knowledgbale with the case law that pertains to gov't employment issues as well as a working knowledge of The Americans with Disabilities Act under which ADD is covered can give you a more definitive answer.

I have read of certain gov't employees who are prescribed dexedrine (a stimulant) by gov't doctors in order to perform their jobs.

The employees are fighter pilots, they have top secret clearances. They refer to the dexedrine as "go pills". They are prescibed when there is a mission which entails extended flight time.

Last but not least, priorities. I'm in no position to give advice I'm only stating the options based on a hypothetical outcome.

If it should turn out to be factual that for your particular career that the prior prescription of stimulants would preclude gov't employment.

And should it also turn out that stimulant medication is the only efficacious way of treating your symptoms then you have to make a choice.

Taking a gov't job that due to policy forces you to operate below par and with that all the attendant difficulties

or

A private sector job that does not place medicinal restrictions on you thus allowing you take whatever is necessary to help you function at you optimal level.

This must be a misunderstanding. He might be talking about illegal stimulants, but Adderal/Ritalin do not impair job performance (unless you get really really dehydrated and pass out) and thus I can't see why they would be prohibited..?

I work for the Department of Energy and although I have a low-level clearance, they never even asked me about my prescription history. The next highest level of clerance requires a 7 year background check, but nobody has ever mentioned that the use of legally prescribed stimulants would bar someone from getting a higher clearance. Stimulants in and of themselves have no adverse effect on job performance, secrecy, and loyalty to your country.

There is one caveat, however. If you are trying to get a higher clearance (for DOD it would be Top Secret and for DOE it would be Q/L), they screen for mental instability. If someone has had extensive counseling or is diagnosed with a psychological condition, that could prevent them from being entrusted with sensitive information. Think about it--if you were going to counseling because your child died, you have something that is very sensitive to you. That sensitive issue, if ever found out, could be targeted to weaken your resolve: if you are ever captured/attacked and someone wants to get information out of you, they could threaten to hurt your other children and you might break down and divulge things...this is how my psychiatrist explained it to me because I was planning to become a fighter pilot and was concerned that if I was diagnosed with OCD I wouldn't be able to...

I am confused how could u get fired for taking a med that can help you perform better in the job area? If you have to take a drug test, just make sure you list all the medication that you're taking...including strattera.
I'd ? the doc on why you're on wellbutrin. I am on zoloft because of anxiety. Good Luck!

Perhaps he was referring to jobs that require security clearance? If you work for the government handling data that is very sensitive, they can deny you just because they feel like it. Depending on what clearance level is required, they can do a super-thorough background sweep, and if you've stepped on a crack funny, they will call you on it.

Anything that doesn't involve national security is fine.

-Brian

Perhaps he was referring to jobs that require security clearance?
That's pretty much exactly what I was referring to. In my line of work I maintain servers that contain an abundance of information. While I might not directly interact with that data, I have heightened permissions on the computer in order to do my job. That means if I wanted to, I could access that information and possibly use it for ill intent. My current company doesn't contain information that's a matter of national security, so its not too much of a worry at the moment. However, a large number of contracts in my line of work are government contracts. In order to work on those contracts, you need to have security clearance. If I were to leave my current employer for another, its entirely possible that the work would involve, either directly or indirectly, government contracts. I just want to make sure I don't shoot myself in the foot by goin the stimulant route.

With the rather draconian approach to medicine the current administration has taken, I want to be very cautious in my choices. I guess they think that because you're taking a stimulant you're all "hopped up on uppers, and you might do something crazy". The doctor mentioned that with the recent proliferation of crystal meth there's a blanket stigma on ALL stimulants, beneficial or not.

And just to clarify, yes the doctor was directly referring to drugs such as ritalin and aderol.

Thanks for the welcome by the way! :D

A lot of members have great success on Wellbutrin and you honestly don't have to be depressed to see benefits from the med. Keep in mind if Wellbutrin is not for you that there is a huge number of meds to choose from in the Non-Stimulant family as well.

Me this could happen to me. :(

For that reason and others, I don't take them any more

My understanding is that the military doesn't allow pyschiatric medications, even tho they obviously would help.The irony is that military pilots take dexedrine to help them get thru grueling missions.

I have written many letters over the years to the various branches of the service on behalf of clients/former clients, in terms of documenting their history of mental health treatment in an effort to be accepted.

Whether or not they take meds has always been the sticking point.

My beleif si that with a letter of explanation form your doctore regarding the diagnosis and the medication prescribed, you would have some measure of protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

I've posted this before, but if you go to Andrew's homepage www.bigsplace.com there will be a link for the Disability Coordinator for each state. You could always ask them. :)

the irony, mctavish, is that the military could stand to loosen up their idea of what a psychiatric drug could do to help support the soldiers. i'm an army brat and personally had to use the military healthcare my entire childhood up to 17 and i can tell you ..that the army for instance really lacks in that department as far as returning vets are concerned. it sux.
i personally take wellbutrin regularly..and i stopped taking adderall b/c of the exact same reason- the side effects were so severe and i didn't realize that until i discontinued them..i was getting migraines, i was crashing every day at home like a zombie and i was irritable. now that i'm just on wellbutrin i feel sooo much more well adjusted...less grouchy and a lot more like a more happy person. its a relief! but it depends on the person i guess....
it has been a life saver for me...i can understand your concern about being labeled in terms of the impact on your career in the future...its hard!!
hang in there.

P.S.
i recently obtained life insurance with my husband, its important, if you can do it- i think when you have a child as i do.
but what ticked me off to no end was that i had a HIGHER rate per month on it and couldn't recieve as much as i wanted for the policy BECAUSE I'M ON WELLBUTRIN AND ADDERALL. that was so upsetting. and my husband has been smoking for almost 15 years!!!! and has a family history of lung cancer and heart disease!!!! geez louise they really treat anyone that uses the life preserver as a pariah!

A lot of members have great success on Wellbutrin and you honestly don't have to be depressed to see benefits from the med. Keep in mind if Wellbutrin is not for you that there is a huge number of meds to choose from in the Non-Stimulant family as well.
I agree,Havs-the doctor isn't trying to say anything about your mental health by prescribing Wellbutrin,I'm on an anti epileptic drug called Tegretol,for something completely different to epilepsy (TN),a lot of drugs are more useful than what they were originally prescribed for as different conditions can share or pass through the same area,neurons etc.

The military does have a problem with any one that requires medication to function. I believe you have to be able to function for six months without medications and have a letter from your doctor stating you no longer need it. That I know from when one of my daughters wanted to join the Navy.

The sensitive clearence thing I do not know but knowing the goverment they have a form book the size of a volkswagon full of "policies/requirements/restrictions" ect that should have all that stuff in it.

I know in regular civilian jobs Adderall is okay as long as you have it legally prescribed!!!

Hmmm that's odd. I use ritalin and all I have to do is keep the bottle at my desk with the original prescription bottle. I also had to let my work know I was taking it.
But you made me wonder, what do the Adders who are athletes that compete do?