6 posts shown.
Maria Fisher46 said:I’d imagine your doctor is going to check in with someone over at Medicare first.
Under the current regulations regarding how prescriptions are written and dispensed, if you're planning a trip, they can actually issue enough medication to cover up to 6 months of treatment for chronic conditions. In those cases, your doctor can just write out a paper prescription—old school style—and include a note stating that the patient needs to pick everything up all at once.
So, you'll just need to crunch the numbers—figure out your daily dosage, how many boxes that translates to, and make sure it all fits within that 6-month window.
Since epilepsy is classified as a chronic condition, I’m fairly certain you’re entitled to grab a larger supply upfront if you have travel plans on the horizon.
Keep us posted on what happens!
Best regards, 🙂
Thanks so much... I'll hear back from my doctor once I'm done visiting my neurologist... because honestly, I'm not even sure yet if she's going to change my current regimen.
Hey there. So, I’m gearing up for a massive trip to the States—we're talking an eight-month stint—and I've got a bit of a situation regarding my epilepsy meds. I need to pack quite a haul: 5 boxes of Depakote 300, 9 boxes of Lamictal 50, and another 5 boxes of Lamictal 25. My big question is, do you think my doctor will actually sign off on such a huge quantity? When I brought it up to her, she mentioned she’d have to call someone to double-check—honestly, I can't even remember who she said it was... but anyway, do you think they'll approve this much? I'm sure I'm not the only one heading abroad for a long stretch like this...
Nicholas Myers said:I need to adjust my previous point above. Looking closer at the regulations, it turns out epilepsy is explicitly listed as a contraindication for only certain maritime positions. It isn't mentioned for others, which leaves the question open as to whether this restriction applies to all crew roles or just a select few.
So, I went ahead and had a chat with the doctor who's authorized to handle the medical clearances for the shipping company—you know, the one who does the official physicals—and I asked him point-blank if he actually requires a secondary note from a private physician stating I'm fit to work without any health issues. He told me straight up that I don't even need to bring that in; instead, I'll just have to sign some kind of waiver or declaration—I can't remember the exact wording, honestly, but that's the gist of it.
Angela Wright said:They probably will.
Let's be real here: you're just trying to hide the fact that you have epilepsy, aren't you?
Smola 😢
Well, yeah—but like I was saying before, that specialist my agency suggested I talk to—the one who told me I should clear up any questions I have with him directly—he mentioned that they wouldn't be checking specifically to see if the medication is present in my bloodstream. Instead, he explained that the whole reason they’re pulling blood is just to run those standard toxicology panels. It's funny how those things work sometimes, isn't it? You think they're looking for one thing, but then there's this whole other layer of testing happening behind the scenes... anyway, that was his take on it.
So, here’s the deal—I noticed that during the medical clearance for working on a merchant vessel, they do a full blood panel. Now, I’ve been dealing with epilepsy, though honestly, I haven't had a single issue or seizure in about seven years—it's been smooth sailing since then—but I am still on medication. This got me thinking... if they run these tests, is there any chance they'll pick up traces of my meds in my system? One doctor mentioned to me that when you're getting cleared for maritime work, the bloodwork is mostly focused on various toxicology screens to ensure everything is clean. He suggested that because I've been consistently taking my Depakote and Lamictal for the last seven or eight years, they wouldn't even register as "drugs" in the way people usually think. I'd love to hear your thoughts or if anyone else has navigated this kind of thing before.