Posted by Carol on February 22, 1999, at 8:02:05
In reply to Re: Drug tests...why is this a question, posted by steve on February 21, 1999, at 22:51:25
I'd like to add a different point of view
1) If you are taking a preemployment drug test, take ALL of your prescription bottles with you. That way, the people who are administering the test can have no questions at a later date.
2) I've had 3 pre-employment tests, and 1 random test (employer #2). The first test was the most difficult to get through, and the Dr. at the company wanted to talk to my Dr. After some discussions, I did get that job, and I stayed there 6 years. When I interviewed for job #2 and Job #3, I did not give my notice at my current job until I had been "cleared" by the medical dept. The medical personnel were surprised at the number of prescriptions I take for my variety of conditions, but there were no problems. I do still have prescriptions for 3 controlled meds on a prn basis, and I take 3 different antidepressant meds. I went to medical smiling and pretended to be confident, so that the Dr. looked at me and said, "well, they obviously work".
I'm in an R&D position, and drowsiness would be a safety hazard, so my Drs. and I have always avoided the more sedating meds.
My experiences for all of this: be up front with your meds, try to abstain from prns for at least 1 week, but try to project confidence and self-assurance during the process.
Some companies will screen out controlled substances in "safety-critical" jobs, where they like to avoid even the implication of slow reaction times and reflexes. I believe this is legal, even if it isn't quite fair.
I do not believe that the medical report went back to the hiring supervisor in job #2 or (current) job#3. The only report that went to HR is that I qualified for the position.
Good luck to all.
poster:Carol
thread:3119
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990201/msgs/3129.html