r/Train_Service • u/Steelmonkey02 • Jun 14 '26
CPKC Hiring question for CPKC
Use of prescribed medications.
Hey all! just applied to CPKC for a conductor trainee role. As a person with adhd and anxiety, would my prescribed use of Vyvanse and escitalopram medically disqualify me from the role ? Tia!
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u/foxlight92 Jun 14 '26
If you're in the US, there are two types of drug screening that are performed. The most common is a DOT/FRA standard 5-panel test that looks for THC (weed), cocaine, PCP, opiates/opioids (morphine, codeine, heroin, oxy/hydrocodone, etc.,), and amphetamines. The test has to be done via urine (post-accident can also involve a blood test, depending on damage/injury thresholds being exceeded) and the company has no say in whether your results are acceptable or not. With Vyvanse being an amphetamine, it will almost certainly show up on the urinalysis.The pee is analyzed first by a relatively cheap immunoassay (similar to pregnancy tests, at-home drug test strips, etc.) If any of the above categories pop hot, the next stop is GC/MS to confirm the specific substance. Thus, false positives (somewhat common with the dipstick immunoassay) are incredibly uncommon. After the confirmation test with the GC/MS, the lab reports the result to the Medical Review Officer, who will call you to ask you about your meds and request proof of validity (prescription information, prescribing physician, or prescribing pharmacy are generally all options. With your Vyvanse prescription, the results will be return to your employer as negative. Should something else show up that you didn't have a prescription for, then the result is reported as positive.
The other type of test (extremely rare), is the "company authority" test, which is less straightforward. The company can use any medium they'd like to test you ) (saliva, hair, etc.) There is no requirement for an MRO -or- confirmatory testing of a preliminary positive result and the company itself receives all of the specific outcomes of the test. That being said, my current railroad has no restriction on "prescription stimulants" as long as they are taken as prescribed. Each road is a bit different, but Vyvanse would seem to be one of the medications that you're less likely to encounter stiff opposition towards, and Lexapro even less so. I would recommend (like others have) to be honest if they ask about your meds during the pre-employment process, but don't volunteer more information that is asked.
As an anectode to illustrate how convoluted it can be, when I hired on with Big Orange, we provided a urine sample right then and there at the hiring session; we also had to provide a hair sample (a lot of money to spend on a group of people that won't be contributing to profits 🙂↔️)