ADHD(ADD) and the FAA - Vyvanse

I have ADHD ever since I can remember. I take vyvanse and was reading up the FAA medical. It say no vyvanse so does this mean my dream of flying is gone or can I get off the drug and still be a pilot?

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Ryan,

I recommend that you schedule an appointment with an FAA medical examiner. They can help you with your question and give you the official word, I would really just be guessing if I tried to answer that for you.

Chris

No, “just go see an AME” is absolutely horrible advice. Once you have a medical denied the hoops it takes to get through an approval are mind-boggling.

If you think there’s even the smallest chance of a deferral or denial, make an appointment with an independent physician who is familiar with this type of thing. Dr. Bruce Chien is famous for getting special issuance medicals for folks with prior diagnoses that on paper are immediate denials. You need to have a plan and get all your paperwork in order before seeing an AME, otherwise they’ll rubber stamp a denial and you’ll spend thousands more in fees and wait potentially years to have a medical.

Phil,

You obviously had a bad experience with an AME and that’s unfortunate but there are many fine AMEs who are knowledgeable and will work with you.

No one is saying just schedule an appt for your First Class Medical exam. What I believe Chris was saying was make an appt for a consult to discuss. That is of course contingent on finding a good one. The ability to make an appt to consult is actually a good indicator. If the Dr says they don’t do consults and you need to schedule your exam, run for the hills!

Adam

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