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Avatar universal

Urine test at pain management

I have been seeing my pain management Dr. for almost 4 years.
Was previously at the methadone clinic for 5 years before seeing my phsycian aka: Pain mgmnt.
Anyhow I go bi-monthly in December they gave me a urine test. The only things I took was my Methadone which they prescribe me and 3-4 days back took a 30mg roxy and a 1mg xanex which is not prescribed to me.
So took the oxy on Thursday & the Xanex on Friday or Saturday and my urine test at the pain management was the following Monday.

After all the years i've always seen my Dr. well yesterday I get a call saying that my appt was pushed up to 2 instead of 1:30 and I would be seeing the Physicians Assistant.
Am I introuble? I've been taking Metadone on a regular basis for well over 9 years and if they cut me i'm in a lot of trouble:(
27 Responses
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Avatar universal
when u have a **** test that is being sent to a lab, do they make you sign your name on a sticker to put over the cap after you pee? and if they dont have u sign anything does it usually mean its a panel test that doesnt get sent to the lab
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My husband and I have been going to pm for many years. this is the 1st year that one of  us have fallen in the gap with our meds. let me start by saying we are both disabled and on a fixed income. the main med morphine was over $120 for a 60 ct 200 mg supply and the break thru dilaudid was $80 for 120 ct 30mg supply. I know your not supposed to share meds but we were both taking the same er and we were trying to use a prescription assistance program. so when we ran out of er morphine we used whatever left over pain meds we had around the house from previous pm visits. now we have been told that there is a discrepancy and that we need to come in and see the doctor. are we in trouble now?
Helpful - 0
1588890 tn?1297073916
I feel your pain!  Really do.  They switched me to a PA because they were swamped, it had nothing to do with my urine test (which I was scared to death about).  The urine tests he takes, he tests only to seem if for instance, you are prescribed Percocet as a breakthrough med and you take a couple of Vicodin if you run out.  They test for the levels of what you are supposed to be one vs what you have taken,  Was on methadone for years....it got to where even the high does did not help so I chose to "self medicate" with herbal meds.  I was scared to death but he either did not test for that or he does not care.  Don;t knock yourself around, If you needed a Xanax for a specific reason, tell them why and they should understand and maybe even give you a scrip.  Most meds do not stay more than 24-48 hours as far as urine tests go.  I think a lot of people do what they have to do to make it thru the day!
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Avatar universal
I was thinking of you and wondered what happened today at your Doctor's visit.

Looking forward to your update.........Sherry
Helpful - 0
1508881 tn?1313114901
I actually only see the PA. I don't get drug tested because I don't take a regular schedule of narcotics. I am under a contract though but it would be pointless for them to test me since they prescribe me on an "as needed" basis, not a monthly supply. I know that some PM's don't care if you have other drugs in your system as long as you have your prescribed drug in your system. Of course not all of them think like that. The practice that I go to is really busy so sometimes I have to see one of the doctors instead of the PA. It's happened a few times and nothing bad ever happened. They were just over booked. They have also moved my appointment times several times. As well as move my appointment up a day because of scheduling issues. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
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Avatar universal
Thanks for letting us know when the appointment is!  We were all thinking that is was today.

Which time zone are you in? I live in AZ and I'm in the Mountain Time Zone.

We'll be looking for your update on Friday........Sherry  :)

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Avatar universal
I've heard nighmares from others saying that when they were going to a pain management clinic that the Dr never discharges them it's always the PA or by mail.
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Avatar universal
I won't know until Friday.
Got a call yesterday that I would not be seeing my Dr and would be seeing his PA. Instead of going in at 1:30 they pushed me to 2 instead.
In all the years i've been going i've never seen the PA at all.
This is what concerns me.
Helpful - 0
1543547 tn?1298433360
Just wanted to check in and see how it went for you today? Let us know hon!
Helpful - 0
1577364 tn?1296689784
Was reading your thread, just wondered how you made out? Xanax does not stay in ur system long, I am prescribed it & even though I take it 3x day per prescribed it occasionally does not show in my drug screen. Hope this helps
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you everyone.
I have learned my lesson i'm so worried sick that my stomach hurts:(

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

First I want to welcome you to the Pain Management Forum and let you know that we are glad you found this Forum. I want to let you know that there are NO Doctors on this Forum only CP - Chronic Pain - Patients that help each other with our OWN expertise and experiences that we have developed through our OWN CP Issues.

I wanted to say that MY Pm Doctor has so many patients now that they have changed it to where I see him 1 month and then I see the PA the NEXT 2 months. In your case it could be something as simple as the Doctor MAY have some reason than he can't be there at the time of your appointment and thy thought the PA could handle your meds for you this month. I KNOW that MANY people on here SELDOM see their PM Doctor's and almost ALWAYS see the PA's instead.

That said, what you are doing is VERY dangerous and IF you did fail the UA then you will VERY possibly be dismissed. IF you aren't, I HOPE that you will STOP taking meds that AREN'T prescribed as that is a formula for disaster.  I would HATE to see you lose your one connection to what is helping you and I hope that you have learned from this.

I wish you the very best and hopefully you will keep us updated as to how your appointment goes today.  Am I reading it correctly that your appointment IS today?

We will be looking for your update...........Sherry
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
By all means, IF they do dismiss you from the pain clinic, you NEED to go to your primary care physician or someone else who will help you wean down off the methadone.  DO NOT go off of it cold turkey if you can at all avoid it, especially with how long you've been on it.

As far as you having to see the PA this visit, it may or may not be related to your urine drug test.  It could be that your doctor has gotten busy enough that he simply can't see all of his patients by himself and wants his assistant to get familiar with them in the event that he is not avaialable himself when someone needs him.  He also could be out sick himself.  One thing you DO need to check into, however, is in your contract - check to see if in the contract it says that your DOCTOR alone is the only one who can write your presriptions for you.  If it does say that, make sure that you do NOT accept any prescriptions that are not signed by him.  Even a script written by his assistant could cause problems with your contract if it's written in the contract that that person is not permitted (according to the contract) to do so.

As far as the roxy and xanax - your PM doc needs to know EVERYTHING that you are taking - no matter how infrequent - and also no matter whether it had ever been prescribed for you in the past or not.  This is not only because of the contract, but it is a safety measure.  If your PM doc does not know EVERYTHING that you take, and he prescribes you something that could possibly interact with it, it could be dangerous and even possibly deadly.  While some pain contracts don't specifically mention over the counter meds, it's also a very good policy to notify your PM doc before taking any of those also - even tylenol or ibuprofen.  Even these seemingly "safe" meds can potentially interact with prescription meds and/or cause incorrect results on a drug test.

I wish you the best of luck
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks, to everyone who took the time to care enough to answer/ counsel me on my worries.

Yes, from what I remember I did sign some kind of contract.
I do realize the methadone clinic is what I really need but being unemployed and coming up with $88 a week for the clinic is tough. My Pain management doctor allows me to come every other month which is a whole lot cheaper to keep me maintained.
If I get dropped I will be scarred I do eventually want to be clean of course but just not like this cold turkey it's a living nightmare especailly when you have children that depend on you to be up and going not sick & puking in bed for weeks at a time. Ans beimng depressed normally with methadone is tough to control without it my depression is magnified by 1000x it's so terrible i'm  frantic right now just knwoing hwat i'll soon be putting my family through.
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Avatar universal
Don't worry about it! Maybe they are interested in your health and the pa is gonna interview you and ask general questions. Often it's like dental xrays and it's just something they can charge you for at the maximum rate while the real doctor is seeing another patient. Maybe this is the time they'll bring out the ole pain contract. That being said, the whole industry is changing, med records available to almost anyone. I showed positive for thc, however I had been completely honest with my doctor and although for me it was a little embarassing cuz, I only do weed once or twice a year and totally respect my doctor, I was shown that yes they can check your urine and find out what your doin. They told me the ua was to make sure I was taking my meds and not diverting the medication and had discharged several patients. Again total honesty goes a very long way. Another thing I'd like to share is, it seems like your taking the methadone for addiction control. Should you be at a pain clinic, or like a methadone clinic? Semantics, I know. There's a fine line, between the two and would mostly matter to them, certainly not me. I was on methadone for pain, and the manufacturer came out and said they didn't want it prescribed for pain so I was switched to oxy. At the time, It bothered me as the oxy was way more expensive, and the methadone did control pain well, I like to stick with the demon I know versus the one I don't. But now I do know they are both demons, and am working on stopping any narcotics, a long battle, Good luck to you, this might be an opportunity to get clean, eventually it's what we all want.
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1543547 tn?1298433360
Oh, did you in, infact, sign a pain contract with the clinic? Ive got some running to do, I will check back with you shortly.
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1543547 tn?1298433360
I understand. I was in the same boat! I self medicated all the time. I am coming up on 40 days clean. Have you thought about trying to get off all opiates and try some counseling and anti-depressants? I know that's not for everybody, but it has helped many. I have found that coming off the drugs actually put me in a better state mentally. Not perfect, but better. The opiates have a way of really twisting and distorting our minds. Its such a fine line that we, as addicts, walk. We have come to mentally believe life is better on the pills, when in fact they become much worse. I lost all my care. While that was heaven for a while, my life really began to suffer. My children began to suffer. My family in general began to suffer. I thought I was doing wonderful in my own drug induced mind. But when you take away the ability to truly feel and care, life really becomes unbearable sooner or later. I have had thoughts, while on the pills, that I never would have thought being sober. It's scary! I really hope that you don't take this as me preaching at you to get clean. Only you can decide if that is what you want. I am just simply sharing my life with you. Take what you would like and leave the rest? I hope you continue to post on here as well. So many people here, including myself, have been where you are now. We can offer great advice, or just listen. Whatever you need!
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Avatar universal
Guess what I am saying is I self medicate.
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Avatar universal
I've been struggling with addiction to opiates for many years. And after I lost my job and my mother died things just seemed to twist in a downward spiral.
The hopelessness of addiction & the failure I feel is unbearable It sickens me that i've done thsi to my family & friends.
Mthadone keeps me on a semi normal path but without out my depression spirals so badly it's uncontrollable.
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1543547 tn?1298433360
Did you take the roxy cuz of break through pain?
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Avatar universal
Well I have been taking Xanex off and on from depression a few month prior I tried killing my self and my wife gives me them when I have panic attacks and restlessness.
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1543547 tn?1298433360
I guess nobody can really speculate as to why you are seeing the PA today. It's very possible it's because your UA showed other drugs in it, but maybe not. You are just going to have to see what they have to say. What are you going to say to them if they question these other drugs in your system?
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Avatar universal
I should mention though that they did allow me to break up my urine test in 2 payments so I didn't have to pay the whole $100 up front. But then again if they are gonna kick me out iy wouldn't matter because after co-pay and stuff they would get thier $100 anyhow.
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Avatar universal
So the fact thye want me to see the PA instead of my doctor is a pretty good indication that my usrine is bad then:(
Because in the almost 4 years i've been going there they have never had me see a PA.
Helpful - 0
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