Coming on and off? Recurrent?

[Jerry F.]

Does coming off Lexapro and then being put back on Lexapro count as "recurrent" if it's documented as a continuation of the same episode by a psychiatrist? Basically, if my doc says there was one episode with no recurrence will the FAA accept that? Despite there being a break between treatment in documents? Note: There was no official discontinuation and continuation of Lexapro in the pharmacy records. The psych just noted that I stopped taking it on my own.

 

[WingmanMed]

Unless you were diagnosed with "adjustment disorder" and your single episode lasted less than six months, you will need to provide a current psychiatric assessment explains your history. Changing medication or changing doses of the same medication doesn't matter much, except that you need to be stable on the same dose of an approved medication for six months or off medication entirely for two months before you can apply. It's the duration of symptoms/treatment and underlying diagnosis that matters. Anything longer than six month and any diagnosis other than adjustment disorder will require a psychiatric assessment.

 

[Jerry F.]

So, it doesn't matter that I was off the medication for a period of time and then put back on? As long as I get a current psychiatric assessment.

I.e

Date of Diagnosis
Single episode
name of stimulus
medication
etc.

 

[Half Fast]

The psych just noted that I stopped taking it on my own.

I don't know how OKC will view it, but that seems worrisome. How can the FAA trust you will take whatever medication they approve if you are willing to toss yourself into the "untreated" category on your own without physician concurrence?

I'm not a doc, so I'd love to hear what our POA house physicians think.

 

[Jerry F.]

I don't know how OKC will view it, but that seems worrisome. How can the FAA trust you will take whatever medication they approve if you are willing to toss yourself into the "untreated" category on your own without physician concurrence?

I'm not a doc, so I'd love to hear what our POA house physicians think.

Well, he wrote me a taper off script, and I didn't finish it. Idk if that helps.

 

[Half Fast]

Well, he wrote me a taper off script, and I didn't finish it. Idk if that helps.

That sounds a bit better, at least.

 

[Anthem]

It depends on how long. I think it sounds like you are trying to count it as one "episode" through the stop and taking it again. But what wingmanmed is saying is that if you want it to count - that that episode from beginning to end is less than 6 months. Not I took it for 3, stopped for 4, and started taking it again for 2 more (so total of 5 months), but the entire period lasted 3 + 4 + 2 = 9 which is longer than the 6 months that they accept as a single instance.

 

[bbchien]

I would note that there is a defintion difference between recurrence and relapse. To figure that out we' need to review the entire record.