Lost Pain Mgmt for False Neg.

[Brady238]

Hi all,
This is my first post.  Just wanted to tell my story real quick and more offer support to others who have gone through the same.

Last week I got a letter informing me I was dismissed from treatment from my Pain Clinic, after five years. Methadone did not show in my urine drug screen, despite the fact that I took methadone, literally every single day since the day it was prescribed (almost 4 years ago).

Thank God, my PCP put me on tramadol which works very well for what is excruciating, gut wrenching pain in my back and hips.

Anyway, I browsed the web for others' stories about false negatives and the subsequent removal from pain management. I feel for anyone whose had to go through that. It's terrible that there is no appeal process in many instances and an innocent person can be cut off from their life giving meds for no reason other than a drug test is inaccurate or someone makes a mistake in a lab.

Like I said, tramadol works great for me but not for everyone. Some people need narcotic pain pills and it's a shame that an innocent, abiding patient can be cut off from such a necessary treatment just like that.

[Brady238]

I haven't tried, but like I said I'm doing okay in the non-narcotic pain meds my PCP is willing to provide. But not everyone is as fortunate as me. Some people prob need narcotic pain meds.

If I had it all to do over again, I'd definately advise anyone going to pain management to have a backup plan with drug screens. Anytime you have to take a drug screen have another doctor who is willing to give you one immediately BEFORE you go to the pain clinic to take yours. So, if you get called for randoms, have a plan with your PCP that you can show up at his/her office and take a **** test on a whim. THEN, go to your pain clinic for a random.

Also, shop around for a pain clinic if you can (BEFORE you accept any narcotics from one obviously). At my pain clinic there were signs that they are prone to mistakes a few years after I'd been there. I ignored them or just dealt with it because I felt lIke a slave to them. I needed those pain meds to live my life. In the end they made a great mistake and I had to pay for it by being discharged. I could have avoided this by leaving their care when I first caught wind of their incompetence but again, I felt like a slave to them.

For example, once they rescheduled my appointment and then fined me when I didn't show up to the appointment they had cancelled (and it was a strike against me. You can only miss two appointments and you get dismissed). Secondly, after I had been on methadone for nearly four years, only then did they tell me that methadone can cause a specific heart problem and I should have been having an annual EKG while on it. I'm going to be filing a complaint with the state board soon about this place. It *****.

[ROSYouralright]

I read a post (several) actually who went through this same thing! One poster in particular caught my attention because they went to the pharmacy and bought their OWN drug test! Left it unopened and carried it in their car for when an incident like this occurred. Im sorry you went through that. Can you get on with another PM dr?