Allowable Insomnia Meds

BACKGROUND

I've been searching for a trucking company that will train me so I can get my CDL and drive for them. I've been talking to two trucking companies thus far.

My concern is my chronic insomnia. I'm prescribed Ambien and Ativan which usually work well. I also take Unisom and melatonin. I know it's a lot. Take one out of the equation, and I won't sleep. Well, I can sleep without the melatonin, but it just helps me get to sleep a bit sooner. EXcept the melatonin, I've been taking these meds for many years.

One of the companies wants me off Ambien and all sedatives including Unisom which is OTC. The other wants me to spend $175 on a local DOT-certified doc visit to see what's allowable. I'm at rock bottom financially and can't afford to go see the doc.

MY CONCERN

I don't think I can go without any sedative for bedtime. How do I find out which companies will allow me to take something to sleep? Or, how do I get past the recruiters and talk to their medical examiner so we can have a decent convo about my insomnia? I understand the recruiters may have limited info and likely go strictly by what they're told, but I think I may need to get past them to the ME.

The irony to me is that I'd think they'd want a wide-awake driver after a good night's sleep with sedatives rather than a sleepy driver with no sedatives. I've been driving personal vehicles daily for years without having any issues the morning after getting good sleep with sedatives.

I appreciate your help!

Welcome Dave.

Well for starters I can tell you you'll get a lot better cooperation and attention from companies that you have actually applied to already as opposed to companies you're just calling with questions. Recruiters are trying to get applicants in the door and they often times get paid a commission to do so. If you haven't filled out an application with a company it's going to be difficult to get them to spend any time speaking with you about your situation. So make sure you apply to companies you're interested in and then get a dialogue going about your medications.

Ultimately you're going to be required by law to take a pre-employment physical with whomever you go to work for. So you can go speak with doctors or get your own physical now if you like to see if you'll pass but in the end the company you're going to work for is going to specify where you get the physical done and that doctor will have to approve your medications. So the best bet for you is to apply to companies and then find out from each one of them how they feel about your specific medications.

The irony to me is that I'd think they'd want a wide-awake driver after a good night's sleep with sedatives rather than a sleepy driver with no sedatives

I'm sure you realize there's more to it than that. If a medication remains in your system after you've woken up it's going to impair your cognitive functions and won't be allowed for commercial driving. So they're not just concerned with whether you sleep well or not. They must also be concerned with residual effects once you're awake.

Thanks, Brett. I understand that they could be concerned about residual effects. I guess having been on these meds for so many years, I know I drive more alert in the morning than I would if I tossed and turned all night and had little to no sleep.

I can go through the application process for each company. I was just hoping someone knew which companies are more likely to take me so I don't waste their time or mine with the application process.

I appreciate your guidance and your quick response. It helps.

Dave

I was just hoping someone knew which companies are more likely to take me so I don't waste their time or mine with the application process.

I think they'll all take you. It's just a matter of making sure you're on medications that are acceptable for commercial driving. If you're taking something they don't like then there are always alternatives your doctor can give you. No big deal. So I would apply anywhere you're interested in working and get the ball rolling on the process.

Dave, I think another thing to keep in mind when taking sleep aid medications is that an over the road truck driver's sleep patterns are at best a mixed bag of time frames. I end up swapping my nights and days at least twice a week. I may drive all daytime hours for two days in a row and then drive all through the night for the next two drive shifts, and then have to switch it back to days again to make my scheduled deliveries all come out right and maximize my earnings. I don't take any sleep aids, but I just thought I would mention that to you in case that kind of schedule would be something that would cause you problems.

I may be the only one that noticed it, but I found it comical that your original post was at approximately 1:30 a.m. in the time zone that I happened to be in at the time. I know my twisted sense of humor is the only reason I thought it was funny - I mean here you are posting about your insomnia at the wee hours of the morning!

I was just hoping someone knew which companies are more likely to take me so I don't waste their time or mine with the application process.

I think they'll all take you. It's just a matter of making sure you're on medications that are acceptable for commercial driving. If you're taking something they don't like then there are always alternatives your doctor can give you. No big deal. So I would apply anywhere you're interested in working and get the ball rolling on the process.

That's encouraging. Thanks again, Brett. I'll apply to several.

Dave, I think another thing to keep in mind when taking sleep aid medications is that an over the road truck driver's sleep patterns are at best a mixed bag of time frames. I end up swapping my nights and days at least twice a week. I may drive all daytime hours for two days in a row and then drive all through the night for the next two drive shifts, and then have to switch it back to days again to make my scheduled deliveries all come out right and maximize my earnings. I don't take any sleep aids, but I just thought I would mention that to you in case that kind of schedule would be something that would cause you problems.

I may be the only one that noticed it, but I found it comical that your original post was at approximately 1:30 a.m. in the time zone that I happened to be in at the time. I know my twisted sense of humor is the only reason I thought it was funny - I mean here you are posting about your insomnia at the wee hours of the morning!

Old School, I'd thought about how working a variety of hours would be required, but I only thought about it briefly. Your comments made me think about it more.

Yeah, I was up late. I do some of my best thinking in the wee hours of the morning. :) If I get a driving job, I'd probably maximize on driving at night to avoid traffic as much as I could.

Thank you for your feedback!

Dave

I'm not a classic insomniac, in that I don't stay awake for days at a time. I'm more plyphasic in my sleep pattern. My doctor prescribed me trazodone. It's traditionally prescribed for treating depression, but it is a great sleep aid in that it's not a sedative and it has zero addiction risk. It doesn't make you "medicine sleepy" and it has no lingering after effects. There is no weaning off period, and in the case of trucking, I believe there are no prohibitions. (I'm starting at Prime on 3/7 and I already have a DOT physical card and I have met with no restrictions when I said I took this medication and why I was taking it. Now, you DO need to allot for a good amount of sleeping time, otherwise it's a waste of the medication. You shouldn't take them and then try to drive because you could become impaired. But I've had great results with this. You might want to discuss the possibility of switching medications to see if it works for you.

I'm not a classic insomniac, in that I don't stay awake for days at a time. I'm more plyphasic in my sleep pattern. My doctor prescribed me trazodone. It's traditionally prescribed for treating depression, but it is a great sleep aid in that it's not a sedative and it has zero addiction risk. It doesn't make you "medicine sleepy" and it has no lingering after effects. There is no weaning off period, and in the case of trucking, I believe there are no prohibitions. (I'm starting at Prime on 3/7 and I already have a DOT physical card and I have met with no restrictions when I said I took this medication and why I was taking it. Now, you DO need to allot for a good amount of sleeping time, otherwise it's a waste of the medication. You shouldn't take them and then try to drive because you could become impaired. But I've had great results with this. You might want to discuss the possibility of switching medications to see if it works for you.

Hi, Miss Miyoshi,

Thank you for the feedback. I have tried trazadone in the past for sleep, and I have some left over. It didn't work for me previously, but maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance. I'll try again. :)

Dave