DOT Physical And Psychiatric Drugs

I believe there is a list on the internet about which meds are banned by the government. You might want to print that list out and take it with you the next time you go see the doctor. Just tell them you aren't allowed any of the meds on that list and you need to work with them to find a med that does work that isn't banned. If for some reason they aren't willing to work with you on it find another Dr that will.

Your second step is going to be finding a company that either follows that list or is willing to send you their list of meds they dont allow. And then make sure your new meds arent on that list. There is always a way, some just take more work than others.

If I may ask, what have you been formally diagnosed with and what are you prescribed? Also of major importance is if you've been baker acted before. If you've been held on 72 hour involuntary, I'd be much more concerned about getting a cdl. I've never been through the 5150 process but have been in in patient psych wards before, I've been diagnosed as schizophrenic, schizoaffective, major depressive, and also bipolar by different docs. Some also think I am autistic but they never tested me for it.

Sorry for the delayed response. I lurk here, but I'm not a regular. I've been formally diagnosed with anxiety disorder and autism-spectrum (formerly known as Asperger's). OCD is a component of my anxiety disorder. For anxiety, I've been prescribed Celexa, Klonopin, and Seroquel (in generic form). Celexa is okay for passing a DOT physical, but the other two aren't. My other meds aren't for anxiety and are fine for the DOT physical.

Be forewarned though, trucking isn't easy for most people. Compounding that with mental illness and especially anxiety is a bad recipe. Most companies team you for a while and if you're on like me, lack of sleep really exacerbates issues. Luckily I can sleep in a moving truck so it doesn't really bother me but again, you're going to need super human resilience to make it out here with anxiety and mental health problems unless you get lucky and can mesh well with the job. On the personal level for me, I'm stuck with my own thoughts endlessly which isn't really a healthy thing. I'm still in team training but even then, my thoughts are racing the whole time I'm alone and I'm sure with anxiety that isn't a good thing. Just some insights from someone out here with psychiatric illnesses. I'd suggest looking into something different first but if not, good luck. You'll need all of the luck you can get.

I'm sorry you have to deal with such bad anxiety, too. It can be devastating, and I hope it doesn't impede what you want to do in life.

My biggest problems when I was driving for 18 months were Imposter Syndrome and OCD. I often had voices in my telling me I wasn't "good enough" (not literally VOICES, but more like thoughts and memories of such ideas) and I had this nagging feeling like I wouldn't ever be a real trucker and I was only trying to play the role. Some embarrassing mistakes reinforced that. Getting embarrassed while struggling at backing reinforced that. And all of that led to OCD episodes, which went along the lines of, "What if I'm messing up? Am I sure I'm not messing up? Maybe I should analyze the situation over and over just to be sure," which led to the nervous breakdowns.

I didn't know one could get a driving job with a government organization while in the "Excepted Interstate" category. I'll look into that.

To be honest, I'll consider ANYTHING that can get me away from doing desk/computer work. I know tons of people who love IT and programming, and I respect that, but it honestly isn't something I have any love for personally. To be blunt, I never had any aspirations to sit at a desk for hours and rack my brains over why thing X isn't doing what it's supposed to in program Y, but I went to college and learned all those things because I really felt like I SHOULD, and got my degrees because I make an honest effort to finish what I start.

Oh, and anything that pays somewhere in the ballpark of $15 per hour with a full health insurance benefit would be a HUGE pay increase compared to my current internship. Even if I don't make as much as I did as a trucker, I'd be happy if I can just get by reasonably comfortably, doing something that isn't mental agony.

K pins will be a no go anywhere pretty much and no respectable doc will sign off on benzo use while going really anything dangerous. Be careful if you come off clonazepam as well. That is some downright wicked withdrawals, possibly fatal depending on circumstances. I've been on seroquel before myself. Total zombie state but anti psychotics are variable to the user. Can't advise there really on getting it approved.

If you can live on low pay then I'd really recommend DOT state public works or getting on with the city or county. They'll usually help you get a cdl if you put in honest effort and are responsible. Jobs usually are low stress too unless you work paving or mowing crews. Solid waste isn't fun either. City is usually tougher job to land. Counties usually hire often and northern places run seasonal snow plow work and if you're a good performer you can get hired on that way. Joining the paving crews as a temp can land you a full time spot as well but the work is brutal. And I mean brutal. We used convicts trying to get their life back on track to give you an idea. Paving in the South, SUCKS.

I'd really push you towards that route. When you deal with mental issues it is a really solid idea to be honest with yourself. If you even remotely need a support network like family and friends, don't go otr. You'll go insane if you can't take the loneliness and interact with people that keep you grounded. Outside of the pay and if you get on a craptastic crew like paving, county jobs are awesome. In a way I often wish I never left if I'm being honest. Some gigs like sign shop or dirt roads are ones I'd kill to go back to even with the pay but I was a dumb 20 something trying to show I could do everyone's job and being too eager for my own good and got put doing the awful jobs nobody wanted and then being stuck there. Wish I had the wisdom I have now. But that's life, lesson learned.

Another good thing about the county work is the atmosphere is always fantastic. I've worked retail and factory jobs and that horse **** about family or whatever is just that. You're a drone and a number at them. Both counties I worked at I was family and even people I didn't really care for never came close to the people that were even okay at other jobs. If you can take the pay, make that your first stop. If I live long enough to get out of otr and pay for a house and land, I'll be aggressively hunting down another municipal public works job somewhere that isn't the God forsaken southeast us where I grew up. Ymmv but that's my recommendation.

Stoug: Thanks for the advice! I have some contacts with a local Public Works department, so I've started asking.