Matthew, I hope you are not reading into my posts. I am not saying that anyone should take ANY meds and fly, I don’t touch any meds (besides the occasional asprin) and I would turn in any pilot I found out was taking undiclosed meds. As for lying, I am saying I lied to the feds about taking ADD meds as a CHILD. I have never flown with a drop of anything stronger than a vitamin or tylenol in my bloodstream from my very first flight in a 172. Do I lie to the feds about meds I took a couple decades ago……yes I do, and I sleep soundly and put my pasengers at no risk whatsoever by lying. I agree with you on taking meds and flying. Are you a commercial pilot, or recreational pilot?

Tailwinds everyone
AK Pilot

thanks

1. I am a pilot.
2. I am not currently flying for other reasons (non medical) but was visiting the site for my wife who is interested in obtaining her private pilot license and currently takes straterra for ADHD

The Military makes it’s own decisions and laws pertaining to Military Combat Flight Operations not the FAA. Besides this obvious difference military pilots using ADHD medicine aren’t being treated for ADHD.
The drug is being used for an entirely different reason. This argument would not hold any weight in a civil court.

If you are suffering depression in your daily life you should not be flying. Stop thinking about yourselves and oh how you would love to fly and think that you might be safe ( as no one can predict the future. ) The efficacy of your medicine may change. If you have ever experienced a mood swing or had a panic attack and can admit this freely meaning you are not in denial of the your own truth or you feelings you know these can come about and effect your judgement on the ground.

Nobody has ever died driving a car as a result of a panic attack. This is because you can pull the car over and you will do this because your body is trying to keep you safe. You CAN NOT do this at 30,000 feet and you can not risk others lives. I find the fact that you are trying to get around problems you most likely have encountered for your interests over the interests of those you would be serving disgusting.

I would not board your plane knowing you had lied to the FAA. Do you honestly think that if people knew this they would board a commercial jet you were piloting? People love fear – watch the news – knowing this would send them back up the ramp and you would lose your job because the airline would be liable and you would be a liability to them.

The FAA is not the only group of individuals that subject you to psychological tests either. Take this example for instance:

You interview for a spot on a commercial airline. You get the job… but you still have to go through their evaluation. They will review your medical records and you will get health care though the company who
will undoubtedly look into your full medical history to approve you. They get access to your records beyond what the FAA ever sees. You will not be approved for medical insurance and the airline will want to know why. You will never get the job. Save yourself the time and money.
Airlines also give urine tests randomly – they will find any medicine in your system and they will take you off flying status at first glimpse of any of these medications as a corporation because they will not risk the liability in the event of an emergency whether caused by you or anyone else. If there were an NTSB review of an emergency or accident and you had any of these medications in your system – causing public alarm – anything – you will lose your job. NTSB findings are made public and an airline will not risk one of their pilots in the news.

Back to lying – If I found out you lied on your resume as an employer in any field I would fire you and any good employer concerned about their company would do the same. Nobody likes a cheat or liar.
I would not trust you to do the right thing just in the fact you admit to lying. I hope this makes sense to you. Posting this online for everyone to see already demonstrates bad judgement. The runway comes up quick when you pop out of the clouds on a foggy night that is distracting enough, you are myopic at this point, the slightest distraction and confusion in a tense decision effects everyone. Posting on the internet is safe – we are not in the cockpit here.

We seem to have similar stories except I grew up on SAC bases. The answer to your question is how much money do you have? When you go for your medical I would find a doctor that is on an airfield and get advise from them. We have on here at ANR that is amazing. With that said expect to pay an additional 3k and put in an additional 6 months. The reason being is that you WILL get flagged and have to send the first Medical back – you will then be required to take a whole heap of mental tests to prove you are not a drug user, alchoholic, basket case, depressed, ADD, etc etc. After you get that done and send it in the response comes that you have your medical, here it is us, just ya better watch the drug use or your cooked. aka – don’t fly for a few days after taking the drug.

Is it worth it? – every minute of it.

Being a son of a fighter pilot, I always dreamed of flying. I couldn’t join the Air Force as a fighter pilot due to corrective lenses. I went to one of the better engineering schools in the country where I maintained a 3.6+ GPA. I was never diagnosed, nor was I on any medication for ADHD. This was 14 years ago.

A couple of years back I was having a very busy schedule at work. Having multiple project deadlines I was spending night and day at the office. My mother-in-law (a psychologist) gave me a couple of her own Adderall XR pills and said to try them. They helped a lot. I was in the zone, and staying on task, and getting stuff done quicker than I usually did. I went to my doctor and said I wanted a prescription for Adderall XR. She asked why, I told her my story and she gave it to me. I have been taking them occasionally ever since. Basically, I take one if I am expecting an extra busy day at work. My 1-month prescription typically lasts me five to six months.

I recently decided to get a Private Pilot Certification. I did my first lesson/flight a few days ago. I was browsing through the FAA website when I came across the information on Medical Clearance for class 3. Aderall is on the list of medication requiring a clearance from FAA. I am also color blind, so it seems like I would have a restriction on night fliying, unless I went through additional FAA testing and passed those.

Considering I was only looking to get a PPC for recreational purposes, if you guys were in my place, would you continue with the lessons or give up. If I was to continue, should I stop taking Adderall XR (10 mg) and get my ground stuff finished. Wait six months or so for my solo, and thus delay the medical exam. What are the chances I’ll pass it at that time, if I stop taking Aderall now. I don’t think I’d want to go through the time and expense of the battery of psych tests I keep hearing about.

I would greatly appreciate your opinions.

Riddle or UND? I’m a Riddle Rat myself. Hey, just don’t mention you had ADD on the Medical application, I am a stickler for the rules, but in this case, why do they need to know? It’s not like I am hiding a safety of flight condition. I was diagnosed and medicated with ADD way back in Junior High and HS and I am flying for the airlines now. Really, the Feds don’t look back into your medical history THAT indepth, they just keep track of it from the point of you learning to fly on. Hopefully you haven’t applied for a medical yet AND admitted to having ADD/ADHD. If you havent’t applied for a medical yet, here’s what ya do; stay off the meds and apply for a medical WITHOUT admitting to having had ADHD/ADD….and you’ll be no different than any other Joe Blow Pilot out there. Good luck Billy and have fun learning to fly, you’ll never be the same.

Sincerly,
AKpilot

However, with that said I was diagnosed ADHD when I was about 5, and have struggled with it at many points in my life. I WAS medicated on Ritalin from grades 1-6, but was taken off it because it turned me into a zombie. Then i was on focalin for about two weeks in grade 10, and stratera for two DAYs in my senior year (This Year) because I just could get the grades i was working so hard for.

Like AK pilot, I studied my ass off in high school rejecting my friends and going to the library to study. Hard Work paid off, and I have recently been accepted to a 4-year college that specializes in airline pilot training. It was a true honor to be accepted to a university, and it crushed me to learn a few months ago I may not be able to go there.

I was reading online that ADHD is automatically disqualifying by the FAA in the ADHDpilots homepage. However, after reading this entire page of comments, I obtained some hope that I may be accepted on medical because I do not plan on taking ADD meds ever in my life…I will just learn to cope with it like AK pilot has done. PROPS to ak pilot!!

However, what are the chances I can pass my medical being a diagnosed ADHD person, with some history of medication?

-I am not taking medication anymore, nor will I ever.

Thank you very much,
Billy