settle an arguement please

It's not that they can't be prescribed to drivers, it's a new rule requiring driver drug tests to include those opioids. People used to get away with illegal recreational use of those pills in the past. Now, if you're dirty, you better have a prescription.

Long-term use, say for chronic pain, will probably not be tolerated because I bet few physicians would be willing to sign off on opioid use while driving (since that is one of the main label warnings concerning them).

I recently had a procedure that included both Valium beforehand and Percocet (Oxycodone) afterward. I contacted my company's 3rd party medical compliance people, said what was being done (on a Friday I had off), explained what meds were involved, and when I was to be cleared to go back to work by the doctor (Monday). They said no big deal, that no physical or anything else was required to return to work, but that I could not drive while taking the pills (obviously). No big deal. This rule changes nothing really as long as you're legit.

 

What medications disqualify a CMV driver?

A driver cannot take a controlled substance or prescription medication without a prescription from a licensed practitioner.
If a driver uses a drug identified in 21 CFR 1308.11 (391.42(b)(12)) or any other substance such as amphetamine, a narcotic, or any other habit forming drug, The driver is medically unqualified.
There is an exception: the prescribing doctor can write that the driver is safe to be a commercial driver while taking the medication. In this case, the Medical Examiner may, but does not have to certify the driver.
Any anti-seizure medication used for the prevention of seizures is disqualifying.
The Medical Examiner has 2 ways to determine if any medication a driver uses will adversely affect safe operation of a CMV:
1. Review each medication - prescription, non-prescription and supplement
2. Request a letter from the prescribing doctor

Last Updated : September 18, 2017

(from the FMCSA website)
This answers the original question. I put in bold and then underlined the most pertinent points. The bottom line is that he could technically get away with it, but he would have to have two doctors (his own physician plus the medical examiner doing his DOT physical) agree that it's okay to drive a commercial vehicle on Valium, which I would think few doctors would. It is very unlikely that both would agree.

 

You can in fact take Valium daily as a CDL holder. The stipulation is that you must wait a minimum of 8 hours after taking it in order to drive.
I know this because I use it for deep sea fishing. I also have a prescription for it, and had to tell the medical examiner about.
I use 30 pills a year, and only for deep sea fishing as it works better than anything for sea sickness.

 

Yeah it was but you got to realize that many view this forum on their phone and it is hard to read full paragraphs so context gets lost.

 

Your words...

I told him im planning on getting my CDL and doind OTR
He said " hell i should do it as well this way we can team up"

 

My dental surgeon presribes 60 mg x 4 Demerol Tablets a day for two weeks max for bone pain related to extractions. He is a big enough surgeon to do it and not get hassled by the DEA. My regular ER doc will shove a Demerol IM (Muscle) which breaks vicious migraines about once every three years or so. It's very discouraged by the DEA, NIH and other agencies these days, ER's wont give it.

In fact the VA system has stopped Opoids for medicine in our area. They give torodol IV or tynenol or similar. Vets are withdrawals now as I type this. One was in our local media who intends to suicide when his narcotics run out later this month after taking it for 38 years and was cut off pernamently by the VA, he was a Viet war vet who has had dozens of surgeries.

There is Morphine Sulfate tablet but even it's a gold standard by which all other medicines are compared to above and below in terms of MME strength IV.

There is one medicine that they did experiment with me. Called ZTampaER. It's a replacement for Oxycontin from the 90's some versions of which are no longer in production. This particular medicine is formulated very carefully so that the actual material of the capsule itself prevents the active oxy drug inside of it to be abused in any way. You cannot inject, crush, snort, burn, melt or dissolve into soluable water or create a slurry and burn that water out to abuse the remaining drug. It is designed to absolutely turn to mush and convert Oxy to something else that is useless to the abuser.

I took that for a month as a experiment and the experience was unique to me, there is no coming up within two hours no effect of feeling it work for 6 and no come down for 2 hours with 2 hours plus to go to next dose, 12 hour pill, burns off in 8 pain comes back and you wait 4 hours. Forget it. I did not know where i was coming up or coming down. And the fevers were still present as with raw oxy. Soi I wont take that again.

There is Fentenyal in patch. That is the King of all pain killer. It's unfortunate that I became a reaction to it the second time. Breathing stopped and hives broke out half the body as it immune system attacked the Fentenyal. So I cannot have that ever again in any form because it will kill me. The tiny patch I took, would reduce a healthy 20 year old soldier into a drooling nodding out mess unable to function for a day.

I can go on, but Ive come up on 10 years of this, directly related to wear and tear from trucking that cannot be fixed medically.

 

I apologize if your feathers are ruffled.

The idea that someone is ready to go do drugs and drive a big semi is something I have to fight against. I would not be one to toss a stone because I lived in a glass house myself. Early in my time I was taught how to pace myself off a 6 back or strong spirits so that she will stay between the lines on truly bad roads with no airride back then. This was prior to the then new CDL laws in the early 90's I recall no one cared that a semi pulled into the likker store buy strong drink, crack a can pulling out. We are professionals after all... /sarc.

*Shivers... it was a different time then.