Pre-employment Drug Screen and Adult ADD

memphispanda, RN · Apr 14, 2004

My pre-employment drug screen said to list any meds that you had taken in the past month (I think it was month). For prescription drugs of any sort they wanted the pharmacy phone number and prescription number to verify it was valid. That was it.

kids · Apr 14, 2004

Stimulants will show up on the drug screen.

My 19yo son has been on Adderall for several years. He has had to do drug testing twice related to employment, each time he submitted a copy of his current prescription to the person/place obtaining the test with the lab slip. I am on a sustained release opiod for chronic pain, I followed the same process with my last 2 employers. Niether of us of us had any problems nor have we had to discuss our conditions with the employer as we were not seeking acconidation (under the ADA).

BadBird, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2004

I think if you list all the medications you take and the reason for them you should not have a problem. Good luck to you.

erilynn17 · Apr 15, 2004

You should look into Strattera, it is marketed especially for Adult ADD. I know that it is fairly new, and some doctors may not know a lot about it but I started taking it a few months ago and its working out great...oh and its stimulant free.

BabyRN2Be · Apr 15, 2004

You should look into Strattera, it is marketed especially for Adult ADD. I know that it is fairly new, and some doctors may not know a lot about it but I started taking it a few months ago and its working out great...oh and its stimulant free.

Thanks! I know about Strattera, and I asked my NP about it and she said that in my case it may not take care of all the symptoms, and that I might need some stimulant backup.

I'm also curious, do the tests tell you how much of a certain med is in your system or is it a + or - result, not saying how much of a certain drug is in your system?

Thank you all for your help. I've fought this battle before, and considering the results from last time, I'd like to go in better prepared.

kids · Apr 16, 2004

Thanks! I know about Strattera, and I asked my NP about it and she said that in my case it may not take care of all the symptoms, and that I might need some stimulant backup.
I'm also curious, do the tests tell you how much of a certain med is in your system or is it a + or - result, not saying how much of a certain drug is in your system?
Thank you all for your help. I've fought this battle before, and considering the results from last time, I'd like to go in better prepared.

We talked to my son's Ped about Strattera and opted not to go with is as it can not be taken on a PRN basis (as he can/does with Adderall).

All of the test results I have seen were reported as + or -.

Also (because it came up on another thread). The tests do not differentiate between prescription stimulants or opiates and "street" drugs.

BabyRN2Be · Apr 16, 2004

We talked to my son's Ped about Strattera and opted not to go with is as it can not be taken on a PRN basis (as he can/does with Adderall).
All of the test results I have seen were reported as + or -.
Also (because it came up on another thread). The tests do not differentiate between prescription stimulants or opiates and "street" drugs.

Thanks kids-r-fun for your information!

That's another reason why I didn't go with Strattera because you have to take it everyday and from what I understand, you have to wait a few weeks for it to build up in your system. Also, I'm doing pretty well with Ritalin LA with a 10mg supplement prn. Because of my current health problems, I can titrate my dose according to what I'm doing for the day. If I have to be on my feet for an 20 hours birth, I can easily take the 10mg supplement. Otherwise, one Ritalin LA works well. Also, on the days which I don't feel as well, I have the choice of taking just a 10mg instead of a full dose of the LA.

My NP is pretty sharp and on the ball. She worked and worked to find a medication that would work for me. I appreciate her working with me.

memphispanda, RN · Apr 16, 2004

I tried Strattera, and it made me feel pretty rotten. Certainly didn't do what I needed.

rhiannonwolf · Apr 16, 2004

Hi Baby!

I am a drugscreener and have ADD myself. I can tell you that ALL amphetamines will show up on drug tests. When I was drug tested though for my current job, it was interesting. I know that I had taken a Concerta that morning, but no one ever said anything about it when my test results came back. Perhaps drug companies these days know how to test between illegal speed and the legal form. I am not sure.

I will tell you though that if your employer will not hire you based on your test results, you have rights!!! The ADA will make sure of that.

One last note: drugs like Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall are metabolized within the body 24 to 48 hours after they are taken. If you really are still afraid of your employer knowing, I would suggest not taking the medication for a couple of days before the test. If you do this, you should be fine!!

Rhiannon

BabyRN2Be · Apr 16, 2004

Hi Baby!
I am a drugscreener and have ADD myself. I can tell you that ALL amphetamines will show up on drug tests. When I was drug tested though for my current job, it was interesting. I know that I had taken a Concerta that morning, but no one ever said anything about it when my test results came back. Perhaps drug companies these days know how to test between illegal speed and the legal form. I am not sure.
I will tell you though that if your employer will not hire you based on your test results, you have rights!!! The ADA will make sure of that.
One last note: drugs like Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall are metabolized within the body 24 to 48 hours after they are taken. If you really are still afraid of your employer knowing, I would suggest not taking the medication for a couple of days before the test. If you do this, you should be fine!!
Rhiannon

Hey Rhiannon!

Thanks for your help! I was also thinking about doing something like you mentioned, if I could afford to do it for a few days. I'll see when the time comes if it's possible for me to not take it for a few days, maybe schedule the test for a Monday and not take it over the weekend or something like that.

You see, I had an MD (of all people) tell me that Ritalin did not show up in tox screens. That really boggles my mind how he could say something like that! I mean, methylphenidate is an abused drug in some cases and I believe it would be prudent to screen for it. I switched to an NP recently and she's been awesome. It really helps when your practitioner has a daughter with ADD - she really understands the problem.

Thanks again!

jkr2020788 · Jun 27, 2012

I have ADHD an take adderall. First off, if you have a prescription, they shouldn't ask for a reason, although I'm sure in your paperwork they said to list ALL medical conditions. ADHD is a medical condition that should be listed. Second why are you afraid that they will see it in the screen? If you are prescribed a medicine, then you can take it.....as far as quantity goes, one hospital I work for does do a quantity level, but it's always really high for amphetamine levels anyway. If you are afraid that the will find another type of amphetamine, labs have ways to tell the difference between say meth and adderall.

It kind of scares me that you are asking about quantity though, are you taking more than you should be ?? Not a good thing for a nurse to do...

Lastly, if you are worried that they will find something else in your urine ( ur question is somewhat unclear to me) then maybe you shouldn't be putting yourself in care of patients? Everything you take that would be "illegal" should be prescribed.