Medication and Train driver medical experiences

[KFRM]

Hello all,

Can anyone with experience in these matters give any clue as to what experiences they have had in regards to their medicals and disclosing health issues and medications.

I am currently on an anti-anxiety medication called Mirtazipine, at the lowest dose. I am currently stable on this medication.

Has anybody else got any experiences in regards to their medical and disclosing the fact they use this or similar medication, and whether it acted as a bar to their employment or not (of course, I hope everyone is honest and do disclose such things) I have found anecdotal comments on various forum pages, but actual experiences in relation to this issue would be really helpful.

I am in no way considering or condoning witholding such information from the medical team, I just wonder whether these conditions are blanket banned from the role of train driver or whether they are actually assessed on case by case basis.

Hopefully, a discussion around this topic can shed light or assist those who are anxious about the medical for various roles.

Kind regards

 

[TheVicLine]

You need to declare all existing health issues and medications during the interview stage. From memory I think they will contact your doctor anyway.
If they find out at a later date that you didn't declare anything it's possible they would sack you.

 

[KFRM]

You need to declare all existing health issues and medications during the interview stage. From memory I think they will contact your doctor anyway.
If they find out at a later date that you didn't declare anything it's possible they would sack you.

Of course, I should hope so too. I wasn't posting with the intention of lying about medical conditions. I just wondered what experiences, if any, people had with anxiety or other conditions and their success at the recruitment stage. I would hope nobody willfully hides any conditions - but human nature I suppose.

 

[Bromley boy]

Of course, I should hope so too. I wasn't posting with the intention of lying about medical conditions. I just wondered what experiences, if any, people had with anxiety or other conditions and their success at the recruitment stage. I would hope nobody willfully hides any conditions - but human nature I suppose.

No direct experience with this type of medication but, if it's a tranquilliser of some sort, an obvious issue might be any potential side effects of drowsiness. During my induction training as a trainee driver we were warned to be careful of even over the counter hay fever remedies, etc. that may cause drowsiness.

If it's an issue you could always ask your doctor if you could switch to an alternative medication which doesn't risk inducing drowsiness .

 

[Sprinter153]

Hello all,

Can anyone with experience in these matters give any clue as to what experiences they have had in regards to their medicals and disclosing health issues and medications.

I am currently on an anti-anxiety medication called Mirtazipine, at the lowest dose. I am currently stable on this medication.

Has anybody else got any experiences in regards to their medical and disclosing the fact they use this or similar medication, and whether it acted as a bar to their employment or not (of course, I hope everyone is honest and do disclose such things) I have found anecdotal comments on various forum pages, but actual experiences in relation to this issue would be really helpful.

I am in no way considering or condoning witholding such information from the medical team, I just wonder whether these conditions are blanket banned from the role of train driver or whether they are actually assessed on case by case basis.

Hopefully, a discussion around this topic can shed light or assist those who are anxious about the medical for various roles.

Kind regards

I'm a Guard and I'm on the same medication. When it was prescribed the medication check came back fine but I was marked NTC (Not To Conduct) for 7 days to allow the medication to safely take effect.

 

[KFRM]

No direct experience with this type of medication but, if it's a tranquilliser of some sort, an obvious issue might be any potential side effects of drowsiness. During my induction training as a trainee driver we were warned to be careful of even over the counter hay fever remedies, etc. that may cause drowsiness.

If it's an issue you could always ask your doctor if you could switch to an alternative medication which doesn't risk inducing drowsiness .

Yes, that was my thought as well. The lower the dose, the less likely the side effects. I believe there are some medications which don't cause drowsiness, and those that do (not all people are affected) have it plastered all over the labelling. It's one of those things.

 

[KFRM]

I'm a Guard and I'm on the same medication. When it was prescribed the medication check came back fine but I was marked NTC (Not To Conduct) for 7 days to allow the medication to safely take effect.

Ah right, fantastic to hear somebody else uses the medication. What is a medication check? Have you found that it settled down nicely? Regards.

 

[Sprinter153]

Ah right, fantastic to hear somebody else uses the medication. What is a medication check? Have you found that it settled down nicely? Regards.

There's a requirement for operational staff to inform their line manager of any medication they are prescribed or are taking (name, dose, etc). The manager responsible will then check against a database whether the medication is suitable for use for a safety critical worker. In my case because mirtazapine can have drowsy effects I was taken off track as a precaution but reinstated once it was established that my performance wasn't impaired.

I get on relatively well with it - I do suffer from aches and pains and I have gained weight though. Sertraline was better for me but IBS made it a bad option!