taking meds in the military

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hello, i was hoping somebody could answer a question for me. my friend and i are graduating nursing school soon and i'm definitely going into the navy nurse corps, or at least trying to, im waiting for my packet to come back from review. (yay!!! =D ) my friend is thinking about joining too but he has had to take anti depressants in the past and we were wondering if that would exclude him from military service. also he was afraid if he got in they would kick him out if he had to go back on them. thanks!

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
hello, i was hoping somebody could answer a question for me. my friend and i are graduating nursing school soon and i'm definitely going into the navy nurse corps, or at least trying to, im waiting for my packet to come back from review. (yay!!! =D ) my friend is thinking about joining too but he has had to take anti depressants in the past and we were wondering if that would exclude him from military service. also he was afraid if he got in they would kick him out if he had to go back on them. thanks!

Hello,

While I am going through the Army application process myself I want to say that he has to begin the process of meeting with a recruiter and being honest to find out.

I mean, he does not have a condition which requires medication to treat but, he 'had' a period where he needed treatment. That may be looked upon differently and I hope they give him a waiver.

My suggestion is to pursue it to find out. If he doesnt' pursue it then this may be one of those things that haunts him in life, "what if".

Wishing him luck.

Gen

p.s. possibly he wants to do a google search to find out disqualifying conditions for the Navy but then remember, as a nurse there may be greater opportunities for waivers

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Specializes in ER,ICU and Progressive Care Unit,Peds.

Congrats on wanting to become a Navy Nurse. It took a while for my packet to come back too. The wait sucks!

As far as your friend goes, I'm not sure if they would not let him in due to his past med hx. But I'm thinking no. Also, there are plenty of service members that take mental health meds, and go to therapy/counseling.

Hope that helps!

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