Opioids Methadone and Pre-Employment Drug Screening (US-TX) HELP?!

[thisisabsurd]

OK, so I used to take Hydrocodone for chronic pain and switched to Methadone almost 2 years ago. My dr. suggested Methadone because it is cheap (I don't have insurance) and very effective for neuropathic and muscular pain. Soooo...it's been working fine for the pain (I am prescribed 2 x 10 mg tabs daily, but usually only take 1 x 10 mg tab).

I am not that knowledgable about pre-employment drug screens when it comes to a drug that is known primarily as an opiate detox drug. My fear is that if it were to show up, HR would somehow "red flag" me as a drug user and I would have the offer rescinded. Soooo...my plan was to just stop taking it before my pre-employment test this Friday. And here I am, 3 days into taking ZERO Methadone tabs and this is pure HELL.

I had to answer a questionnaire stating which prescription meds I'm taking prior to coming in for the drug screen. They do urine and blood (which I don't get cuz that is soooo expensive) but maybe because it's a medical job? Anyway, it is too late for me to take it now to end the hell and then have to explain to an MRO later about why I didn't list it on my questionnaire. Even though I do have an rx for it, I'm still thinking it would be looked upon with that stupid bias our society has against drug use/abuse and also a widespread ignorance about the benefits of Methadone for chronic pain management. But I digress.

I would love to hear anyone else's experience with this...did you ever test positive for Methadone and did you still get the job when you provided the rx to the MRO? I welcome feedback from anyone, but I would like to hear from Americans and Texas specifically about how the law works here. Also, for those who took my route and just stopped taking their Methadone, what can I do to get through this? My back and left shoulder are KILLING ME and I don't even have back pain normally! My understanding is my dose is really low so why is this so awful??

I read through the thread titled "withdrawing from opiates, a survival guide" or something like that and I took some Imodium AD (but I'm not having diarrhea or vomiting so I don't think that is doing anything). And I bought Aleve which I'm also taking and it isn't helping!!! I'm still sleeping but this awful joint achiness is driving me insane. I wish I could smoke a bowl (but not until after Friday at which time I will start taking my Methadone again anyway) !!!!!!

 

[Captain.Heroin]

If you have a prescription for methadone, there shouldn't be any problem. You can explain this to them before they actually drug test you, have proof of your prescription.

There's laws in the United States so that recovering drug addicts on methadone/Suboxone cannot be discriminated against when trying to obtain employment. It wouldn't make sense to help drug addicts get off drugs, only to cite them getting clean as a reason why they aren't allowed a job.

Best of luck with the job interview.

 

[Ksa]

<censored by user (profile compromised)>

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Generally drug testing questions are not allowed on Bluelight, but since this is more asking for advice as to what you should do and not asking for help to trick the test or what shows up on a test (it totally depends on what they test for), maybe it's ok? I dunno...

Anyway, my advice is the same as others have said, tell the people who will be doing the test that you just started being prescribed it for pain and forgot to mention it on the prescription list. You could get a doctor's note if you're worried they will not believe you and assume it's for drug addiction. However, even if it was treatment for opiate addiction employers generally aren't allowed to discriminate against you. So I think you should be fine. But def do declare it, as it stays in the system a very long time.

As to your other questions...

10-20mg of methadone a day is definitely enough to create a physical dependence and have terrible withdrawal symptoms and rebound pain when you stop taking it. The dose doesn't matter nearly as much as how long you've been taking it on a regular basis. I would highly suggest you go back to taking your methadone but if you really don't want to then all the usual things that have been mentioned in the withdrawal threads can provide a degree of relief. But be careful with using other drugs such as benzos or opioids for obvious reasons since you are getting tested. You should be declaring any OTC medications such as the loperamide too.

 

[Tommyboy]

Dont put yourself through hell for no reason. Chances are you will probably still test positive for methadone still anyway.

If you have a prescription then you can test positive for that. HR will usually give you 48 hrs to get the test done, and a list of places to get it done at. Then you pick a place, list the meds you are on for them, provide proof, piss, then go on your merry way. If you don't tell them and you test positive for something then they will call you to ask why before they call the employer to notify them that you failed.

As others have said, all that the the company will be told is 'pass' or 'fail.' You are allowed to take your own meds, and testing positive for them with documentation is considered passing. I've heard of some companies testing there, but that's rare, and having a prescription will still allow you to test positive for it and pass.

 

[thisisabsurd]

Thank you for the quick replies and I'm glad to hear that our country isn't labeling and penalizing recovering addicts when they are trying to get jobs and make their lives better.

I interviewed last Wednesday and I have the written offer, but when they sent me all the new hire paperwork I freaked out at the very intrusive medical questionnaire. I mean, if you have an RX then why do they even ask? How is that their business anyway?

I just feel like I've missed my window for declaring my prescription Methadone because I did not include it on the questionnaire with my other scripts for fear that even though it is for pain, they would take back the job offer. I feel so crappy though I just want to take my meds. It's the intense, deep, aching that is driving me nuts. I've been soaking in epsom salts baths 2-3 times daily and taking Aleve and the Imodium AD (but I haven't had any diarrhea or stomach upset anyway). I might be putting myself through this for nothing.

So is the consensus that I can still declare it, even though I didn't include it on my questionnaire? That way I could just go ahead and take it now. I have never seen any place to list it at a testing facility. I had to do 2 pre-employment drug screens while on my former pain Rx hydrocodone - one came back positive and the other negative, I just gave them my Rx info and there were no issues. But hydrocodone is not a drug prescribed for recovering addicts - it doesn't have the same stigma Methadone does. Why don't people know about Methadone as a pain med? If my Dr. suggested it, surely others have taken it for the same purpose?!

 

[thisisabsurd]

OK, please disregard my last post as my questions were answered while I was typing it.

I know the half-life is forever so I may test positive anyway. Guess I'll just start taking it again because I don't think I can deal with the withdrawal. Damn, it's much worse than w/d from hydrocodone used to be. My Dr. switched me to it because I was taking like 5 hydrocodones a day with little relief. He said it would be much more effective and cheaper. And I've noticed I don't have a desire to take more than prescribed like I did with the hydrocodone. I should have researched the w/d before just blindly switching to it, yikes.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Yeah, I would seriously suggest at least telling them at the drug testing facility before you take the test. As Tommyboy said, it is very likely that you will still test positive even if you go 5 days without your methadone (look in the closed drug testing forum to get an idea of how long it can stay in your system). And there is really no reason to hide it since you are being legitimately prescribed it for pain.

I think the reason many people don't really know about methadone being prescribed for pain is because it has only recently become popular for pain management but it has been well-publicized in the treatment of opiate dependence. I personally think it has some disadvantages over other pain meds myself (just one being the extremely long duration of withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it).

As for the US not penalizing recovering addicts when they are trying to get jobs, that doesn't mean that employers don't do it covertly. I have lost a job which I believe was due to telling my boss I was on methadone for addiction and my employer just made up a fake reason to fire me. Really not trying to scare you and you should have nothing to worry about, just noting that there is still a lot of prejudice surrounding addiction.

ETA: Just saw your last post after I wrote mine

 

[thisisabsurd]

Wow, that is just bad. I hope you found another job with comparable salary soon after. So did you tell your employer because they were going to test you or was it just a heads up? I could see them taking back the offer and making up some other reason (like "it wasn't listed on your original questionnaire"). No one should have to hide anything and that includes MJ but that is another discussion completely.

 

[Tommyboy]

They have no business knowing why you are prescribed the medication. Even if you were on MMT and told the drug testing facility, they wouldn't be able to tell your employer this info. Just make sure that the testing agency knows of your prescription and sees it before the drug test. I have heard that they will call people first to ask if there was a legitimate reason for failing before notifying the employer, but it's best to give them a copy of your script before all of that.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

If they bring it up as a problem, I'd then declare you have a prescription.

If they ask why you didn't put it in the paper work, explain to them that you didn't think it mattered since it is a prescription. That, or you can say you didn't think your medications were what they were asking about on the form.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Wow, that is just bad. I hope you found another job with comparable salary soon after. So did you tell your employer because they were going to test you or was it just a heads up? I could see them taking back the offer and making up some other reason (like "it wasn't listed on your original questionnaire"). No one should have to hide anything and that includes MJ but that is another discussion completely.

I just told my boss, I wasn't getting drug tested. She had told me she was a former heroin addict so I assumed she would be compassionate.

 

[Tommyboy]

If they bring it up as a problem, I'd then declare you have a prescription.

If they ask why you didn't put it in the paper work, explain to them that you didn't think it mattered since it is a prescription. That, or you can say you didn't think your medications were what they were asking about on the form.

Yea, I agree. You can say you had no idea that it was something they tested for, and that you thought they only tested for street drugs or something, but then a family member told you that it's something that needed to be listed, so now you are listing it. It's probably good to have several months worth of paperwork for your prescription, or you can have the pharmacy print out your prescriptions for the year for you if you use the same place. I forgot why I needed it, but I had a pharmacy print out a list of all of my med transactions for the year there. It had the date and the name of the meds I got on that date.

 

[thisisabsurd]

Not sure if anyone is interested, but I made the decision not to take any methadone before my test. Just peed for them about an hour ago. They did not draw blood even though they had me sign a waiver for it. We will see what happens and I will update when I hear something.

 

[Kid Amine]

I lost a job over a legal prescription for methadone. was on 20mg/day, went for a physical, told the doc I was on it, and he wouldnt clear me to come back to work. I was not on methadone when I got the job.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

There are a lot of jobs that DO require disclosure of prescription medications and would not hire people who are on something like methadone. I knew someone who was denied a forklift operating position due to being on maintenance.

While most jobs won't deny employment to or fire based on legitimately prescribed medications, there is no law preventing them from doing so and it does happen. There are medications where the side effects make it impossible for someone to adequately perform the duties of the position and the employer doesn't have to pay someone ill-suited for the position. THIS is not discrimination and there is no legal protection against such for methadone or suboxone patients or individuals prescribed scheduled medications with legitimate indications.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

^Methadone/suboxone maintenance shouldn't make a person unable to operate a forklift. People on methadone/bupe are allowed to drive and there have been plenty of studies showing that long-term methadone maintenance at normal stable doses does not impair driving abilities or ability to operate machinery. In the majority of experimental clinical trials, psychophysical performance tests have yielded the same results for methadone substitution patients as for control groups, and no significant adverse effects were measured with patients stabilized for at least 1 year on daily oral doses of methadone. But yeah, you are correct that if the reason for denying employment is that they feel the medication will affect someone's ability to do their job then the employer is allowed to do that. I would be furious if it happened to me though, because my methadone does not impair me in the least, (however I only take a low dose and have been on it for years - it can impair people who are just starting on MMT or take methadone recreationally).


KidAmine - what was the reason given that you could not go back to work?

Thisisabsurd - good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

^ I am with you that studies show that and doctors can clear patients to do those tasks but it is still a business' prerogative if they don't want someone on methadone operating a forklift and there is no legal protection for maintenance patients at this time.

 

[thisisabsurd]

Yikes, these are the things I was afraid of and unfortunately, I could not find ONE post discussing this online so that is why I posted on BL and decided to put myself through Hell this week by not taking it in hopes it wouldn't show up. But as I research more it seems it may show up after all. If anyone is still awake can you please post your understanding of methadone half life?

 

[thisisabsurd]

This was my dosing:
10-20 mg/daily (usually 10 mg only)
Sat. 6/9 = 5 mg
Sun. 6/10 = 5 mg
Mon. 6/11 = 0 mg
Tue. 6/12 = 0 mg
Wed. 6/13 = 0 mg
Thu. 6/14 = 0 mg
Fri. 6/15 = 0 mg...then drug test at 2pm
Shit, hope I'm not screwed on my dream job.