Life insurance companies need to screen applicants to measure how risky they are. Drug use can increase the premium of a policy or even lead to an application being denied. Life insurance companies will ask about past and current drug use and will often test for drugs using blood and urine samples. Adderall is an amphetamine, and amphetamines are one of the drug categories that life insurance companies commonly test for. However, if you have a prescription for Adderall, the insurance company should not deny coverage or charge a higher premium.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Drugs tested for | Adderall, THC, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, opiates, phencyclidine, nicotine, cocaine, and more |
Drug test methods | Urinalysis, blood test, hair follicle test |
Drug test reasons | Life insurance companies need to measure how risky each person is; increased risk means higher premiums |
Drug test consequences | A positive drug test could mean a denied application or higher premiums |
Prescription drugs | If you have a prescription for a drug, the insurance company shouldn't deny coverage or charge higher premiums |
Drug use history | Life insurance companies may ask about past and current drug use, including frequency, severity, complications, and relapses |
Other factors | Age, health factors, and participation in support groups can also influence coverage and premiums |
What You'll Learn
Life insurance companies test for Adderall
Life insurance companies test applicants to determine how risky they are. Increased risk usually means that insurance companies will charge higher premiums for life insurance policies. A positive drug test could mean that the insurance company denies your application.
Life insurance companies will ask you to complete a survey before they give you a premium quote. Most surveys ask about past and current drug use. While past drug use may not affect your policy or premium, current drug use is more likely to influence your policy’s premium.
Life insurance companies can check for any number of legal and illegal drugs when they perform blood tests. Some drugs are more likely to get your application rejected than others.
Drugs that will likely result in a policy denial include amphetamines like Adderall, Dexedrine, and Ritalin.
However, if you have a prescription for Adderall, the insurance company shouldn’t deny you coverage or charge a higher premium. Many of the drugs that insurance companies look for have valid medical purposes. You may take Adderall for ADHD, for example.
If you have a history of past drug abuse but are now clean and sober, you may still be able to get life insurance. The amount of coverage and the premium will generally be based on your individual situation and health condition.
Types of Life Insurance Drug Testing
There are three main types of drug tests for life insurance: blood tests, urine tests, and hair follicle tests. Urine tests are the most common. Blood tests are almost always done as well. Hair follicle tests are less common and are usually only required when there is a specific concern for drug use.
Preparing for a Life Insurance Drug Test
If you are taking Adderall, make sure to note this on your application if you are taking it regularly. It is important to be honest on your application. If you die and the insurance company can prove that you committed fraud, your beneficiaries won’t get paid.
It is recommended that you stop using Adderall for at least a year before applying for life insurance. Amphetamines should leave your system in about a week to 10 days.
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Adderall is an amphetamine
Adderall is a combination drug containing four salts of amphetamine. It is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the phenethylamine class. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio between dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine, the two enantiomers of amphetamine. Both enantiomers are stimulants, but differ enough to give Adderall an effects profile distinct from those of racemic amphetamine or dextroamphetamine.
Adderall is commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy (a sleep disorder). It is also used illicitly as an athletic performance enhancer, cognitive enhancer, appetite suppressant, and recreationally as a euphoriant. At therapeutic doses, Adderall causes emotional and cognitive effects such as euphoria, change in sex drive, increased wakefulness, and improved cognitive control. It also induces physical effects such as a faster reaction time, fatigue resistance, and increased muscle strength.
The two amphetamine enantiomers that compose Adderall, such as Adderall tablets/capsules (levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine), alleviate the symptoms of ADHD and narcolepsy by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain. Dextroamphetamine is a more potent CNS stimulant than levoamphetamine, but levoamphetamine has slightly stronger cardiovascular and peripheral effects and a longer elimination half-life. The levoamphetamine component of Adderall has been reported to improve the treatment response in some individuals relative to dextroamphetamine alone.
Amphetamine, the active ingredient in Adderall, works primarily by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. It also triggers the release of several other hormones and neurotransmitters as well as the synthesis of certain neuropeptides. Both active ingredients of Adderall, dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine, bind to the same biological targets, but their binding affinities differ somewhat. Dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine are both potent full agonists of trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) and interact with vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), with dextroamphetamine being the more potent agonist of TAAR1. Consequently, dextroamphetamine produces more CNS stimulation than levoamphetamine; however, levoamphetamine has slightly greater cardiovascular and peripheral effects.
Adderall is available as immediate-release (IR) tablets and extended-release (XR) capsules. It is produced as both an immediate-release (IR) and extended-release (XR) formulation. As of December 2013, ten different companies produced generic Adderall IR, while Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Actavis, and Barr Pharmaceuticals manufactured generic Adderall XR.
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Amphetamines are tested for in blood and urine samples
Blood tests can detect amphetamines consumed in the past 3 to 5 months, while urine tests typically show what has been in your system in the past week. Amphetamines should leave your system in 7 to 10 days, but it could take up to a month if you're a frequent user.
If you have a prescription for Adderall, it's important to disclose this information on your insurance application. While having a prescription may not impact your premium, failing to disclose it could result in serious consequences if you're caught lying.
It's worth noting that insurance providers set their own standards, so testing positive for amphetamines doesn't necessarily mean you'll be denied coverage. However, it's essential to be truthful about your drug use to ensure you get an accurate quote and don't invalidate your policy.
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A positive drug test may result in denied coverage or higher premiums
Life insurance companies need to screen applicants to measure how risky they are. Increased risk usually means that companies will charge higher premiums for life insurance policies. However, a positive drug test could mean that the insurance company denies your application.
Insurance providers set their own standards, so testing positive for drugs doesn't necessarily mean that you can't get a life insurance policy. However, it's worth taking a closer look at the industry's standards before submitting to a blood or urine test.
Life insurance companies will ask you to complete a survey before they give you a premium quote. Most surveys ask about past and current drug use. It's important to answer these questions accurately. Current drug use is more likely to influence your policy's premium.
If you lie on your application and your blood test comes back positive for a substance, the company will almost certainly deny you coverage. Moreover, if you are currently abusing drugs, you will almost certainly be denied life insurance coverage.
If you are denied life insurance based on your medical exam, you should first figure out the reason. Request a copy of your test results from the exam company and your insurance company. If the results seem off, request a second exam.
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You must disclose any prescription medications
Life insurance companies need to assess how risky each applicant is, and increased risk usually means higher premiums. To do this, they will ask you to complete a survey about your health and may also request a blood or urine sample.
It is important to be honest about your prescription medications when applying for life insurance. Lying on your application is insurance fraud, and if you are caught, your beneficiaries may not receive their benefits.
If you have a prescription for a drug that appears in your blood test, the insurance company should not deny you coverage or charge a higher premium. However, some companies will, so it is worth checking the insurer's standards before submitting to any tests.
If you are taking Adderall for ADHD, make sure to note this on your application. Adderall is an amphetamine, and amphetamines are one of the drug categories that life insurance companies commonly test for. If these show up in your exam without a prescription, the insurance company will likely decline your application.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, life insurance companies test for drug use during the application process. They need to measure how risky each person is, and increased risk usually means higher premiums.
Life insurance companies will ask you to complete a survey about past and current drug use. They will also ask for blood and urine samples, and sometimes a hair follicle test.
Yes, Adderall is an amphetamine, and amphetamines are one of the categories of drugs that life insurance companies test for.
If you have a prescription for Adderall, the insurance company shouldn't deny you coverage or charge a higher premium. However, some companies may charge higher premiums for people with prescriptions, so it's important to compare different providers.
If you test positive for Adderall or other non-prescription drugs, you will not be eligible for coverage with any company.