Hello;
Thank you for writing in today.
May I ask what line of work you are in?
Lisa
a security officer position for a police officer. It's not a full Sworn police position (no gun).
Also, I've have a degree in CJ (BA) and did a 208 hour internship successfully with a PD.
Furthermore, I still functioned fine without the meds (SSRI), but after 3 deaths - dad, uncle, grandpa, and the transition from college to the real world with getting a job issues, I was just struggling a bit. So, I was put on Lexapro for depression with anxiety...
If you could let me know your thoughts, that would be great!
I I suspect your Lexapro use WILL NOT show up on the drug test. The majority of pre-employment drug screens done do not include antidepressants. Most pre-employment screenings are focused on detecting illicit, abused, and habit forming drugs. These are generally controlled drugs. Although I understand why a police department would want to screen for antidepressants, I suspect this would still be too specific and costly to include in the routine screening. With this being said, due to your history and current use, you should consider telling the employer the truth.
I hope this helps. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please let me know.
I guess my only concern is that they will deny me of the job due to this? What kind of a class would Lexapro be in terms of a drug classification?
Also, I just started Lexapro on Sunday. I'm currently on a 2 week sample pack to see how it works. So far, it's been taking the edge off my anxiety/depression, and I've been a lot happier.
Lastly, do SSRI's usually pose a big liability threat in terms of an employees performance?
Thank you for responding.
Lexapro is in the SSRI class, as you mentioned in your posting.
As for the denying you a job and liability, I noticed you also have a thread in the legal category as well. You may want to refer to their legal answer. However, as a health expert, not legal expert, I have know people to be denied a job based on drug screen results and failure to disclose medication usage. Also, as a non-legal, but health health expert, I have never known of any significant consideration regarding SSRI use, with regard to liability. However, depression can be a liability in some professions.
I am glad you are happier now. Generally, SSRIs take a longer to be effective.
So, it would be smarter to just disclose this information? Will this come up where I have to disclose it during a pre-employment Medical Eval?
How would most medical staff, who are conducting these pre-employment tests react to something like this in terms of hiring a prospective employer?
Lastly, would I have a harder time obtaining a job, such as a police officer being on something such as Xanax vs. Lexapro?
Thanks much!
Jeff
I can only answer these questions based on a health care provider position. Some of the questions border on legal issues, so I will have to defer you to those experts.
First of all, as a health care provider, I would recommend any depressed person to disclose this information during a pre-employment medical evaluation, if asked. I think this is especially important to disclose if employment may potentially impact the mental health of that provider. Police work can have a significant impact on psychological well being; therefore, I would recommend being honest. This would be in the best interest of the patient.
As for the medical staff screening the employee, those people are generally independent agency employees. Those people generally have no involvement or opinion with regard to the hiring of the employee. Generally, medical staff that do pre-employment screenings are usually only responsible for ensuring proper collection and transporting the samples. Results are sent from an independent lab usually.
Xanax is a controlled substance, potentially habit forming and often abused. Also, Xanax can significantly impair functioning.
Lexapro is an SSRI with low side effect profile, low abuse/habit forming potential, and does not cause impaired functioning. Lexapro is not a controlled drug.
Nurse Practitioner
Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner