Help! About to start 1st Lpn job and am unsure of what the meds I am prescribed.

[angeleyes123]

So I got my 1st job offer as a LPN in a long term care facilty and I start orientation soon(very excited, it took me 5 months to find a job). I have anxiety and have been taking xanax in the evening before bed for years. I am unsure if I have to reveal this to HR because I will be working 1st shift. I do not mind being honest but I also do not want to give info that I dont have to. Any input is appreciated, thanks.

[Zookeeper3]

It's been a bit since I was hired, but I had to do drug testing. To ensure you don't have a false positive, all employees list their current meds on a form that gets sent off with the sample. As long as you have a script, I see no issue. This wasn't done through HR, but our employee health department. Many nurses are on meds that I work with, it hasn't been a hiring issue. Each year we are asked to update our current meds.

[angeleyes123]

Yes I listed the meds and took the drug screen. I just do not want to do anything to ruin this job. Thanks :)

[KaroSnowQueen, RN]

If you listed it on your drug screen and passed, then what medications you take is none of their business. Later on in your career, and as you talk with other nurses (or just listen as they talk!!!) you will find that many nurses are on different sorts of meds, anti depressants and anti anxiety meds being in the top ten, maybe the top three! NOTHING to worry about.

[NC29mom, ASN, LPN, RN]

honesty is the best policy. hope you have a prescription.......... you could lose your license to practice for having medications show up in your drug screen that you don't have a prescription for.

wish you the best. i love ltc.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

If you have to take a drug test, be upfront about what medication you're on BEFORE you take the test, and be prepared to produce valid prescriptions. It's a lot easier to tell them about your meds first than to try to explain positive drug test results afterwards...if they even give you a chance to explain, that is.

Otherwise, as long as they're not impairing your ability to do your job safely, the medications you are taking are not anyone else's business, IMO.

[TwilightRNurse]

I take Ativan BID and Zoloft QD. I always list them along with my BP meds and have never been questioned about it.

[angeleyes123]

Yes I do have a prescribtion for my medicine, and I was honest when I filled out the health form when I got my drug screen and physical. Yesterday I did call HR and asked if I have to inquire them about my meds and she said no and was very nice about it. So i feel much better now. Just so nervous that I will lose my dream job over something stupid. Thanks everyone:)

[SWS RN, ASN, RN]

As others have said, as long as there is a script, and you are not abusing the med, you are fine...

and while I do agree that you need to be totally honest, do not be too eager to give up "too much information" like calling HR to volunteer info.

THis could raise a red flag that would lead to you being "watched" more closley.

Be honest but fly under the radar.

[SandraCVRN]

Our policy is that we have to inform our supervisor about any potemtial side effects of any meds we may be on, but not what they are or why we are on them.

Good luck with your new job!!!

[guest2210]

I've had pre-employment urine screenings as many as 3 in a few months, all read by out of state MDs. There was no place on the form to enter current meds. The doc would just call and tell me it was positive for opiates then I would fax him the letter from my PCP and everything was ok.

[SWS RN, ASN, RN]

Same here,

There was never a place to enter the current meds...when I inquired about this I was told that if something tested positive the Medical Review Officer would contact me directly. It did, he did, had the script...faxed it...No problem.

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