nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

This is my first post. First i want to say hello to all. I have been reading the health boards and the site is very imformative. thank you.

here is my story , i hope this helps.

I have been a law enforcement officer for the past 10 years. ever since i been on the job, i have had many add issues, like interupting people while they talk, losing some focus when someone talks to me, however when it comes to doing police work, i am very good what i do, i just cant take promotional tests beecasue i cannot study or remember what i studied. i easily get bored and my mind wanders when it comes to studying. I often feel lethargic and my wife of 15 years tells me that i drift off when she talks to me or that i dont listen to her. my kids sometimes talk to me and i sometimes do not listen or dont want to hear it. I want the family life to approve and i certainly want to move up the ranks in my job. i recently saw my doctor and he wants to put me on 10mg of ritalin. my job radomly drug tests me, hair and urine and i am afraid my job will find out and fire me. I really want to move up the ranks but dont know if i could. I would like to know anyone that has any information on ritalin, most people say no it cannot be detected and some say it can. I recently contacted the lab that does the urine and hair anaylses and they told me that ritalin does not show up on the test. i called twice and both times they told me ritalin does not show up. I dont know if they are telling me the truth or brushing me off the phone, plus i dont trust my job not to fire me. i called a third time and they asked me what agency i worked for, i told them and then they told me they werent allowed to tell me after they told me previously.

Is ritalin an amphetamine? does anyone have any knowledge of this type of situation drug testing? if my job finds out that i am add/adhd can they fire me? restrict me?

Please help.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

You must have a manual of regulations about your job. Does it say anything about mental health or psychiatric drugs? Taking a controlled substance ILLEGALLY is an automatic disqualification for a police officer, but legal use is different.

If there is no explicit policy against its use while on duty, they cannot just fire you for using Ritalin legally. They may, however, require you to report any medications you take, at which point you'd be on the hook for failing to report!

Now, depending on the attitudes of your superiors, disclosing ADHD may harm your career. Or, if your supervisor is more educated about mental health matters, and the Ritalin improves your performance, it might be okay. This is true in many fields, not just law enforcement, although it's particularly difficult in military and law enforcement careers.

Definitely, find some written policies. I looked around online but couldn't find them for you.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

[QUOTE]Is ritalin an amphetamine? does anyone have any knowledge of this type of situation drug testing? if my job finds out that i am add/adhd can they fire me? restrict me? [/QUOTE]
As far as I know, yep, ritalin is considered a psychostimulant drug and can be detected during a drug test (if that is one of the drugs that they are testing for).
As long as a doctor has prescribed this medicine for you, it should not be an issue. Not sure; however, firing you for having a managable medical condition would probably be considered as [B]unfair and discriminatory[/B].

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

Thanks jane and amy. i cant find any information through my job about add/adhd or mental health issues. i called several areas in my job about mental stimulants and not one person could give me a definate or straight answer. I am at total loss. Do i just tell them and risk my career and potentailly get fired, do i risk my family financially. this is really bothering me.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

[QUOTE]i recently saw my doctor and he wants to put me on 10mg of ritalin[/QUOTE].
10 mg/day of ritalin is just barely considered a therapeutic dosage for an adult. You say that he "wants" to put you on it, meaning that he has not yet given you a prescription for it? Has he discussed the use of antidepressants in lieu of this "problematic" (for you) drug?
Just wondering if you may be having some sort of job burn out due to the nature of your stressfull and dangerous job?

I personally would not tell anyone anything just yet until you have a definitive answer to your questions.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

i recently got a prescription and filled it. it is sitting in my cabinet, waiting to be used. i have not used it yet. are there any antidepressants that can help with adhd and not be detected via drug testing?



i was told rialin was not an amphetamine but a methylpheniate.

is it against the law to be fired for adhd ?


i rank number #1 in my command in many areas and is considered one of the better officers in my pct. this is really silly that i have to go through this.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

That's right, ritalin is a stimulant, but not an amphetamine.

You can't be fired for having a disability or medical condition UNLESS it interferes with your ability to do your job, and even then the employer is supposed to try to accommodate you. And, for a good worker, most reasonable employers will be willing to work with you.

In practice, well, I don't really know. I would talk to your union representative, starting with general questions to feel out him or her.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

ok, i will try that, i may just give up aand stay at my rank, it may be too risky. i dont understand the hoopla with this, isnt legal prescription covered. you are taking something legally but yet you can get fired? its not understandable to me.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

I have received several emails from the lab who administers the test and they emailed me that ritalin/concerta does not show up on a hair and urine test.

this came from a rep from the lab.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

Good. I would say, go for it. In certain jobs, you are required to notify your employer if you are on certain medications. But you say you don't know about any such requirement at your job.

IF it ever comes up in a drug test, show your legal prescription.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

i would like to thank jane /amy and everone else who has helped. thanks alot. i will keep everyone inform of my good or bad decision.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

I have been on Depicote for bipolar, Lexipro for depression and Ritalin's generic Methalin for ADHD. Ritalin is many times more expensive than methalin. 10mg of Methalin will put me into a nap. Ready to go when I wake up. My Daily dosage is 30mg. I get alot done until bed time than out like a lite. I don't want any changes. et

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

Tomorrow 5/1/11 i will be taking the prescription ritalin for the firsst time. I am very nervous that i will fail a drug test. Great job, great, benefits but worse of all it will be disasterous if i lose my job. My family relies on me, if i fail the drug test. the lab told me on several occasions it wont be detected, but what if it will?


i am crossing my fingers, wish me lluck.


i hope i dont get fired for taking something that is LEGAL.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

How often do they normally perform random drug-testing?
In any event, Good Luck! Hope this drug works for you, etc., etc.,!

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

[QUOTE=adhdadd;4743272]
i hope i dont get fired for taking something that is LEGAL.[/QUOTE]Hi adhdadd, don't you have an HR representative that you can ask? They must keep your medical information private so I wouldn't hesitate to contact your HR department. Good luck!

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

Well I took Ritalin a few month back and passed my det entrance exam and my job did not give me a random test at this time, now I am a detective doing cases and I am having a hard time organizing and writing reports. My co workers are noticing and some are starting to think I am stupid. I am not on Ritalin and because I didn't get tested when I used 5 months back I got lucky. I won't be lucky this time around, are there any updates on Ritalin or concerts coming back positive on the hair drug tests.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

You have a LEGITIMATE disorder that needs to be treated & the way its treated is through medication. I would bet theres NO WAY they can fire you for treating a disorder you have. It would be discrimination & they could get into trouble. Its not like Ritalin hinders your ability to do your job right? If anything it makes you do your job better probably!! I mean whether its Valium or Xanax for an anxiety disorder or seizure disorder, or Vicodin for a broken bone or some other injury, almost EVERYONE at some point in their lives will have to take some sort of medication thats "mood altering." It would be ridiculous for them to fire you cuz your on ritalin!! I will say this though, if you do end up getting tested & you are on the medication, you MUST TELL THEM UP FRONT. Not telling them would more then likely be grounds to fire you. By the way, if the drug tests are done at a lab, then they WILL CHECK FOR RITALIN. If its one of those 5-minute at home tests, then the test probably wont check for it. Why dont you just ask your superiors if its okay?? The worst they could say is "No your not alowed to take that." At least then you'd know FOR SURE. Try to do that. And let us know how it turned out too!! Good luck brotha!!

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

Don't worry. I have been through several drug tests when applied to different jobs over the years (while on Concerta and Ritalin) never had a problem.

Another person from my family takes Adderall and was tested. It showed up, and when asked about it by HR, he provided a note (from his Doctor) stating that it is a prescribed medication for a health condition. I am not sure if it was detailed out that it was for ADD. He got the job he applied for (business professional).

ADD is recognized as a disability and covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, so you can't be fired.

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

[QUOTE=adhdadd;5015207]Well I took Ritalin a few month back and passed my det entrance exam and my job did not give me a random test at this time, now I am a detective doing cases and I am having a hard time organizing and writing reports. My co workers are noticing and some are starting to think I am stupid. I am not on Ritalin and because I didn't get tested when I used 5 months back I got lucky. I won't be lucky this time around, are there any updates on Ritalin or concerts coming back positive on the hair drug tests.[/QUOTE]

you have nothing to worry about except the very small possibility of showing up as false positive for meth or amphetamines. ritalin is something that has to be tested for individually and will not show up on any standard urine drug screen.

if by some odd chance you do happen to show up as falsely positive for meth/amphetamine, just let HR or the drug screening folks know that you would like to have the test confirmed by the GC/MS test (pretty flawless confirmation test, will confirm or deny the presence of amphetamines or meth in your system.)..

you can also let HR or the drug screening person/company know that you're on a prescribed dose of ritalin, if you feel you can safely disclose this information. the ADA protects you from any termination based on the presence of this drug in your system, but only if the drug is prescribed for a legit medical reason. ideally they would use this information to overlook any presence of ritalin in your system..granted your employer is actually paying the extra bucks for the ritalin-specific test (not likely, especially in a government budget!). you may want to look into which company does the drug testing at your workplace so you can get more info on what tests they will be using on you. this way youll know whether its even necessary to disclose your medical information. i know in my own experience i wish i'd never told my boss that i was on medication to begin with..just because of the stigma!

frankly you have no more reason to be concerned about the ritalin than you do in taking OTC allergy meds or eating poppy seed bagels -- both of which can also cause false positives in the cheaper types of drug testing. if your work is using a reputable company to test their employees, however, standard procedure is to follow ANY positive result with a GC/MS confirmation test BEFORE they send a positive result back to the employer.

hope this helps! you should be fine!

Re: nervous about ritalin and drug testing
 

Here it goes, I still have not taken ritalin. I am on strattera which has only mild effects at best. I did pass a hair follicle test on strattera. My job uses hair testing from a reputable drug company , they do not test for ritalin however I am worried it may come in as a false positive in the hair test. Also I am reluctant to tell me job, I am a law enforcement officer and the people collecting the hair samples are police officers . Once the sample is collected they seal it in a bag, however the questionnaire is kept on file in the police station. I called my job psychologist last week and inquired about the procedures, anonymously of course. The psyche said that my Job would take my firearms away, even though I am a upstanding citizen with a family , been an officer well over a decade. And is one of the better officers in my dept. huge dept. this is really disturbing to be a upstanding citizen with a family and still threaten to take my livelihood away for a very manageable thing. Any advice , should I risk the ritalin? Strattera does nothing been on it for months, very mild at best.