False positive drugBelsomra

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This is more of an alert than a question. Just letting all you nurses out there know that while taking the sleeping med Belsomra, I gave a urine for a pre drug screen and it came back positive for diazepam, temazepam, and olanzepam. It would be funny if I weren't a BSN nurse looking to start a new job with an excellent company. I have Talked the Merck med company and have also spoken to the MRO for the lab who basically stated that if it said it was diazepam it's diazepam. The drug company said it shouldn't but enough research has not been done on the topic. The would send it to the scientific departments. I am livid!!!! They used gc/ms which is considered the gold standard so now I am waiting on them to call me back after requesting info from the drug company who would never want to associate their drug with diazepam bc that's one of the promotions," it's not like diazepam ". The funny thing is that both dugs, Belsomra and diazepam both consist of the elements C-H-Cl-N-O. I looked up the molecular make up but the supervisor told me it was black and white, it says diazepam, no need to call my doctor who could tell them I have declined diazepam and all other anxiety/hypnotics/sedatives she has offered me in 3 yrs(insomniac). I feel a fight ahead of me if the arrogant MRO doesn't realize science is not always 100%. I'm really venting but has any other nurse had this issue with similar compounds?

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No, but please let me express my empathy.

Perhaps it's best to just seek different employment after being off of Belsomra for a while.

How long do you think it will take for it to clear?

It used to be so simple to find work. Now it seems they almost don't want to hire people

because there are so many roadblocks to getting hired.

Some are legitimate, some aren't. Like whether you take a certain med or not.

Do you use a melatonin supplement? Some have valerian in them, which is like valium, I believe.

Best of luck to you.

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Before I took that med I was on everything and anything over the counter including supplements. I stopped taking it altogether including Belsomra. I'm back on another drug that may or may not cause interactions. Like you said, it's getting ridiculous with all the possibilities of false positives that a person has to stop taking prescribed medications to be safe. Especially when your license hangs on the word of a person who is only willing to look at science that is not 100%. People tend to forget humans have to tend to these machines and calibrate to keep them accurate. So many variables to rely completely on a machine.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

Regardless of what your employer is telling you - you have the right to have your sample retested at an independent lab and have that test done for the specific benzo signature of the belsomra. Did they take a split sample? They should have. The MRO knows this and you have to get an attorney to push this issue so that you are not railroaded.

Hppy

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to Patient Medications as this interaction with drug screen needs more airing....

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I am not a nurse but a patient at a pain clinic.  I take Belsomra and had a screen show positive for all of the medications cited by the original poster.  I take 2 Norco a day. I do not deviate.  I have worked hard to eliminate medications from my regimen as I was starting to take meds to treat the side-effects of other meds.  My test was positive for Nordiazepam, Temazepam and Oxazepam.  None of these are in my pill box and have not been taken by me.  How do I report this to Belsomra as I have now been discharged from this program. 

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I took Belsomra the evening of May 26th.  Had a drug test on May 31st for a different position and I almost didn't pass the drug test. It came up as an opiate was in my system. I was shocked. The line (which means if the line was there you were not positive for the drug) was very faint on the test.  I passed the test but I was shocked that Belsomra would show up as an opiate.  Why is this sleeping medication prescribed with a lot of questions unanswered?  ? 

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
On 6/2/2017 at 2:07 PM, Cassandra1981 said:

This is more of an alert than a question. Just letting all you nurses out there know that while taking the sleeping med Belsomra, I gave a urine for a pre drug screen and it came back positive for diazepam, temazepam, and olanzepam. It would be funny if I weren't a BSN nurse looking to start a new job with an excellent company. I have Talked the Merck med company and have also spoken to the MRO for the lab who basically stated that if it said it was diazepam it's diazepam. The drug company said it shouldn't but enough research has not been done on the topic. The would send it to the scientific departments. I am livid!! They used gc/ms which is considered the gold standard so now I am waiting on them to call me back after requesting info from the drug company who would never want to associate their drug with diazepam bc that's one of the promotions," it's not like diazepam ". The funny thing is that both dugs, Belsomra and diazepam both consist of the elements C-H-Cl-N-O. I looked up the molecular make up but the supervisor told me it was black and white, it says diazepam, no need to call my doctor who could tell them I have declined diazepam and all other anxiety/hypnotics/sedatives she has offered me in 3 yrs(insomniac). I feel a fight ahead of me if the arrogant MRO doesn't realize science is not always 100%. I'm really venting but has any other nurse had this issue with similar compounds?

Belsomra is a schedule IV controlled substance and would not be allowed by any alternative to discipline program. 

OP I know you are not in a program however the drugs you name are in the same class of schedule 4 controlled substances.  

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