Prozac and residency

[NewUser2018]

---

Members don't see this ad.

My residency program requires we submit some medical paperwork, including a list of all medications we take. I have taken prozac for several years for mild anxiety. I am assuming I need to disclose this, but I'm wondering if this could have any negative affects for my career? I am scared of being pegged as "mentally ill" or something. Thanks for anyone who has insight into this.

Edit: I'm an MS4, soon to be intern in June

 

[gutonc]

No, you don't have anything to worry about. Congratulations (seriously...I mean it) on taking care of your s*** before you're in a position to do harm to people when you have untreated illness.

Next neurotic question?

 

[Raryn]

My residency program requires we submit some medical paperwork, including a list of all medications we take. I have taken prozac for several years for mild anxiety. I am assuming I need to disclose this, but I'm wondering if this could have any negative affects for my career? I am scared of being pegged as "mentally ill" or something. Thanks for anyone who has insight into this.

Edit: I'm an MS4, soon to be intern in June

The occupational health people who review the medical paperwork should be completely separate from the GME and program hierarchies. There is typically a firewall there, and the only thing your PD and co end up seeing is a yes/no cleared to work determination.

So basically, don't worry about it.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

There's a 50% chance your PD is on prozac.

No worries.

 

[KU Brendan]

I don't remember having to disclose any medical history or medications (though it has been a while since residency). Is an employer allowed to force you to disclose specifics about your health like that, more than just the standard questions about if we are impaired or could not do the job asked of us, etc. Just curious.

 

[NewUser2018]

I don't remember having to disclose any medical history or medications (though it has been a while since residency). Is an employer allowed to force you to disclose specifics about your health like that, more than just the standard questions about if we are impaired or could not do the job asked of us, etc. Just curious.

It's in the medical screening packet they gave us - we have to list allergies, medications, immunizations, etc. It all goes to the employee health office though, not to the program coordinator

 

[KU Brendan]

It's in the medical screening packet they gave us - we have to list allergies, medications, immunizations, etc. It all goes to the employee health office though, not to the program coordinator

Well, it's not like Facebook and the Russians don't already know all of that about you, so I guess employee health can too. But still, I imagine many would not feel comfortable with their employer knowing all of their business.

 

[WingedOx]

There's a 50% chance your PD is on prozac.

No worries.

same goes for most of your co-residents.

 

[gutonc]

There's a 50% chance your PD is on prozac.

No worries.

There's a nearly 100% chance that s/he should be.

 

[WingedOx]

There's a nearly 100% chance that s/he should be.

also an option, though more of a program coordinator thing...

 

[Thrombus]

I wouldn’t tell anyone anything! It will only be used against you.

 

[kzbt624]

On a similar note, could a resident taking prozac qualify for disability insurance? I have a group policy through my program but want to also get my own policy for better coverage while I'm young and healthy (except for depression).

 

[colbgw02]

On a similar note, could a resident taking prozac qualify for disability insurance? I have a group policy through my program but want to also get my own policy for better coverage while I'm young and healthy (except for depression).

Disability insurance companies only care about what medications you take inasmuch as they reveal your state of health. If you're taking Prozac because you have a history of multiple suicide attempts requiring inpatient psychiatric therapy, then that's a lot different from someone taking it for anxiety.

You are, ostensibly, able to work and in good standing with your residency program, so you don't need to worry about being uninsurable. However, you may find your premium is higher than others if your state of health makes you more likely to become disabled.

 

[chocomorsel]

On a similar note, could a resident taking prozac qualify for disability insurance? I have a group policy through my program but want to also get my own policy for better coverage while I'm young and healthy (except for depression).

I would get off the meds for as long as needed then pee in the cup or get blood drawn and then get back on drugs soon as results are in. Unless your depression is severe.

 

[Raryn]

I would get off the meds for as long as needed then pee in the cup or get blood drawn and then get back on drugs soon as results are in. Unless your depression is severe.

This is bad advice for a number of reasons.

A) No one, not disability insurance nor anything else drug tests for SSRIs
B) Depression will not make you uninsurable. There's millions of Americans on antidepressants and disability companies want their business.
C) When you apply for disability insurance, you waive your privacy and allow them to ask your health insurance company for records. This is not optional. They also search pharmacy databases for any prescriptions you've filled recently. This is also not optional. These searches are not 100% comprehensive so you may get away with lying, but if they catch you, it's a problem.
D) If you don't disclose any pre-existing conditions to your disability insurance company and later file a claim where they look back at your medical records and find one? They may deny your claim for lying to them.

Look, if you claim depression on the application for disability insurance, there's only a couple bad consequences:

1) Your premiums go up some
2) If you get disabled due to depression (now a known pre-existing condition) in the first X months of the policy (generally 24 months/2 years), it won't count for triggering the policy.
3) If you get disabled for any other reason in the first X months or for any reason after the first X months, its the same as anyone else.

 

[chocomorsel]

@Raryn, I totally didn't know about #3, because I don't recall doing this when I applied years ago. They get my health information from my insurance company? Guess I don't recall this at all.

 

[Raryn]

@Raryn, I totally didn't know about #3, because I don't recall doing this when I applied years ago. They get my health information from my insurance company? Guess I don't recall this at all.

Just like there are credit bureaus, there's a Medical Information Bureau (yes, it's called MIB). As soon as you apply for individual health, life, or disability insurance, you authorize said bureau to build a file on you. One of the forms you sign has this authorization, and you can't get insurance without it. It's not 100% comprehensive in that it won't pick up anything that didn't go through a member insurance agency, but it catches people in all kinds of lies.

 

[JustPlainBill]

Don't worry about it -- if it was going to be a problem, you wouldn't have been admitted to med school, much less about to graduate. They don't just pick people based on scores -- they look at the whole person and think about whether or not, at the end of it all, are they going to be fit to be cut loose on an unsuspecting public -- you've made it this far....

 

[IMPD]

I would get off the meds for as long as needed then pee in the cup or get blood drawn and then get back on drugs soon as results are in. Unless your depression is severe.

Disagree.

Employee health takes confidential issues seriously and is NOT sending me little "Guess who is on Prozac this week" emails.

I've trained folks with Type 1 diabetes, depression, adhd, anxiety, sleep apnea, hypertension, pregnancy complications, seizure disorder....you know, medical problems. Medical problems are NOT going to hold you back in your training. Heck, I have trained residents who came to me in our state monitoring program for doctors with identified addiction. Taking care of yourself and being forthright about it is one of the prime characteristics of an emotionally mature and grown person. Embrace it.

 

[MD Financial Services Scott]

On a similar note, could a resident taking prozac qualify for disability insurance? I have a group policy through my program but want to also get my own policy for better coverage while I'm young and healthy (except for depression).

You can get coverage while on meds but the carriers will exclude mental nervous claim capacity.

 

[flightnurse2MD]

My residency program requires we submit some medical paperwork, including a list of all medications we take. I have taken prozac for several years for mild anxiety. I am assuming I need to disclose this, but I'm wondering if this could have any negative affects for my career? I am scared of being pegged as "mentally ill" or something. Thanks for anyone who has insight into this.

Edit: I'm an MS4, soon to be intern in June

They should just put fluoxetine in the water supply already...

 

[psych md jd]

They should just put fluoxetine in the water supply already...

Too late:

Your tap water is probably laced with antidepressants

Prozac in Drinking Water? Likely So

Prozac in sea water causing crabs to take dangerous risks | Daily Mail Online

I have taken prozac for several years for mild anxiety...I am scared of being pegged as "mentally ill" or something.

I have some bad news for you.

 

[Bacchus]

RE disability insurance and SSRIs...

Still got insured but they limited me from collecting for a lifetime to 5 years. May be reviewed in future. I was relatively fresh start on meds when I applied.

Good friend on SSRI for over 10 years and the company didn’t bat an eye.

 

[OHare]

Yes, you just meet with employee health for a few minutes. The occupation health doc said that PDs will only get the fit for work determination (if that). He also said a motivation for the meeting was to make sure people ARE taking their meds.

 

[sulfonate]

There's a 50% chance your PD is on prozac.

No worries.

Is this a joke or are you serious? What would you estimate the % of physicians/residents/medical students with mental health problems from your experience?

 

[gutonc]

Is this a joke or are you serious? What would you estimate the % of physicians/residents/medical students with mental health problems from your experience?

Those under treatment? Or total?

The first number is probably 1/3-1/2 (if you include therapy). The total probably approaches 100%.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Is this a joke or are you serious?

Both

 

[futuredo32]

Honestly I think EVERY resident in my psych residency was on a med for anxiety/depression, all I knew well were. One had bipolar disorder. Just be honest about it.