fired by pm dr

[terri701]

can lasix make you fail your ua for pain management.  I am 130 lbs 5'7' and i take 80 mg of lasix daily.  My pain management dr. fired me because he said i am not taking my lortabs or xanax.  He said i must be selling them.  i explained that i take lasix prescribed by them  i started having a clean ua once they upped my lasix mg from 40 to 80.  what can i do?  if i dont take lasix then i cant urine at all.  
By the way my pm dr is just a physician assistant.  Help

[Dee1956]

Hi I am not a doctor but from what you said it sounds like they tested you for the amount of Lortab and Xanax in your system and it was lacking.  I don't know if Lasix can reduce the amount in your blood or not.  Perhaps you could look that up.  Also, is there a doctor that you could talk to?
Dee

[Tuckamore]

Hi Terri,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am very sorry to hear about your situation. I know this won't make you feel better but we often hear about failed UA Drug Screens.

In my opinion there are two things going on here... One, the inaccuracy of UA Drug Screens. Failure rate is high and usually attributed to human error in the testing process. Two, the need of PMP/Clinics to protect themselves and their licenses.  Add the two together and your situation is the result. The DEA requires that PM Clinic follow strict guidelines or rules and regulations if you will. If they do not they risk the loss of years worth of education and a lucrative livelihood. It's a sad fact that these UAs are not as accurate as they should be and even though the PMP may be aware of that fact, sadly they are bond to remain within their regulations. Few get the benefit of the doubt.

I highly doubt you will get another chance with this particular PM Clinic. I would write a letter attesting to your innocence and questioning the accuracy of the Drug Test. I wouldn't mention what the PA accused you of as that may not be in your medical file. It probably just contains the facts. The letter won't get you back in but it will be placed in your file for future reference ... or for a future PMP to see.

I encourage you to pick up the phone and begin searching for a new PMP. It's going to take a while to get an appointment so time is of the essence.

I can't tell you why you failed that UA, Furosemide (Lasix) should have had nothing to do with it. The drugs still should have shown up. According to my NP at the PM Clinic that I see in the winter these slight variations are taken into consideration.  

I have a severe malabsorption and due to this not all of my medications, opiate or not are completely utilized by my body. My PMP is aware of this fact. You must list all medications when seeing a PMP so I would assume that they are aware of the Lasix.... but again it should have not been a reason for failure.

I encourage you to chalk this one up to human error, search for a new PMP and when you see him/her explain your theory. Ask for their policies... mine is if yours is a bit low or a bit high they do not throw you out the first time... they look for reasons. If it's a constant then you may be dismissed.

Most PM Clinics employee NPs or PAs to assist with the case-load. It's a common practice.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. I'll look forward to hearing from you again soon. We are here to offer you support you and our opinions and experiences. Please take advantage of our offer. :o)

Peace,
~Tuck