ADD rejection - need some advice

[dmarie123]

To the OP- all the branches use the first 17 pages of AR 40-501 for their enlistment medical standards at MEPS. It is an Army regulation, but since the Army runs/owns MEPS, all branches use those standards.

Your recruiter is likely to have a record of your ADD if he put you in the computer system at all. We usually need a reason why we stopped working with you or your record starts to flag us to follow-up with you. As such, the record will be shared Army wide. If you have gone to MEPS, then all the branches will see the DQ.

There are ZERO ZERO waivers for this. According to AR 40-501, you must be off ALL meds for one year and show that you can still function.

Realize that HIDING this is a bad idea. What if you really can't function off the meds? In boot camp, you will have ZERO chance of smuggling them in and taking them, and it's not a good time to find out that taking yourself off the meds a month prior is not working. You'll be expected to FOCUS and PERFORM for 15 or 16 hours a day, and you need to be able to focus. The last thing you want is to get discharged for failing training because YOU diagnosed yourself as ready to come of the meds when you were not actually ready. Then you'll go to months of technical school, without your medications, and you'll be in training, in a classroom, for 9 hours a day, expected to be perfectly focused, and then you'll go home and study and do homework. Training if FAST and FURIOUS! You must be prepared to handle it.

Then, if you can deployed, no medications, will you be able to stay focused in a 26 hour fire fight, or a 22 hour stakeout, or long days of just regular work? All without your meds?

You don't think you're ready to face your regular life without meds... please don't consider stopping the meds and trying to face a life in the military without them. You would be setting yourself and your comrades up for failure if you can't even manage in your everyday life without them.

For the anxiety meds, you'll need additional psych consults and perhaps a waiver for that. Were you ever counseled for depression or anxiety? If so, what is your reaction going to be if you end up in Afgahnistan, haven't seen your family in 13 months, are being shot at, and your best friend is dying in front of you, and you have to go on functioning? (Yes, I know thousands of people don't experience anything like this, BUT WHAT IF you do??).

There is a reason these things are DQs.

[macjr82]

Another reason to not lie if you are on meds: most ADHD meds are amphetamines. You'll pop on the **** test at meps. If you fail the **** test at meps u are permanently disqualified from all of the branches.
Edit: I see a certain word in my post did't pass the filter. I never knew that a 4 letter word for pee was a curse word, then again, it is a four letter word :-p

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by macjr82

Edit: I see a certain word in my post did't pass the filter. I never knew that a 4 letter word for pee was curse word, then again, it is a four letter word :-p

What macjr82 was trying to say that if you get a positive hit on the routine urinalysis test conducted at MEPS, you might have some problems.

The military does routine urinalysis tests. That is a different subject...


Rich

[Nafster]

Originally Posted by dmarie123

To the OP- all the branches use the first 17 pages of AR 40-501 for their enlistment medical standards at MEPS. It is an Army regulation, but since the Army runs/owns MEPS, all branches use those standards.

Your recruiter is likely to have a record of your ADD if he put you in the computer system at all. We usually need a reason why we stopped working with you or your record starts to flag us to follow-up with you. As such, the record will be shared Army wide. If you have gone to MEPS, then all the branches will see the DQ.

There are ZERO ZERO waivers for this. According to AR 40-501, you must be off ALL meds for one year and show that you can still function.

Realize that HIDING this is a bad idea. What if you really can't function off the meds? In boot camp, you will have ZERO chance of smuggling them in and taking them, and it's not a good time to find out that taking yourself off the meds a month prior is not working. You'll be expected to FOCUS and PERFORM for 15 or 16 hours a day, and you need to be able to focus. The last thing you want is to get discharged for failing training because YOU diagnosed yourself as ready to come of the meds when you were not actually ready. Then you'll go to months of technical school, without your medications, and you'll be in training, in a classroom, for 9 hours a day, expected to be perfectly focused, and then you'll go home and study and do homework. Training if FAST and FURIOUS! You must be prepared to handle it.

Then, if you can deployed, no medications, will you be able to stay focused in a 26 hour fire fight, or a 22 hour stakeout, or long days of just regular work? All without your meds?

You don't think you're ready to face your regular life without meds... please don't consider stopping the meds and trying to face a life in the military without them. You would be setting yourself and your comrades up for failure if you can't even manage in your everyday life without them.

For the anxiety meds, you'll need additional psych consults and perhaps a waiver for that. Were you ever counseled for depression or anxiety? If so, what is your reaction going to be if you end up in Afgahnistan, haven't seen your family in 13 months, are being shot at, and your best friend is dying in front of you, and you have to go on functioning? (Yes, I know thousands of people don't experience anything like this, BUT WHAT IF you do??).

There is a reason these things are DQs.

Thanks for the detailed response, this is great info. Thanks for all the other responses too.

I would never lie to get in. I couldn't do that to myself and to others.

I am most likely going to be off my medication this summer or later this year, and am doing fine lowering my doses, so I am confident that I will be fine once I end my medication.

I am going to follow the protocol and reapply a year after I quit my medication, assuming I am able to function and handle the everyday challenges of life (and I'm confident I will be able to). Then I hope they will trust me with the challenges of the army.

I hope you all understand that it IS disappointing being disqualified from serving your country, for any condition

I am not saying that the rule is wrong or unfair (I completely understand why its in place), but it is a little sad not being able to join the ranks of many of my friends who served, at least for a while.

I'm also going to investigate working for the military as a civilian. Maybe that would be a good way to serve?

[bswatt]

i accidentally let it slip that i was on add meds a couple years back and did everything that was asked of me to get in. I was still rejected by med board. if i were to go to the navy instead, would they have a waiver, should i pretend like it all never happened, or should i see if they will accept me there? its been a life long dream of mine to be in service especially to male a life for myself and my family. I also read that I could write a letter asking to drop the waiver rule to someone and in some cases they do. Is there a chance of that happening? who would I write that too?

[LBTRS]

You are not qualified for any branch of the military if you are currently taking these meds and it is very unlikely that you would receive a waiver even if you were off them since your use of these meds was into adulthood. I was a Navy Recruiter for 14 years and I would have told you the same thing that you would be wasting your time trying to get into the Navy.

Realistically you need to be looking for another plan as the military isn't an option for you.

[dmarie123]

Originally Posted by Nafster

Hi all.

I've never posted in this section of City Data before so I'll just explain my situation a bit.

I'm 22 and recently graduated college in Indiana. Since graduation I've been unable to get work. I have recently been investigating joining the military and want to join the army (I think it'd be great for the country and my personal growth).

I talked to a recruiter and discovered that I'm ineligible for joining because I was diagnosed with ADD much of my life and still take medication for it (in small doses). One of the medications is an anti-depressant that is for anxiety issues.

While I eventually plan on getting off my medications due to great improvement (my ADD and anxiety were never serious but they were enough to put me on meds), I don't see myself getting off them anytime soon.

So I was very upset to find out that I couldn't join.

My question is, what is my next step? I was basically so disappointed that I forgot to ask the recruiter what else I could do.

Is there anyway I could get around the rejection? If not, what are my other options if I want to help out the country and do work for the military?

Any help would be much appreciated!

You can probably still join, but you'd have to do a few things:
1. Stop taking the medication with the permission and supervision of a supportive doctor. Get documentation from the doctor that he/she advises you stop medication. You will have to prove that your doctor stopped your medication, versus you just decided not to take them.
2. Function without medication for 1 year. You have to prove this.
3. To prove you can function without medication, you'll need proof of passing grades in college courses, or you will need a solid work history (finding an holding down a job, and obtaining a letter of recommendation).
4. See a mental health provider and be cleared of depression/anxiety/current ADD symptoms now and in 1 year.

If it's something you want to do, these are the steps that will be most likely to get you cleared.