Disqualifying drugs

I have been through many witdrawals and when it gets bad, I have a blanket permission to go to the ER and tell them that I need help with the body situation and they are happy to help. After a series of questioning which is a form of Interrogation designed to detect and weed out drug abusers, seekers etc.

One of the diagnosis of a broken or crushed hip joint requiring full hip replacement (It's about 14000 dollars for the devices themselves, 20,000 for a private room, 5000 to the surgeon and his office and another 2000 to the Gas Doctor to support my life during the brutal operation. Medicines that week came out to 10,000 flat.

That was last december. We are getting ready to explore the other joint now that's its actually early signs of going badly and both of the kneecaps. (Too much double clutching)) One path would be to eliminate the legs and stick a artificial limb on the stump. I like my body and so forth, But when life is intolerable due to excessive pain then the doctors know for sure that it's time to replace that joint.

As a silver cloud benefit, I know what pain is and is not. And that I cherish now.

And the new medicines across the board? Eliminated all of the previous issues, short of breath, craving, loss of place and own time clock, falling asleep with your face in the dinner plate. (you laugh..but Im being dead serious here)

I hope things go well for you. If you asked me that Pot would be medicine legally and used legally socially etc I would have laughed you out of the room 30 years ago. And here we are fixing to toss a box into the bunk of the 18 wheeler. Would that be something? Drive them DOT doggies NUTS. I suppose if they started to snarl chewing on the pants legs of the handler then they must understand wait a minute and start everything all over.

 

Your losing sight of the forest because of the trees. Don't over complicate this. I linked to this information and what I linked is OFFICAL position of the DOT and the FMCSA. The ONLY substances PROHIBITED for CMV operators is schedule 1 and medications used to control seizures. Everything else is tentatively prohibited unless a Physician prescribes and states the driver can safely opetate and the medical examiner agrees. Otherwise these medications you just spoke of are prohibited and if later turn up on a drug test said driver is in trouble.

 

Just one more point. There is nothing in any of the above that says a carrier can't say a substance is prohibited even with a legit prescription. Lets not mix a carrier prohibition with one made by the DOT.

 

Moose is right.

Consider the current bill in Senate right now, should it pass, goes to the house, if it passes then it lands on the Trump's desk.

"Legalization of Pot, removal of Schedule one status."

Chinatown offered this though last month, if that pot in my pocket is legal for the 18 wheeler owned by shyster and Pick County expresslines inc... the company may and can legally chose to ban same.

That is where I ran into a snag here with Covenant. I contacted FMCSA about hearing aids and offered a current chart taken as of a week ago at the old Maryland Hearing Aid Service and said to FMCSA am I legal or not?

FMCSA told me that Covenant is well within their right to carefully tell those who wear hearing aides to leave orientation and not be hired.

This is back in 1996 or so. The following week, Im introduced to a Mack Superliner 500 if it anything that made a love affair with such a wonderful truck for the things we did with it... The owner hired me same day tossed me into the cab and say to me, get that to the plant and fill that with Bitimous (Spelling) blacktop.

Finally the Lawyer examined the case and told me I should have been visiting him at home off that bus from Tennessee. We were looking into a actual economic losses for roughly 60+ years combined with punitive that will seriously beef up the award. In the end I gave them a simple message which isnt too christian of me. HA.

There are thousands of trucking people who need drivers.

Good luck to you.

 

I just got finished reinstalling my OS back on my computer. During that process, I was also thinking about this subject and I think I understand what is hanging this up for some people. You keep mentioning Narcotics in relation to these prohibited substances. However, a careful reading of 391.41 you will see wording more to Narcotics AND OTHER habit-forming drugs. You also mentioned a book. I know what you are talking about and agree to the contents. The thing though is regardless of if it is a narcotic or not is not the standard the DOT/FMCSA uses! They have it all prohibited, all of it. They prohibit all schedule 1 substances and the ILLEGAL use of legal ones. To use legal prescriptions as a CMV operator you MUST have a legal prescription. You must have a statement from the said physician and finally the OK of an FMCSA medical examiner.

Now, this does not mean a carrier can't say NOPE, not in our equipment. I also highly advise anyone considering taking benzo's to think about that for a long time. These substances should be prohibited legal prescription or not.

One more thing. You are never going to find any FMCSA issued guidance on this subject other then what is already in 391.41 and some of the FAQs. This is the same typical horsecrap the FMCSA does that leads to confusion and then confusion causes a driver a problem with a state DOT officer. Dang, I am so glad I don't drive anymore!

 

What about a first generation antidepressant? I use a very low dose for TMJ nerve pain.

 

me too.

i see a day (sarcastically speaking) where aspirin and ear wax remover will be on the list...maybe even Vick's vapor rub too....

 

I think those are specifically considered mind altering. Not something you want to have in a Big Rig.

Here is a paper built around FGAD medicines and other similar situations affecting Truckers.

You might as well get yourself some coffee, and brew a pot. This is heavy reading but very worth it.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmc...el-Psychiatric-Psychiatric-MEP-Panel-Opin.pdf

 

There is a guy that goes over to the Hampton Va. VA hospital and is a part of their Gulf War groups. He drives a truck and takes Zoloft. The only thing about most antidepressants is they can cause seizures. I can't take them for that reason. I am an epileptic and a while back my doctor was trying to change some of my meds and wanted to try amitriptyline. Within 2 days I had to be taken via ambulance to the ER with a serious seizure. From your comment, I am lead to believe you tolerate this OK if you do keep taking it.

 

Sorry to hear that. I never had any side effects.