2015 Has anyone had to do bloodwork to get meds recently

[Bonnie5674]

I have never had to do bloodwork to get my pain medicine.  This time they want me to pick it up because they want me to do bloodwork.  My friend was just told the same thing from a different doctor.  Is it a new law or are they wanting to making sure I am taking what I am supposed to?  I don't like feeling like a criminal.  I do take a high dose of medicine.  I certainly would never sell them.  Anyone else have this done to them recently.

[Tuckamore]

Hi Bonnie,

Welcome to our Pain Management Forum. I'm glad you found us and took the time to post.

Yes most PMP or PCP are drug testing their Chronic Pain Patents these days, in a variety of methods. Many are even doing pill counts on each visit. Yes, it can make us feel like criminals.

I understand the scrutiny the DEA has our physicians under - but sometimes I think they both go a bit over board. Just consider it as part of the new protocol and try not to take it personally. I'm sure all your providers patients are being drug screened. I know it's difficult.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. I encourage you to be active in our community. We learn from one another.

Peace,
~Tuck

[philnoir]

Yes, Duragesic contains fentanyl and normal urine drug testing cannot measure the metabolites of fentanyl.

So doctors must use a more accurate (and expensive) testing method called chromatography to detect the metabolites of fentanyl.

Chromatography is also called mass spectrometry.

Primary care physicians have been using UDT (urine drug testing) for years to monitor patient compliance in taking their opioid medications. And yes, there are many rules about managing the risk of using opioid analgesics that these doctors have to follow, UDT being one.

While skilled pain doctors, in general, use UDT and chromatography to monitor the effectiveness of one pain medication over another based on your individual metabolism.

UDT and other testing can make some pain patients feel like a criminal, however, it is a standard part of chronic opioid therapy these days.

Misinterpretation of UDT can cause a pain patient to lose their access to pain medication -- this is a travesty of today's opiophobia and our anti-opiate biased culture fed by politics, regulatory bodies, the media, and addictionology activists.