Any nurses or pathologists here can answer a question for me?**UPDATE*

[LegginMF12]

Quote:
Yes, that's what I have been told. I argued with my NP because she said she marked the screen to test specifically for ritalin but under the heading amphetamine...which I wonder if the lab techs would know that it is NOT actually an amphetamine.

Sooooooo, back to square one. It sucks to have to prove you aren't lying about taking your medication when those who are SUPPOSED to help, refuse

As a nurse who worked drug rehab:
If a lab is testing you for a specific drug and you are positive BUT you have a prescription they will mark your drug test as NEGATIVE.
So if I had a prescription for Vicodin and I had been takining it and my employer required me to take a drug test, the results issued by the would state that I am NEGATIVE for opiates, even though it is in my system.

 

[redhen]

My doc put me on Provigil for that...
Not sure if it would show on a drug screen or not...
I stopped taking it when my health Ins ran out, cause it was gonna cost $900...

Plus they can become addicting...IMO (didnt like the way i felt when i stopped taking it,.. probably a good thing my ins ran out at that time..

)
I'd rather just sleep....

(have ins now and havent started the meds again, cause i dont think they really worked for me anyways... i was/am STILL always tired, even when i took the meds..

)

ETA: I dont think the Provigil was an Amphetamine though.....

 

[Judy]

I Googled too and found that the half life is only about 7 hours. Sounds like he could show negative if he was tested too soon after his first dose of the day. Also if he takes a lot of vitamin C or citrus, this could mask.

Marking the test negative because it is known the drug is prescribed is a good point. You would almost have to talk to the lab tech who ran the test. It sounds like you need the help of a good lab tech or MD or pharmacist who knows what they are talking about.

My son once failed a pre-employment drug test which came back positive for something he either had never taken or hadn't taken in years. It was a nightmare, but the upshot was, the powers that be acknowledged that these tests aren't all that reliable -- and he got the job.

 

[LegginMF12]

Quote:
A story related to your sons drug test. When I was doing my clinical's in the E.R. a guy was brought in that had been found sitting in a dumpster reading. They drug tested him and he came back positive for EVERY single thing on the drug screens except for benzodizapines. He heartily disagreed, the drugged him to the gills. The poor guy woke up with the cops standing over him, handcuffed to the bed facing a 72 hour lock up for a psych eval for an "attempted suicide attempt". He swore he never took that stuff and finally to calm him down they redid the drug test. Lab screwed up on the first one, he was NEGATIVE for every thing except the benzos (xanax, ativan etc,), which he had a prescription for. If I was him I would have been talking to a lawyer! The reason he was in the dumpster? He was just coming out of a severe panic attack and at the time it seemed the safest place to him. It was a new clean , unused dumpster.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Still nothing done on this matter. Good thing is the case worker says unless he has a charge on him, she doesn't care.

I just need to get his doctor to write up his medical release, which could prove to be difficult considering the circumstance, but we shall see. She's sending me another form. we're definately ditching this doctor and he is seeing a specialist who at least understands his condition from here on out. This other doctor is well....I can't say AND be nice, so I just won't say

Maybe we can get this all straight soon. We are going to get his records from his drug screenings and then go from there and see if we can get his new doctor to cooperate with the DCS paperwork. Apparently it isn't a huge deal, so long as we can get the papers filled out and he doesn't get charged with anything(?) not that he could at this point, he's not selling it. I dunno how it will all turn out. We just need to get a doctors release that he is capable of taking care of children now. May have to go back to my NP since she seen him and knows us personally and see if she will fill it out for him. She did mine. We can get the rest of this straight later. The new doctor did give him his meds, so that is not hanging over our heads at the moment. I'm so tired of paperwork ya'll

I'm SO stressed!!!

 

[Ilona]

The problem is that you can swear that he took it but docs go by tests. Unfortunately there is so many people that actually lie about this kinda stuff that it hurts the honest people beacuse we assume that people lie. What I would do is go back to his doctor and propose that he would actually take the drug in front of him or his nurse and then do the urine test again. They used to or still do this with people diagnosed with TB, when you come to clinic and take drugs while someone watches to make sure that patient is treated. In your case is more proving to the doctor that he is indeed taking it. That's the only thing I can think of. Going to another doc is not going to work because his name is on KASPER and they would know he takes drugs from other doc which would make it suspicious. Good luck.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
What's KASPER? Anyway, we do plan on going in to prove he is taking it, IF his doc will allow it. When he did the urinalysis drug screen, he refused to take a blood sample when DH requested one to prove he was taking it, so he's not exactly working with us, and may not. I dunno, but we're going to try. Even if he will work with us, we will only be there until this is sorted out. This doctor has yet to look up anything about DH's condition or even try to understand the effect it would have if he were to be suddenly taken off his meds. He has just been prescribing the medicine for the last 2 years. IMO THIS is part of the issue with folks abusing these kinds of drugs.

Unfortunately, DH's neurologist moved 2 years ago and is practicing on the other side of the state. This doctor was the only one in the county that would take him at that time, so we were stuck with him, no matter how incompetent he is. NOW though a neurologist has moved into the area and we will be seeing him monthly from now on. He did give DH his meds. After two years of crap with the other Dr. it is SOOOOOoooooooooooo nice to get asked, do you have x x or x, or are things still going well with these meds? The other doctor didn't care, just wanted the money for the office visit, easy paycheck. The neurologist seems to care, and want to know how DH is doing, how he is feeling etc. etc. So either way, we're switching.

 

[SourRoses]

So you have to keep seeing Doctor Scrooge until the paperwork is done?

Wish you could just get the neurologist to do it!

So, forgive my silliness here... Is it neurologists who usually treat sleep disorders?


I'm with you on the doctors... so many of them just don't seem to care at all. When I was a little girl we had a great family pediatrician, ancient fellow, who went out of his way to ask US questions, would take the parents in on the same visit too if they had come down with something from the kids... nowadays with every doctor WE have to ask THEM the questions, questions that go in one ear and out the other, when they are the ones who should know what they're talking about.

They say "Don't self-diagnose, see your doctor" but the doctor rushes in the room and then rishes right back out again. So when I ask my doctor.. I get "the look" that says they think I'm a hypocondriac.... and I end up not wanting to tell them anyway. I think it might be a little rampant here in the south of Florida considering all the retirees... I understand the doctors have an office-full of people who are frail and weak and some of them in the process of dying... so the concerns of a 20 something young adult might be insignifigant against that... but I have YET to see a doctors office that only accepts young adults... so shouldn't they adapt?

Anyway... I still make my mom do most of the paperwork... hehehehehe

(However, I might be willing to share her services for a minimal fee)


Kudos to you for doing so much to get care of you young relatives. I know mom misses having little ones around.. so sometimes I suggest she look into fostering or adopting some day... but we don't know what the process and requirements are

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Yeah we have to keep seeing Scrooge for a few more visits

Sleep disorders are very often neurological. Sometimes they are due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, but that isn't a true "sleep disorder."

Fostering is fairly easy if you're willing to write a book about your life, subject yourself to thorough background checks, including releasing past medical history, fingerprinting, and writing your name and address about 100 times on various forms.

You have alot of regulation as far as your home goes, and have to be open to the idea of listening to someone else's ideas about parenting children who live in your home. At the end of the day, the childs bio parents and the state are the parents of the child, not you. Foster parents just help guide the child through life, and are responsible for them on a daily basis for as long as they're there. You have to be willing to accept that some kids will have alot of conflict, alot of behavioral issues that need to be adjusted, and they may need LOADS of love and attention while they're really being a brat. It can be difficult. Most of these aren't the cute neighbor kids who say plese and thank you all the time. You have to be willing to invest alot into these kids and have lower expectations of reciprocated love. Some may hate you

With what some of the kids have been through, I'd probably hate everybody too. But, fostering isn't really for someone who just misses the pitter patter of tiny feet around the house. That said, I wouldn't push mom to do it if she doesn't want to. It really is a whole lot more to consider than just wanting a kiddo around. Alot of these kids in the system are very troubled, and they need things alot of folks just don't have the patience or time or want, to give them. Fortunately for me, these kids I will be getting, God willing, are family. I already know a bit of their history, and their family, their background etc. etc. Alot of kids won't have that valuable information arriving on your doorstep with them. Even as is.....I'm a bit afraid of being inadequate. We'll just have to take it a day at a time though, and manage as best we can, as a family.

Anyway.......back to the grind of working with/around all these crazy doctors and the issues I am having getting paperwork done

 

[Cindiloohoo]

well i went and got that old mean doctor in a headlock and made him squeal like a girl.......no not really

He CAVED though! He called today and told DH "You were right, I was wrong, your drug screen was fine.."

No apology, just concession, but he signed the paperwork so that headache is OVER

We're still sticking with the neurologist though. It just makes such a HUGE difference when the doctor KNOWS about your condition. It's more expensive, but MUCH better care, and DH needs and deserves that

Just thought I'd share