Urine test at pain management

[safesinger]

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:(

[geminigirl1963]

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

[safesinger]

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.

[petroglyph54]

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.

[Katrina81]

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.

[Katrina81]

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!

[safesinger]

Guess what I am saying is I self medicate.