I took a 25 mg of Seroquel the night before a drug test, will it show up as a something?

Nurses Medications

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I'm really worried I took a drug test at 12:30 pm and took a 25mg of seroquel at 9:30pm the night before. Will that show up as anything? Will I have to retest/not be accepted?

No, this won't show up, as it is not a drug of abuse. Seroquel is however commonly given as off-label use for insomnia, so all these shaming nurses should be ashamed at their limited knowledge. In fact, while in diversion it is one of the limited meds you CAN take for insomnia. So, your instincts were correct.

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Specializes in NICU.
Seroquel is however commonly given as off-label use for insomnia

Prescribed. Not "given." OP should still not be popping prescription meds that are not his.

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I just don't want to **** up again. I know this isn't the thread/website for this but I literally can't sleep. These tiny doses of seroquel have helped me so much. I'm not saying I'm right for taking them when I'm not prescribed them but I can actually sleep with t and I finally jut got an awesome job opportunity and I don't want to **** this up cause I took a little seroquel and have it show up as PCP it something

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
No, this won't show up, as it is not a drug of abuse. Seroquel is however commonly given as off-label use for insomnia, so all these shaming nurses should be ashamed at their limited knowledge. In fact, while in diversion it is one of the limited meds you CAN take for insomnia. So, your instincts were correct.

In my last lifetime, I was a community mental health nurse and I can attest to the fact that Seroquel certainly is a drug of abuse and does have street value. Perhaps not everywhere, but in many places.

I'm also well aware that Seroquel is prescribed for insomnia; however, the key word is "prescribed." An antipsychotic is not a harmless medication. While it works wonderfully for several people, the risk vs. benefit must be weight heavily, especially if someone is already taking a medication that can prolong the QT interval. Furthermore, the OP should seek medical advice for this chronic insomnia as there may be a concerning cause.

As for drugs that are safe to take while in diversion, again, only with a valid prescription in YOUR name, not a medication of someone else's

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I hear you, I know it was stupid, but I didn't have any bad side effects or anything from taking it, but this job I applied to just hit me up out of nowhere and said I needed to take a test immediately. Again I know it wasn't right/smart to take it but it really did help a lot

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
I hear you, I know it was stupid, but I didn't have any bad side effects or anything from taking it, but this job I applied to just hit me up out of nowhere and said I needed to take a test immediately. Again I know it wasn't right/smart to take it but it really did help a lot

You really should have a physical, just to establish care with a physician and rule everything else out as a cause of this insomnia. But that's enough mothering. :D

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No, this won't show up, as it is not a drug of abuse. Seroquel is however commonly given as off-label use for insomnia, so all these shaming nurses should be ashamed at their limited knowledge. In fact, while in diversion it is one of the limited meds you CAN take for insomnia. So, your instincts were correct.

Shaming nurses??!!! Are you kidding me?! So you think we should condone this? You are the one who needs to educate yourself. Seroquel is most certainly a drug of abuse and to take it without a prescription is illegal and stupid. What I and others did was educate the OP. Sometimes harsh words are necessary to get the point across. This drug has significant side effects especially when in combination with other substances. We would be remiss not to say something.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
No, this won't show up, as it is not a drug of abuse. Seroquel is however commonly given as off-label use for insomnia, so all these shaming nurses should be ashamed at their limited knowledge. In fact, while in diversion it is one of the limited meds you CAN take for insomnia. So, your instincts were correct.

Seroquel is a common cause of amphetamine false positives, in which case the sample is laboratory tested for confirmation which reveals the cause of the false positive. If the person was unable to provide a valid prescription to the MRO and the employer had asked that non-prescribed use be tested for, then it would be reported back to the employer as "positive for non-prescribed prescription medications". Some employers may not care if it's not an illegal drug or classified as a drug of abuse. Others, particularly those where handling medications is part of the job, may find this to be prohibitory in hiring of that prospective employee.

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Specializes in Legal, Ortho, Rehab.

MunoRN is right.

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What is stopping you from going to a provider to get your own prescription?

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, ICU.

I don't think it will show up as a drug on the test.

It's usually not tested for. However if you screw up at work or get in an accident/DUI they will send off your blood to analyse everything that is in it. If you don't have a prescription you are screwed and so is you license. So I would recommend stop taking other people's medicines and get a script.

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Legality aside, we all know it is bad idea to take other people's prescription medication and I am sure I don't have to explain why. However, many people face *significant *barriers to accessing medical care. I can easily understand why someone might take another person's Rx. But you are (I assume) a nurse, and held to a higher standard than the lay public.

If you are experiencing barriers to accessing care, you are going to have to figure out how to overcome them. It might not be easy or cheap, but it is doable and you have to figure it out.

I wouldn't worry about your test tomorrow. It's time to focus on how you are going to manage this issue going forward. You have a serious medical issue, and you need to make an appointment with a PCP for evaluation and treatment. You can't safely function as a care provider if you are chronically sleep deprived, and bumming a seroquel PRN is *not* an effective strategy.

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