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603946 tn?1333941839

Rx held hostage

I am new in here. Please help. Someone in here has to understand this.
First of all, I have anxiety, panic attacks and take Wellbutrin and Zoloft.
Each 2x daily. I am faithful

My sciatica came 25 years ago, pregnant w second child. For 15 years it would come and go. I asked for med from GP and I was referred to pain management doc. This was 5 years ago.
I take
Tramadol for light pain, use rarely
Norco  2x day
Soma 3x day
I don't do any illicit drugs nor am I around any.

My dr had new PA who was learning to use computer and do easy patients.
He introduced us and left.
Mr Ed did fine
There are 2 possible add ons at the end of the visit.
AND I WAS THE ONE TO TELL HIM....

does pt need UA?
Has pt have the same pharmacy?

I finish my UA and the nurse says, when did you last take
List of Meds, blah blah

She says Dr is gone, your UA has some inconsistencies and I have to
Send your UA off?
You need to return in 3-4 days to see if you can pick up your prescriptions then.

Question 1
What the hell? I take Meds as prescribed.....

Question2- I have plenty of Meds in my cabinet.
After 5 years of pain rx, there are days you need only one instead of two. Tramadol  substituted for nor could some days.

I have bottles of this shi@# in my cabinets

Am I supposed to go cold turkey and not even take these Meds?
Will I get another drug test when I return in 3 days?
It won't be drug free because I have PLENTY

I go through feelings of humiliation, numb, anxious, very angry, crying
Killer headache from anger and I only left dr office 4 hours ago.

Help me understand please
5 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hi:

First, let me say that I'm sorry for wht you are going through.  I know it can be frustrating.  I am a bit confused, however.  You say you have bottles of medicine in your cabinet, so why do you need more right now?  A lot of docs will drop you for medication hoarding.

Next, I would ask what inconsistencies there were on your UA drug screen.  Do they do the screen in the office?  If so, it will need to be sent to a lab for GC/MS testing.  I, too, have had something shown up in my screen that I know I didn't take.  It is common for people to get false positive oxycodone screens.  That's why they send it to a special lab.

I would be a little bit concerned about your situation, sure, but I would try not to worry too much.  You say you have "bottles of this ****" so why are you freaking out?  Just calm down, make sure they send your urine specimen out, which it seems like they are doing, and be patient.  These things happen.

It is getting harder and harder for those of us truly in pain to get pain meds because the government is cracking down on everyone.  Try and realize that the nurse probably isn't trying to be bitchy, just doing her job.
Helpful - 0
603946 tn?1333941839
Thanks
I am not needing medication.
I was prescribed soma 3 x day for five years.
Same as hydrocodone 1/2-1 tab 2 x day.

At first we did physical therapy, helped a little, didn't need as much soma

Got worse- had cortisone shots for sciatica x2

50% improvement fo awhile.

Some days I used 3 soma, some day 2

I'm not going to take my 2nd soma at 9:00 pm then go to bed at 10:30 and take a 3rd one

Every once in awhile got by in mornings with only naprosyn but toward afternoon I needed a half narco.

You can see that I have plenty because I have been seeing the dr 5-6 years.

I only went for refills when I ran out of Meds in the first year or two.

Then dr told me I have to see you every 2 months

I was having a panic attack yesterday. I thought something weird showed up and they would not listen to me and since I was confused when I was told by nurse, I can't discuss it and the dr is gone" I got madder and madder, so that makes me cry, get a migraine, etc etc.

I'm fine today just confused and still pissed off. I called the dr 9am and left a message that I was confused and wanted an answer.


Not to sound like I'm ungrateful, just know telling someone to calm down when they're in a state like this sounds reasonable to you, but not the person suffering.

I am usually in adult mode logical and more rational than anyone on the block, but when I was basically told I'd done something illegal and not getting an answer I wigged out

Thanks again, your comment helped.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You are not alone, as you already know. Some here will want to believe that the rules are just, and for good reasons. But we chronic pain patients know otherwise. Certainly work with your doctor's, and the increasingly stringent requirements.

But you will need to keep your health and needs in focus, since your medical team will be following rules to save their own careers, understandably so. But we must take care of ourselves. There is a very big difference here, and our government created this expanse. They will not take care of us.

I hope you find a great doctor wiling to help you through these trying times.
Helpful - 0
317787 tn?1473358451
Hi I just happened across this post.  I could be way off base however when the nurse asked when you last took your meds, it is possible that the appropriate amount of meds did not show up in  your system
To them that would mean you aren't taking them and could possibly giving them to someone else.  
I'm sure this is upsetting, hang in there, try to breathe.
I think the tests that are run in the doctors office is just a cup they put your urine in.  If they don't see medications, they will get suspicious.
My husband once supposedly tested with cocaine after he had been hospitalized.  It was very odd.  Luckily the doctor chose to think it was an error.
Good luck, I'll be thinking of  you.
Dee
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Right, thanks for your answers. I did know as you mention that lack of Meds in the system also shows an inconsistency.
After nine days of what I would call humiliation, I called back to pain dr. Left a message with the nurse and she called right back to say that the retest out of the office came back showing no discrepancies, so all that wondering and whining and anxiety for nothing?
I guess I will also pay for that test as well. Wonder if it will be out of pocket?
Now I'd also like to share this:
I do not blame the doctors or the nurses. I get the idea even one of my nurse friends believes that.

My number one problem is with the guidelines and lack of follow ups with the patients.

A. What if someone is in excruciating pain, such as cancer or directly after a surgery that is not healing well, etc etc.
These false positives would cause them more than pain. It seems someone on long term pain med could have adverse reactions from being cut off from their Meds, such as Soma. I think it may cause seizures for someone to try to go cold turkey off some benzos.

B. My nurse said the next time I would have contact with my dr would be at my 60 days checkup. Wouldn't it be wise and cause much less harm to the patient to have a mandatory check in
The first week to see if there may be anything else offered? Even cortisone shot? Tramadol? Just suggestions so the patient feels they are still being treated?

I don't know if this is coming out right, but even guidelines to treat a patient who has failed a drug test surely needs a different sort of medical pain management, even if it is not a drug or even if the drug offered is a non opiate.
It seems there are no patients' rights in Place for these scenarios. Are there any being suggested or considered even?
How would I find out?
978668 tn?1248920979
You have no rights, and anyone who tells you differently is either naive or unfamiliar with PM. My test once came back positive for methaphetamine or some such, of course I freaked out & said I had never even SEEN that drug, much less ingested it in some way. I had a extraordinary Dr at the time, he laughed & said he gets false positives all the time & he was sending it to the lab. He did not withhold my medication or threaten to discharge me or anything like that. He said sometimes something in the cup can cause a false positive.
You did seem to be treated guilty until proven innocent. I was fired from PM  because they got a new nurse & there was a misunderstanding a long time ago, & again recently, because the nurse just didn't like me, she whispered racist comments, tampered with my medical records, asked me if I had lice when I scratched my head, she had been there 2 yrs (& got in trouble with the Dr over a decision she made about me at the very beginning, which she apologized profusely & I said it was fine, she didn't have to explain it to me, & I was there 6 yrs. She was retiring in Jan, the Dr (who I had always been very honest with & had a very good relationship with, had started working at the hospital more & delegated to her, she seemed to let the power go to her head & seemed on an absolute mission to get rid of me before she left. Her behavior was totally inappropiate towards me. In Nov she finally succeeded. My point is, no matter how long you are with a Dr how many drug tests you have passed, how many pill counts you have done properly, how much you cooperate, ect, there is ALWAYS some reason to let you go.
If you look at the list of things that PM professionals look for in a "drug seeking" patient, etc....it reads like this 1) Dressed too well 2) Dressed too sloppy 3) Acts too nice 4) acts not nice enough....you get the idea.
Drug tests aren't just to make sure you aren't taking anything illegal, they are also to make sure you have the proper amount of prescribed meds in your system...so they know you are not "diverting"....the biggest issue with the DEA is people who sell or give their meds to people for whom it is not prescribed.
I never failed a drug test, & met all requirements for 6 yrs, & I was discharged & I still don't know exactly why. Whatever she sent to other Dr's was not favorable, they were all quite rude to me. My Dr said he would give me a month's script & if at the end of the month if I didn't find another Dr I could come back.
I tried everything, & when I went back to make an appt, the nurse said " I've already sent your records out", well, that's what I was supposed to be doing, she said crazy things, like I faked a drug test? Not even possible to have fresh urine with exactly my meds in the right amount.....she totally ruined my life. And my daughter suffers everyday with me because I no longer can do what I used to, & my body has gone downhill at such a fast rate from lack of movement, I'm sure it's taken years off my life.
Don't be anxious, just be educated as possible about what they look for in "drug seeking" behavior & such, because it can be ANYTHING. In my case I went to the ER & the paper got "lost" (I found out much later)....never mind that the CT scan showed masses on my rt ovary & liver & I needed "immediate biopsy's" due to having my left ovary removed from ovarian cancer. She rolled her eyes like I was a hypochondriac, & I was only repeating what the Dr & nurse told me at the ER....AND what was  clearly documented.
Obviously a sore subject for me. They shouldn't have given you the impression they were discharging you without proof, which is what they did by withholding your meds, whether you needed them or not.
And they must account for the leeway in the way your meds are written, in my state, it must be specific & see the Dr every 30 days. My Dr did have me come in a week later (at no charge) when he changed my meds to see if I was doing OK or needed any adjustments. Once he asked me if I wanted a trigger point injection because I was having an awful day, I said I would love one, but I just couldn't afford it & he gave me one for free! He was the most empathetic Dr I have ever seen, & I've seen A LOT with misdiagnoses & 10 surgeries.
The nurse said "You expect special treatment, like you can come in here & the Dr will drop everything for you".....which was untrue, I was incredibly grateful to him & still am. I refer anyone I know who needs PM to him.
Maybe that had something to do with her perception of ....it seems like she was jealous that the Dr was nice to me & I was manipulating him! He was much more aware of my complicated medical history than she was.
Anyway, try to have a back up Dr or a plan, because they can & will let you go because they don't like your car (racist comment she whispered, the Dr was black). I thought she was insane, I see her for 5 min & she's making racist comments? So unprofessional, & she was nice until right before she retired.
People have their own agenda's you can't trust ANYONE in the medical field, not even a relative when it comes to PM. The nurse says you did something that could put his license at risk, (true or not) you're gone. In my case, the Dr didn't actually let me go, as he said I could return if I wasn't able to find another PM Dr. He was also the cheapest, & the visits & meds were paid for with money borrowed from my parents, so it was a problem,
Just cover your back as much as possible & always have a alternate plan. Good luck, may your pain always be managable....or better yet, gone!
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
I'm glad to hear everything finally worked out for you. This is not uncommon, as the other posters said. These tests are in no way 100% accurate. Yes, they can withhold medication if there's a problem with a urine test. And yes, you will have to pay for the test unless you have insurance to cover it.
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