Can lab drug tests tell if I am taking my suboxone or other medication as prescribed?

[trainingday420]

I didn't really know where to put this question but here it goes. I have been seeing a Suboxone doctor for a month and I'll be honest, I have not been taking my subs as prescribed. I was instructed to take 16/4 or two strips but many times take one or even just a half or quarter strip because firstly, my insurance will only cover this medication for 5 months and I know from previously being on methadone that that is just not enough time for me. Second, I have a pain condition which is actually what made me relapse as I was hospitalized and put on IV dilaudid and when I was discharged I was way under medicated for my pain (just 5mg hydrocodones) so I sought out my own pain meds. Anyways, I knew I wanted to stop taking these meds and not get back into the vicious cycle of addiction so I decided to get on suboxone. The problem was I am still having pretty severe episodes of pain which has brought me to the ER a few times but the Dr's (likely due to my polydrug abuse history) refuse to give me anything that will actually give me pain relief, so I have been at times not taking my subs and self-medicating. I knew when I would have to take a drug test so I ceased drug use and started using subs again but still not at the prescribed dose and also before the test I read online that these labs can in fact tell if you are taking the prescribed dosage through urine tests. I found this to be hard to believe but I can kind of see how they can get a general idea or average based on lots and lots of data from other patients. Does anyone know or have experience with suboxone drug testing in regards to Dr's/labs being able to tell if you are taking the prescribed dosage?

 

[keeping]

we can't answer drug testing questions, please read the BLUA.

 

[Agoraphobiaphile]

Fyi everybody metabolizes drugs differently so there is no exact measure of a certain dosage. Generally tho with subs specifically they can check the bupe and the metabolite nor bupe and compare levels of each..

Also depending on roa and other factors there is no uniform amount of drug that is actually transfered to the blood stream.

I know a lot of ppl who take their bupe sublingual but only for like 5 mins. Cany imagine they get as much bupe as me holding it for 30 mins.

 

[szuko000]

We do not answer drug testing questions here. The short answer to yours is yes and yes, maybe not accurate to the dose but they can tell if you "levels are in the range for someone who is taking the medication properly."

-Closed.