Getting A Note From My Psychiatrist Saying I'm Safe To Drive On Her Prescribed Meds?

I take anti-depressants and an anti-psychotic called Zyprexa. I'm not sure what my official diagnosis is right now, but it used to be depression with psychotic features. (I had auditory hallucinations.) Anyway, I tried going off Zyprexa to see if I still needed it, and my AH came back after about two months from going off the med so I do need it still. The right company will hire me.

What I don't know is what all I need my psychiatrist to sign. Can it just be, "So and so is safe to drive a truck with the medications I've prescribed him" Or does it have to be more detailed?

Thanks.

The right company will hire me.

How many applications have you submitted at this point?

How many applications have you submitted at this point?

None. A few years ago I was doing to be a truck driver, and went to school for it. I didn't pass at the DMV , and then I had to get a job because I was out of money. So I lost focus on being a truck driver. That said, I was taking a mood stabilizer at the time, and SWIFT wanted to hire me. I don't take a mood stabilizer now. It was just a guess my doctor had that I might be bipolar, and I was willing to humor her. We concluded that I'm not. After I worked for a while, I quit the job, got kicked by a horse that required knee surgery, and fell into a depression, which I'm still not completely out of. There is more to the story, but it is boring. Anyway, I sold my house, and I have the money for whatever I want to do now. I'm in college now but it's boring me, and I don't want to continue it. I plan to pass the classes I have now, so that if I change my mind, I can go back to it later. I think I'd prefer to be a truck driver. It's too bad, I even get paid to go to college. I want to become a truck driver. College just doesn't fit me.

I notice that some of my original post was omitted. I'm not upset about it, but I'd like to provide proof for what I am saying:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Psychiatric-Executive-Summary-prot.pdf

They did not find an increased crash risk for people with a psychotic disorder. And I have a mild case. The reality is, my mental health probably won't affect my driving abilities, but a lot of stigma will affect my ability to get hired. This annoys me, but whatever. Stupid as as stupid does. :p

Chris all you need is a letter from your doctor stating, ""Chris P. is safe to drive a truck with the medications I've prescribed him"

That is all you need. That doesn't trump the company's policies though. They have the ultimate authority on who they decide to hire or not and why. It is a safety sensitive position and they get to decide what they deem as acceptable risks for their operation.

We don't have to like that, but we all accept it.

I understand what you are saying about stigmas. They can be very frustrating and annoying. It is what it is and there is little we can do to change them. Many of us have to live with stigmas that are not fair.

I suggest if you are not fond of stigmas then you might try a little harder at not casting them upon trucking companies and their employees. You mentioned part of your post getting deleted. You've also had some of your posts rejected. It is usually because of your use of the word "stupid." You used it again here in this latest post when you declared, "stupid is as stupid does."

It is sometimes hard to take you seriously. Why would a person want so badly to be involved in an industry that they consider to be full of "stupidity?" You cast aspersions on our industry quite freely. I find it troubling that a guy so concerned with stigmas against his mental health issues would constantly be making such unfounded accusations against an industry that he hasn't even any experience with. Talk about stigmas - you carry a lot of them around with you against trucking companies.

We try to hold ourselves to some high standards here. There are times we fail, but we still make that effort. If you want to have more of your posts come through unedited then try not declaring and believing your prejudicial stigmas against the trucking industry so freely. You are not the only person in this world who doesn't appreciate stigmas.

I am not driving these days due to an eye injury. I don't think it is stupid. I accept the fact that they can determine how much risk they want to take on. I can produce documents much like the one you linked to that show people with monocular vision are not more prone to accidents. I am working within their system to get myself back to work. That is what you have to do also. Work with it and not against it.

If I considered the trucking industry to be full of stupid people, as you have stated before, then I would not be trying so hard to get myself in it. A guy as smart as you will certainly be disappointed when surrounded by all the stupid people you will be dealing with. As a driver, you will be the lowest person in the chain of command. It's not an enviable position to be in when all those people above you fall into the category of "stupid."

Maybe that will help you get more of your posts cleared easier, but my real hope is that it will help you figure out why you are going to have to make some real adjustments if you want to enjoy success as a trucker.