Blood AND Urine testing BEFORE I can see Dr..

[Jandyone]

My Dr. had ordered some blood work done, so I stopped in the lab and had it drawn before my appointment. Now I can not even see her for my appointment until I give a urine sample with the Nurse in the bathroom with me!!  What is she looking for??  Ive never had someone watch me give a urine sample ever!  I do smoke a little mj every pm, but not much. I live in California if that helps, Im going back in 2 days because no one told me I had to pee, so I couldn't in the 10 minute time frame I was given..... Help fast ?       JA

[10356]

Thank you so much for this information Fntn.. for the last 2 years I have been sending them at UCSF my renewed license. when I first sat down with my transplant team I informed then I had a license they asked for a copy of it and said that is fine as long as I have a valid license.. I will be sending them another copy soon. I will be sure to speak with my coordinator about this as this is the first I have heard of this.. I sure appreciate you taking the time out of your day to inform me of this It is very frighting when you think you are clear just to find out you may not be.. I will up-date when they get back to me. Thank you again, and yes I agree it helps so much with pain  my appetite and the nausea.. I will send a prayer that you are called soon.. lesa

[fntn]

I too will be transplanted in the near future and I am on pain management. But my transplant team made it very clear that pot will automatically get you kicked off the list, immediately, if they detect it in the blood/urine testing. I think that this is a very bad policy given the facts that it works very well in managing chronic pain (as well as many other issues) and a recent Univ of Mich study shows that it does not have any detrimental effects on people who managed to get a liver transplant while using.

I believe there is a new bill pending in California that will resolve this impass. I'm not if has passed yet, but it would set a wonderful precedent if it did. Please make sure that you truly are cleared to use pot, just having your doctor's (and hospital's) permission is not enough. It's the national transplant board that will enforce the policy and have overridden previous doctor authorizations in the recent past, resulting in several patient deaths.

I certainly hope I'm missing some new facts, but I'm concerned for your transplant status while using. I think it's a terrible law but these people are relentless in their pursuit of enforcement. I experimented with it several years ago so I know it works very well. That's what makes my condition so frustrating, know that there is a solution but you just can't have it.

Good luck.

[10356]

Hi Jandyone. I smoke pot and take 10mg of methadone a day I have a license that I shared with my Dr. He accepts that I use weed I'm also on the National transplant list at UCSF they have a copy of my valid license.. When I first started PM I said to my Dr. I cant. he asked why ? I said because I smoke pot. He said Hell 3/4 of the population of Ca smoke it. He also went on about a study that peps that smoke pot have less od while on methadone and other opiates.. Be honest with your Dr. is my only suggestion and get a license so you are legal. take care, lesa

[Tuckamore]

Hi Jandyone,

Welcome to our Pain Management Community. I'm delighted you found us and took the time to post your question.

It's not uncommon for PMP/PCP to do random drug screening. I've never had a nurse in the bathroom with me. They can tell if it's your urine or not by the temperature of the urine. Having a nurse standing next to you while you urinate in my opinion is insulting to your right to privacy and simply ludicrous! I've never heard of it - but nothing surprises me anymore.

Yes the pot will show up in your drug screen. It is one of the things they screen for - sorry. It's also one of the drugs that "hang around" in your system for weeks, 3-4 sometimes longer depending on the amount of THC you consume.

Now my first PMPs P.A. told me that if they found "just pot" I wouldn't be dismissed - I'd be warned and possibly sent for counseling. I wasn't concerned as I don't use it.

I wish you the best - and hope you'll let us know how this turns out. Please feel free to ask additional questions or comments. We welcome your activity in our community.

Peace,
~Tuck

[remar]

Many pain Drs and clinics require random urine tests. It's to make sure you have your medication in your system and no other medications that were not prescribed to you.
It's also not uncommon to have a nurse in the bathroom with you to make sure you're not using another persons urine.
I wish I could tell you for sure if they will be checking for marijuana or not and how long it stays in your system. Make sure you're taking your meds as prescribed and they will show up on your urine test.
We have several very knowledgeable members on this forum who might be able to answer about the marijuana.

[Jandyone]

P>S>   I am prescribed Xanax, and 2 other rx's as well.