When the SF-86 asks: “In the past 7 years, have you intentionally engaged in the misuse of prescription drugs, regardless if the drugs were prescribed to you or someone else?”
I was prescribed some medication and stopped taking it without consulting a doctor because I wasn’t liking the side effects. Based on the medical definition, this would be considered “misuse,” but is this within the scope of what the SF is asking, or are they looking for if you illegally took someone else’s prescription or took too much of a drug?
This is not misused.
On the other hand, if you stopped taking your medication related to drug, alcohol, or mental health treatment without your doctor’s consent, there is a different issue,
Thanks for your reply. I’ll give further details since it seems they may be relevant.
The medication was an antidepressant. I had a perpetual prescription, but I came off of it on two occasions apart from the guidance of a doctor, one of which (I believe) contributed to a depressive episode that caused me to be hospitalized.
I am actually already cleared and wondering if I need to self-report to expound on this further for candor. On my initial SF-86, I disclosed the hospital visit and gave “major depressive episode” as the reason, but I didn’t connect the dots that this could potentially fall under the realm of prescription drug misuse also.
Every cleared person has SEAD 3 Self Reporting Requirements - it would be a good idea to google that and look up what reporting is required in your case. You can also reach out to your security office and ask them what are the self-reporting requirements vs waiting until your next update. FYI - travel and foreign national contacts are the most common self-reporting items.