So confused & devastated over 3 false negative drug screens

[mdmstellar]

I have perused this forum and seen that this has happened to many others in the past. It has now happened to me.

My Primary doctor decided to do routine blood work and added a drug screen. I knew in advance and had no doubts all would be fine. Turned out, urine drug screen showed negative for my prescribed drugs: Lortab 7.5 2 per day & Klonopin 0.5 1 per day. I have taken these medications every single day for over 2 years. Actually, the Klonopin for over 10 years.

Primary doc reported this to my PM doctor, so he ran another urine test: Negative. I then requested a blood drug screen, which he agreed upon. Guess what? Negative!

I am about to be cut off my medications due to this, even though my PM doctor very much seems to believe that I take my medications, but insists his hands are tied, and he calls me an enigma, as he says he has never seen this in over 40 years of practice.

Obviously, I am devastated and do not know how I will ever be able to live a functional life without them, much less even maintain throughout any given day without going absolutely crazy. The stress of this all has already got me breaking out in chronic hives almost every night.

What is a person to do?

Peace out,
mdmstellar

[design112]

It does make you wonder if those tests can be made to come back "negative" so that the doctors no longer have to prescribe medication to the patient.  It does get them out of prescribing narcotics to a patient if they don't have to.  It just seems very weird that the patient has very little say in these tests that continue to come back incorrect and the doctors know that the individual is taking the medication.  I thnk it's very sad that this is happening a lot.  

[chronicpainsuffer]

i know what you mean and i agree with you i hate how we chronic pain suffers get treated and can't get the meds we need

[chronicpainsuffer]

hey you should not just stop taking your meds are you out of them if not then you need to work your way off them to where you wont have any withdraws its not good on you when you just stop taking them like that it could make you really sick doing that and i wish you luck with talking to the doctor tomorrow let us know how it goes please

[design112]

I definitely wish you luck.  So how long have you been without your lortabs and Klonipin.  I just don't understand how this could keep happening to people, yet the doctors do nothing.  I understand that they have their hands tied but I think they need to throw out the contract thing since obviously there's a problem across the country about negative urine tests.  I have seen a lot of negative urine tests and then when they took the blood test it did show up, so I'm a little unsure of why it also didn't show up in the blood work.  So, you must be having some terrible withdrawls.  I'm so sorry to hear that and I hope you are able to find a doctor that will treat you and prescribe you the medications that you are needing.  It makes me very scared about ever signing a contract because of all the people here that I've seen that have came across these urine tests.  Good luck and I hope it will resolve soon!

Karen

[mdmstellar]

Yeah so, my doc wanted ME to persue and talk to a pathologist, but upon trying, they inform me that pathologists never, ever talk or consult with patients or individuals unless they have had a biopsy...under any circumstances...They inform me that it should be mt doctor who calls them and consults, not me, and upon relating who my doctor is they inform that that he certainly has a direct line to them and can call them anytime...

This is SO very frustrating, as my doctor insisted that it was up to ME to do all this, and all I ever get is a big run-around...plus i don't know how I could be expected to do all this footwork and such, when I can barely function on a daily basis anyways without my meds...

I suggested taking the meds in front of my doctor or his staff and then having them test me a couple or few hours later, but my doctor tells me they are not set up for that, as they have too many patients coming and going all day...Sounds like a lame excuse to me, as it would take only a couple/few minutes of their time to see me take the meds, then send me on to the lab a block away...

I'll be relaying what I've been told to my doctor's staff on the phone tomorrow...I don't expect to get any kind of a quick response, as I never do...In the meantime, these withdrawals, even from low dose meds, really suck!...Not to mention the pain and anxiety...Thanks for your responses people, and wish me luck eh?

[chronicpainsuffer]

i also called the PM doctor yeturday to ask if they could get me in sooner then the 29th and they told me no that the doctor will not do that i think i need stronger meds and need meds for the breakthrough pain i am also really stressed because they told me because i have been taking more of the lortabs then i should that the urine test will come back bad and that won't be good i don't want to lose this doctor after all i have had to go through trying to find one that would listen to me and treat me better then all the other PM doctors have treated me the last one i went to was only in the room for a sec and told me the pain meds will make my pain worse and i looked at him and i told him no they don't they help me and by the time i lift there i was almost crying because the doctor was trying to tell me how i need to feel and was just mean as could be to me i was about ready to give up on finding a pain management doctor that would listen to me my reg doctor she will help me with my pain but i can't get any meds from her because the pain management place i am going to i had to sign a paper that said i would not seek pain meds from other doctors and i don't do that anyways the first reg doc i was going to told me the pain was all in my head and telling me i was just depressed and she told me i was a doctor shopper and told me i was after meds when that was not true i was only trying to get treatment for my chronic pain and i was depressed because no one at the time would listen to me and i was siting there crying and telling her that it was not in my head and telling her i was not a doctor shopper i was going to the er all the time because i was in so much pain and trying to get treatment for it and was wanting anwers to why i was in so much pain i was siting there i mean just a crying because she kept telling me it was all in my head grrrrrr that makes me mad to hear someone tell me that when its not true

[chronicpainsuffer]

i agree with jaybay about taking your meds infront of the doctor and a few hours later then take it they make it so hard on people that really need there meds because all the drug seeker out there i think drug seekers get better treatmeant then we chronic pain suffers here where i live i went to 7 or 8 pain management doctors and not one would help me with my chronic pain and i went to the last pain management doctor sept 1st and he sat there and listened to me and put me on pain meds but the meds he put me on are only lasting a few hours then the pain is back and i am wanting to take more then it says on the bottle and i know i will be in trouble when i go back the 29th of this month the PM doctor gave me 90 pills of lortabs and i only have 1 lift to take tomorrow and i don't know what i am going to do till i go back on the 29th i hope they will still see me even though i have taken all my meds already i have fibro and having a really bad flare and having trouble with my hips hurting so bad i could not stand it to wait every 6 hours to take my meds i was taking other meds that i had that the PM doctor knew i was taking but not even them was helping now i don't know what to do i also think that when i went to go see my family for labor day i think someone from my family took some my meds but i am not sure because i would have not ran out that fast of the pain meds because i can also get in trouble if any one did take some my meds without me knowing about it

[Jaybay]

Good point.  If the urine is too dilute, some labs count that as a "flush" and automatic fail.  Of course, that's for people who DON'T want to have anything show up on a test.  I would be interested to know if the lab follows that kind of protocol and how they report it.

I wonder if you could swallow a normal dose in front of your doctor, and have the test done a couple of hours later?  Wouldn't that prove that something is either rotten with the lab or that perhaps there is something in your normal body chemistry that causes the false negative?  Your doctor's response makes me frustrated and angry.  He says he believes you, but he's thrown all the responsibility and cost of pursuing answers into your court.  If he really believes you, HE should be leading the investigation, not you, and he certainly shouldn't stop treating you in the meantime.  The whole thing just stinks!  Please keep posting and let us know what you learn.  I'm going to go grind my teeth for a while over this one!

[mdmstellar]

Yes I darnk water and yes I drank coffee just like I always do before all 3 tests, urine & blood...Docs are aware and tell me this should not effect (though I have my doubts)...Thing is, if i take another test, and don't do as I usually do, and the test comes out positive, this would mean I was aware and AGAIN I would be told I was lying and took the drugs, when before they'd think I wasn't...So do you see the dilemma?...I can't change ANYTHING that I would do, or did, prior to the initial 3 screenings.

[chronicpainsuffer]

if you drank water before the urine test?  if so next time don't drink any water i think it will show up better if you don't drink water hope this helps  it can mess it up i have heard of it before

[mdmstellar]

My pain doc is urging me to not give up...To go to the lab that did my work and request to speak with a pathologist...He believes there's good reason why these tests show wrong, and if I can get a pathologist to work with me, that I, as he as well, will all learn alot in the process...He encourages me to keep fighting the good fight, and that in the end I will turn out so much stronger, and that I'd be a very good counselor after it's all over...Counselor for what? I dunno...but i have a number to call for an appointment and i guess time will tell...In the meantime, it's back to X-tra strength Excedrin and coffee for the pain, and the anxiety will just have to take it's toll...Most worried about the BP and heart rate, as it goes exceedingly high without the meds...Twice in the past I've ended up in the hospital for 2 or 3 days without the anxiety meds, as my heart and system goes berserk...but oh well...Wish me well eh?

[mellie4]

Sorry that I don't have any advice, just empathy.  I read about this often enough that I worry about what if it ever happened to me???  I have only had one urine check in all the time I've been with pain management (over a couple of years, off and on.)

I don't know how I would handle something like this.  I think it's something that needs to be seriously looked at, though, as it seems to happen fairly often.

Best of luck.  I hope you'll keep us posted on what's happening.

[JadedSweetheart]

I'm so sorry you're going through this.  It seems to me that you are on a very low dose of both and that may be the reason they are not showing up?  I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about this as our Community Leader, Sandee.  She has posted a great journal entry about the problems faced with Urine Analysis.  It is a lot more common than most of us would think.
Here's the link to her journal:
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/219829/False-negativesPitfalls-of-Urine-Drug-Monitoring-in-Pain-Care--?personal_page_id=1060
Maybe if you print out some of the info she has gathered and bring it to your doctor he will reconsider?  I know with some doctors, though, there is nothing they can/will do.  I really hope it all works out for you.  Please let us know how it goes.  We're all here for you.