HIV+ student concerned about drug testing while taking Marinol

[up'n'coming]

I've been accepted into a nursing program here in Portland, OR, and am a little nervous about the drug test. I have had HIV for over 20 years and, while in perfect health, I take Marinol ( pot in a pill) nightly to counter the effects of Atrilpla. It doesn't give me a high or a thrill, it just settles my stomach and keeps me from having dreams that disturb my sleep. If/when I test positive, will showing my prescription to the school be enough to clear my name, or is there a chance that I will be discriminated against due to the HIV? Is Marinol considered an acceptable reason to test positive? It's not like medical marijuana, in that there is no smoking involved. I have drug tested previously for jobs in different fields, with a positive result, and showing my prescription has always sufficed, but I am unsure as to how this would work for nursing school and nursing in general. I'm afraid to go to the school and disclose my HV status, as I really don't know if the HIV will stigmatize me, but I will need to disclose the Marinol use if the test is positive. Disclosing Marinol use to counteract Atripla side-effects is tantamount to disclosure of my HIV infection, as Artipla is only used for HIV infection, and I assume that nurses and nursing teachers know this. I've worked long and hard to get here and can't imaging having to step away from my dreams due to a prescription. Would it be better to lay off the Marinol till after the test and, if so, how long should I go without it to ensure a negative test. Any feedback is welcomed!

[CrazierThanYou]

And you're 32?

I was wondering the same thing....

I've never heard of Marinol. A relative of mine is a chronic pot smoker, supposedly to help with her Crohn's Disease. Perhaps she hasn't heard of Marinol either?

[kids]

Marinol has only a couple of labeled uses (Crohns is not one of them). It is very expensive, most insurances will only cover it for labeled conditions and only after cheaper alternitves have been tried and failed. http://www.medscape.com/druginfo/dosage?cid=med&drugid=9308&drugname=Marinol+Oral&monotype=default

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Marinol is NOT medical marijuana and it has other uses: appetite stimulant and hormone-reduction in some endometrial cancers.

You would need to disclose the marinol if you come back positive. However, its no one's business WHY you take it.

[lioness1977]

Maybe I should clarify, my step-son. The one who lived with us and ate all of our food from the time that his father and I were married in 98. Since I fed him and had his student loans out of my checks yeah, my son.