Hi,

I'm in the process of being diagnosed & getting treatment and saw a psychiatrist today. He's prescribed me 25mg of Adderall XR.

One question I forgot to ask him about this is whether this is likely to show up in a drug test (I'm shopping around for a new job at the moment, and pre-employment drug tests are a distinct possibility).

Does anyone have any experience in this?

Thanks in advance

Amphetamines will show up in your urine for about 4 or 5 days after taking them.
But you have a scrip for them, so it's not illegal use - would the potential employeer not take that into consideration?
It amazes me that drug tests are legal in the US as a condition of employment - it's such an invasion of privacy, and unless you're a cop, pilot or an air traffic controller, etc. there is no good reason for it.
Here in Canada it's illegal unless you are applying for a job as a cop, pilot.....
Good luck on the Adderall - I hope it works for you.
Regards,
Greg

You know what's crazy...I had to take a drug test to work at Was-mart as a cashier but it wasn't required when I worked in school settings or human services settings.

But in most jobs you should be fine if you provide them with documentation that you are taking the meds by prescription. When I had too take the drug test the issue didn't even come up until I was at the Dr's office taking the test.

Have you talked to your Psychartrist about this issue?

Originally posted by livingwithadd

Have you talked to your Psychartrist about this issue?
I meant to - I forgot. I've only seen him once so far, and that was to get the meds (I saw a psychologist for my intake).

I understand that it won't be a problem in legal terms if the adderall shows up, but I guess I'm worried that it would it prejudice a potential employer against me - you know how people can be with any kind of 'mental illness' :rolleyes:

I have a friend who actually performs drug tests at home in the UK (where I'm from) but I'm not familiar with the procedures and legalities over here. I'm guessing that the test is performed by some outside agency. Any ideas if that agency will ask for an explanation of the positive result before reporting it to the employer? ie, if i show up with a letter from my doc, are they allowed to report to my (potential) employer that I 'failed' the test, with mitigating circumstances? Or are they only allowed to report cases of unexplained results?

Thanks agin,
Mo

PS, first day on meds today.....wow! what a difference! :D

Most drug screen forms you fill out and sign ask if you are taking prescribed meds. You have to list any meds you take. If it shows up the lab they send it to will do what's called a gamma test on the same sample and that will verify what the substance was that is showing up. After that a medical review officer from the lab will contact you before forwarding the results to a potential employer. If you can provide the appropriate documentation to the medical officer than the test is returned as negative. If not, they return it to the employer as positive. I went thru this when I started my job last yr. Luckily, I put down that I was taking adderall and the MRO said no prob after I faxed a copy of the script to them.

Thanks sixes - that's what i was hoping for

So it I don't take Adderall a week before a drug test I should be ok?

Actually, when you go for a drug test, you will be given a form which will have a space to list what meds you're on.

Drug tests are now sophisticated enough to detect legal meds vs. illegal meds. Just make sure you list all the meds you're on.

Where I work we are subject to "random" drug tests (I put that in quotes because I wonder how random they really are, but that's another story). Anyways, at work, if you test positive for a drug, it is the lab that contacts you to find out if you have a proper prescription. If you do, the employer never knows about it. The testing lab just sends back to the company that you "passed" the test. So the company does not even know if you are taking anything. Unless, of course, you don't have a script or are doing illegal drugs.

Perhaps it works the same way for pre-employment screenings?

I have worked in jobs that required drug testing pre and post employment to gain (and keep) clearance levels. Pre-employment exams usually ask for med info before they test you. Post-employment testing procedures may vary based on testing company or your employers procedures, but for most jobs, kimo is right, the employer wont be told if you have a prescription med....meaning, you'll "Pass". If you have a high risk job, i.e. Law Enforcement, Government, etc...they may very well have stricter policies.

Right on this is awesome. I was just going to make a thread regarding this. I am prescribed 20mgx2 Adderall XR once a day everyday from a psychiatrist. I also will be going in for an interview and if I do get the job I will have to take a test. I was also worried that they would send back the results saying that I did come up positive. But I will have my Dr. either get me a copy of my script or I'll ask him to fax the testing place.

I was more worried about the company not wanting to hire someone who is taking a medication like Adderall. I was scared of being discriminated against.

Thanks for the great info!

Ok this is what I gathered before going into take the drug screen.

1. If I prove that I am currently on some type of medication such as Adderall via a doctor's note or prescription bottle etc that if the test did come up positive for amphetamines, which it obviously will, that they'll say I passed.

I told the lady I was on prescription medication. She informed me that I could write it down after I was done. Then after I took the urine sample test she told me to sign this paper and then to write down what medications I'm one. She then said that I have to show my employer the medication info if the test comes up positive.

THIS IS GOING TO HAMPER MY CHANCES AT EVEN STAYING AT THIS JOB! I CAN GUARANTEE IT THAT THEY WILL NOT WANT ME AFTER THEY COME TO FIND OUT THAT I AM POSITIVE FOR AMPHETAMINES EVEN THOUGH IT IS A REAL PRESCRIPTION FROM A PSYCHIATRIST WHO IS TREATING ME.

I AM SO SAD RIGHT NOW AND HURT. I SWEAR I THOUGHT THAT THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO THIS AND THAT AS LONG AS I CAN PROVIDE MY PROOF THAT I'M ON THE DRUG LEGALLY THEY WOULD SAY I PASSED THE DRUG TEST. TALK TO ME!

Add1234,
what ended up happening with this test and your job?

Yeah ADD1234, what I wanna know is, how can they discriminate you for this? In my view, they can't....

Ok this is what I gathered before going into take the drug screen.

1. If I prove that I am currently on some type of medication such as Adderall via a doctor's note or prescription bottle etc that if the test did come up positive for amphetamines, which it obviously will, that they'll say I passed.

I told the lady I was on prescription medication. She informed me that I could write it down after I was done. Then after I took the urine sample test she told me to sign this paper and then to write down what medications I'm one. She then said that I have to show my employer the medication info if the test comes up positive.
I'm sorry :( THat is what I heard too -- that if you had proof of being on ampetamines with a prescription than the testing company would say to your employer you "passed" -- that they did not go into details about if/what you came up positive for, and why. I think this is so unfair. Has anyone else been through this? I have been on Adderall for awhile and will probably have to take a drug test soon because I am looking for a new job as well. I really emphathize with you add1234 :(

Hey guys, just a little update. Everything went exactly as you guys said it would. The thing that scared the crap out of me was that I informed the lady that I am taking a prescription medication that is going to show up on the drug screen. She informed me that MY employer will find out that I did not pass the test and that I have to just show them what I'm taking. This scared me. What really happend was that the test came up positive for amphetamines. A medical review officer called me and told me that I tested positive for it and if I had a reason for testing positive. I had my psychiatrist that I'm seeing write a letter and fax it over to him stating why I was on it, what dosage etc and the MRO sent the results as being negative.

Thanks for the help guys.

Scary! I would have been freaking out. Congrats on staying calm :) Hopefully you will get the job!

I'm with "BIG" on this one. Take your prescription to your drug test, list your Med. on the form, and also show them the prescript. as well. Also...FYI - At this point the lab. will know your situation, so you'll have that going for ya', but remember the levels in your system!! When the lab. detects methamfedimine, it will then test the levels in your sample to insure that you are not abusing your prescribed dosage.--->I know that you don't, but just for future reference. Good Luck with your new Job!

Amphetamines will show up in your urine for about 4 or 5 days after taking them.

It amazes me that drug tests are legal in the US as a condition of employment - it's such an invasion of privacy, and unless you're a cop, pilot or an air traffic controller, etc. there is no good reason for it.

Here in Canada it's illegal unless you are applying for a job as a cop, pilot.....

Greg
Not sure bout what you say here Greg so I will take your word for it that its illegal here in Canada.

Think on this one for a while.........


It is illegal to smoke a joint and drive a BIG TRUCK (in USA)

(which is good because I sure wouldn't want to drive a Big Truck High on Pot)


but it is OK to be taking Dexadrine under a legal prescription...........

Dexadrine which is an ampetamine which taken improperly or by the wrong Driver could keep me awake and on the road for DAYS on end with no sleep.

There is no reason to get busted if you had days to prepare for the test? You can flush it all out of your system in 2 days with a little work. If you work backwards and think how they are able to detect drugs (urine, sweat, bowel) you simply need to use those things to make removal more efficient. This may or may not help tolerance, probably not since tolerance is the brain adapting to the meds.

Drink lot's of water cranberry juice and acidic drinks. Take a laxative Go to the gym and sweat in a sauna (you can run a hot shower in your bathroom, add a space heater or a hair dryer and create a steam bath) The morning of the test you need to pee a lot and keep your urine acidic, by the time you take the test you should be OK.

Script or not I'd rather not tell people my business.

Alot of factors contribute to the length of time a drug is detectected in your system...primarily the cost of the test and the standards the lab is held to. "Zero tolerance" is a kind, I generally hear involved wth child custody and the court system...in this test, it is SOOOO strict, there can be NO trace of any thing in the person being tested(Zero tolerance). For more info on a really great lab, look up "drug detection laboratory" And/or "Susan/Jeff Zehnder and Sacramento". They do it all...They are great..and honest...(even though they testified for my ex).

Most other tests suck...I have taken and passed most of them with different things in my system...My girlfriend has borrowed pee from people and taken it to employment tests and gotten a dozen jobs..great job the screening does, huh? Good Luck...If you are working heavy equipment in my neighborhood, let me know!!!!

The MRO will run tests on the urine and it will show up which medications you are taking. Leagally you are allowed a certain amount in your urine. They can detect which medication it is. Illegal drugs have a certain chemical makeup, versus adderall. I was taking concerta and took a drug test and it never came back positive. I wouldn't sweat it. If they call you, get a Dr.'s note, if the job refuses to hire you based on the results that an EEOC charge because it goes against the ADA....

(This courtesy of Kay, who's an RN, administered drug tests for years, took them herself several times as part of a pre-employment physical, and recently wrote the testing policy for employees of her company.)

All of the worry about this is beside the point. It's not a problem of any kind to be taking a prescribed med, regardless of what it is. And the circumstances of that are rightfully considered private.

It's federal law that covers this. The details probably won't be exactly the same everywhere, but by law it has to work something like this:

They give you a form to fill out. One check off box is "Are you taking any prescription meds?"

You check off "Yes," sign the form, and take the test. That's it. You don't need to list what meds you're taking. (That was standard on forms several years ago, but it should be gone now.)

When the test is reviewed, you get a call from a medical officer working for the testing lab. You'll be asked if you are taking a med that would give a positive, asked to identify it and the reason it was prescribed.

You say (for example) "Yes, I take Adderall for ADD." They then ask for the prescribing doctor's name and phone number, the prescription number and the name and phone number of the pharmacy where it was filled.

All but the doctor's phone number is typically right on the label of your 'script. They thank you, hang up and (eventually) report a negative to your (prospective) employer.

And that's all they say. Your employer has no right to any other information by law. If your experience doesn't closely match this, I would suggest contacting a lawyer specializing in class action suits.

Both the testing lab and the employer are vulnerable, because it's unlikely that your experience would be the only instance of misbehavior. It shouldn’t cost you a thing, and it will certainly get the right people's attention.