Do ADHD medications disqualify you from driving?

If you have a valid prescription for CNS stimulants for ADHD it is explicitly allowed and not disqualifying, but untreated ADHD may be.

This is what happens when you are taking nervous system (CNS) stimulants to treat ADHD and you take a drug test.

1) You pee in the bottle and make sure your phone number is correct on the form.
2) In a week or so the testing doctor will call you, ask you what you have a prescription for and typically ask for your pharmacies phone number.
3) They will call your pharmacy and validate that you have a valid prescription.
4) They will return the results of your drug test as clean.

Now if you have untreated ADHD, do not have a valid prescription, lied on your medical etc... things can end up poorly.

But as ADHD is a spectrum disorder, you should have an honest discussion with your doctor to see if yours will impact your ability to safely drive. For some people they hyper focus on driving and need their medication to keep their paperwork in order and their taxes paid etc... Other people can't safely focus on driving at all and should be honest with themselves.

As there is a LOT of BS and bad advice around this topic, typically due to stigma, note that ADHD is explicitly called out as a "Non-disqualifying underlying condition" under the FMCSA Medical Examiner Handbook linked above.

But if you get trying to hide it, lie about it or go untreated (which doesn't mean medication is required) then you will have a high chance of having your career end abruptly when you get caught.

 

Sirscrapntruckalot - No touch!

 

I don't have a copy of the FMCSA MRO handbook. I do know it exists I just can't get a copy! You nailed it! I would like to focus a bit on something else. It's my understanding that an MRO will only check to see if the driver has a valid prescription if the test is pre-employment or random. What I have been told though is some MROs won't clear a driver as clean if the test is marked post-accident. In this case, they want to see the long copy or speak to the ME, this is what happened with the story I wrote about in post 17.

The reason the average driver does not run into this situation can be explained rather easily. There are only two substances prohibited by the DOT for drivers that also have a medical use. Narcotic pain killers and (CNS) stimulants. Most narcotic pain killers have a really short half-life and the body rids itself of them most times within 24 hours after taking them. Then you have drivers that are taking these substances long-term. The long-term use according to the FMCSA you also need a ME to OK the drug before you can legally operate a CDL required CMV. The FMCSA defines what an accident is in 390.5 and 390.5T. If you are in such an accident. Regardless of fault, if you get a ticket you ARE GOING TO be post-accident tested.

The best course of action for YOU the driver in these situations is to speak to your Physician and get their OK to drive. Generally speaking, if they are OK with it then the ME should be also.