My Update (My old profile is "Guelph" for clarification)

[Guelph_Guy]

Hey everyone - I wanted to share my very recent experience in FULL honesty so that it might help you guys or girls out there who are on medication.

I just had my intro call with Hamilton CFRC at the age of 36, and I was on 2 anti-depressants. Cipralex and Seroquel. For that reason, and after reading the boards here, I told them to axe my application (so to speak) since I'd never get hired while on these meds.

***I have now tapered off of both of them, and I'm only on a basic water pill for blood pressure, as a result of being proactive (it runs in the family).


How long must I be off of the anti-depressants before re-applying? Is it one year, roughly?


Also - would being on HCT to keep my blood pressure in check be a determining factor? I workout like an animal, stay fit, and am looking to return to organized hockey as a goalie.


Thanks, everyone! Stay positive and remember: life is all about the journey!

 

[JM2345]

Did your doctor advise you to stop using the anti-depressants? Or are they at least aware you are off the anti-depressants? I don't work in recruiting or as a health care professional in any way, but from my experience with medication, if you stop using it without doctors telling you to, they take that as a bad sign. Especially with anti-depressants I have always heard that you need to keep taking them even when you feel you don't need them, unless a doctor tells you to stop.

Do you have a family doctor that you see on a regular basis? Or just going to walk in clinics for prescriptions? I think making sure you have a good history with 1 doctor will help you out in this situation.

Just some thoughts from me trying to get some discussion and information flowing.

 

[Guelph_Guy]

I have a supportive Dr., but I knew it was time to go off in my specific case. I have a wife who is massively supportive, and I've always been a driven guy, so counselling/self-awareness are obviously key in my case.

Yes to others out there: BE VERY CAREFUL before deciding to go off your meds, and do it RIGHT! Withdrawal is nothing to mess with. I'm 5 foot 9 and 240 lbs. with a lot of muscle, but I felt it!

 

[Guelph_Guy]

Further, it should NOT matter what the Doctor's opinion is, since they want to push meds by default!

....Unless you have a chronic condition, obviously. I KNOW MYSELF AT 36 BETTER THAN ANY DOCTOR KNOWS ME. That's for sure.

 

[Guelph_Guy]

I'll be contacting the Med staff on Monday, and will keep you people posted.

 

[Loachman]

I workout like an animal

Newt?

Hedgehog?

Koala?

 

[Guelph_Guy]

Yeah, tough guy. You nailed it. 400-lb. decline presses (8 reps) yesterday before 30 mins. on the bike, as well as core training and bis/tris.

 

[Conz]

Further, it should NOT matter what the Doctor's opinion is, since they want to push meds by default!

....Unless you have a chronic condition, obviously. I KNOW MYSELF AT 36 BETTER THAN ANY DOCTOR KNOWS ME. That's for sure.

The CF might want a doctor's professional opinion to validate that you no longer require antidepressants. In addition, the CF may request your medical file following your medical examination in which case they may look for your condition that required you to take antidepressants to be medically cleared. So be prepared for that possibility.

 

[Guelph_Guy]

Great points - I totally hear you. Thanks for the input.

 

[JorgSlice]

Many Anti-Depressants, if not tapering down the dosage over time can cause severe seizures.

They will require a physicians statement to prove that it wasn't just you cutting it because you feel like it.


Also, don't be cocky. Nobody likes cocky.

 

[Guelph_Guy]

That guy was a dick, so I responded. That's all.

If I went off on my own, why would that be held against me if I'm stable and doing well in a year? Seems odd to me. I had acute depression, NOT chronic.


Seems simple enough.

 

[Teager]

Wheres your sense of humour? I got a bit of a laugh out of Loachmans post. If you even make it in the CAF you better get a sense of humour.

Why not apply and if you do your medical you will find out if your good to go or not.

Seems simple enough.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Yeah, tough guy. You nailed it. 400-lb. decline presses (8 reps) yesterday before 30 mins. on the bike, as well as core training and bis/tris.

ROFL.  So??

Gear back some...seriously.  No one likes Cyber-ILS anymore than they like real life ILS. 

(Imaginary Lat Syndrome)

 

[UnwiseCritic]

400lb decline...But can you run? Far

 

[JM2345]

If I went off on my own, why would that be held against me if I'm stable and doing well in a year? Seems odd to me. I had acute depression, NOT chronic.

Stability and doing well in a year in civilian life doesn't really tell the Canadian Forces much, especially in relation to diseases and disorders which may be aggravated by the stresses of military life. The bottom line is that medical doctors are experts in medicine, and we are not. If a medical doctor prescribed you something, with him being an expert, it is expected of us to continue taking them unless we have some adverse reaction to the medication or a medical expert advises/approves discontinuing use.

This isn't a Canadian Forces thing, it is a medical community thing.

The deck is stacked against you, and the road is gonna have bumps and people are going to say things you don't agree with. You seem to be pretty fired up already, judging by your response to a simple reply someone gave. Calling someone a dick and sarcastically calling them a tough guy for saying "Newt? Hedgehog? Koala?" is really not an appropriate reaction, especially when I would actually say he probably IS a tough guy looking at his career history. Remember to read the last sentence of your own original post, and stay positive.

 

[MedCorps]

That guy was a dick, so I responded. That's all.

"That guy" has 40 years of service in the CF and is a volunteer Directing Staff here.  It was in jest.  Situational awareness will be an important trait to hone as you attempt to gain entry to the CF.  If I responded to everyone my my career that I thought was a dick I would be either dead from a shovel to the head or in detention barracks, repeated times. 

MC

 

[Guelph_Guy]

You know, after my wife and I had a discussion last night, I was reminded of what's most important to me - to follow my heart in this life.

I have written a gripping memoir about my battle with an identity crisis, my step-brother's suicide, my own battle to prove myself after having a criminal record when I was young, and my own battle with depression and an adult diagnosis of ADHD. I was in the psych ward 6 months ago after committing myself since I was researching ways to end my life due to being so f'ing frustrated with my career going nowhere.

Thank you all for the lessons here, and for future reference, my name is Jeff Emmerson. The manuscript is all but finished, and I came up with the title "The Road to Myself: Dying to Live."

For those dealing with mental health issues, I am on a mission to get a publishing deal, and I started the book on October 4, 2006, so it's certainly been a labour of love that has taken me to hell and back.

I got a pardon, completely cleared my name, and my entire record is clean now, as well as my credit, driver's abstract, everything. WAY, WAY MORE IMPORTANT - I have survived some very hard times, as we all have!! I realize now that I had lost track with my true mission: to live life on MY terms, do what it takes to get a book deal, and give back to those who so desperately need to hear a story from someone who has also struggled.

There are NOT ENOUGH classes in self-esteem, self-care, and in how to overcome the hard times in life. We need more positive stories of overcoming challenges, especially with regard to ADHD/ADD, which is becoming a damn epidemic!


Thanks for everything, guys. Keep an eye out for me on Google if my story resonates. Again, my name is Jeff Emmerson, and my Twitter account is here: https://twitter.com/Jeff_Emmerson.


BE STRONG! Life is the journey, and tomorrow when we wake up at 80 years old, what will we regret?

 

[TYLERgibson]

Don't put your name on here :facepalm:

 

[Guelph_Guy]

No - it's OK! In my case, it's a good thing. I'm no longer going to pursue the military. I was "re-aligned" with my truest goals yesterday. I wanted to share that. I'm a big boy, and didn't mean to be cocky. We all just want success and to live a life of purpose and one that we can be proud of.

 

[Loachman]

I would actually say he probably IS a tough guy looking at his career history.

Who, me?

I'm a pussycat.

Anyway, Guelph_Guy - I wish you all the best, whatever you do.

Just lighten up a bit, and work on that sense of humour. You gave me an opening, and I'm not one to pass those up. Neither are a lot of the rest of us.

Some things are worth taking seriously. Others, not so much.