Oh no. Accidentally left work with diazepam!

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I am a new nurse. I had a massively hectic night shift and we were rushing from drug cabinet to drug cabinet with only one set of keys. I gave a patient 10mg (2x5mg) diazepams as prescribed. Sometimes, if a medication strip is finished I just stuff it into my pocket. Now, I have emptied my pockets to do my laundry and found what I thought was an empty strip actually has one tiny tablet on it! Or at least I assume that is why it is in my pocket?

We do not keep diazepam in our controlled drugs cupboard so there is no register of it. It is kept in a bedside locker with a patient label on it like all the other meds. Though the pharmacy do keep track of when they are running out.

What should I do? I have a few days off and now they are going to be ruined by stress. What if someone saw me do this?

If I own up, I will look so suspicious, they know I have social anxiety so I will look like I am taking it for anxiety!!!

Please, advise me. Destroy the tablet or phone work and get written up or suspended?

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My advise..RUN, don't walk back to work and tell them exactly what you posted here. If it is discovered that pill is missing and you were the last to have access to them...it could look much worse.Offer to take a drug test, whatever they want. It still may not go favorably in the end but your chances are much better if you own up to it now and initiate the process yourself.

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I am considering taking the subway back to work and taking that tablet back to my line manager.

I am prescribed temazepam by my GP so taking a drugs test is not good.

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Specializes in LTC.

Take the pill back to them..run..scurry...quickly.

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I'm going to have to leave it and pray I get away with it. I can't be drug tested if I take prescription temazepam (to reduce the insomnia from starting my SSRI for above-mentioned social anxiety). I'll show up positive on a drugs test and lose my job. I feel awful. Thank god there was only one

It is compounded by the fact that two patients next to each other were taking diazepam and I do not know who's diazepam it is. This is like a nightmare.

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We do not keep diazepam in our controlled drugs cupboard so there is no register of it. It is kept in a bedside locker with a patient label on it like all the other meds. Though the pharmacy do keep track of when they are running out.

?

Right it not a CD =, so you could ring work to speak to a manager and then return the drug on your day off

how diligent is pharmacy will the pt run out or do nurses order pt drug it that is noticed to be low.

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Specializes in Foot care.

A couple points here:

A mistake is just that, a mistake. If you are really nervous, then take it with you to your next shift, talk to your supervisor and explain what happened. It should probably be wasted.

If you are prescribed medication for a medical condition and your work performance is not impaired by your taking it, then I also wouldn't worry about that, either. In fact, I hope it would be illegal to harass or fire you for it.

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Specializes in home health, dialysis, others.

You are entitled to take prescription meds - as long as you have a prescription made out to you. If you return the med, then you didn't take it (as in swallow) did you. TAKE IT BACK, NOW . It will lessen the suspicion if you take it back.

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sounds like you already know what you are going to do- so what is it your really wanting to know???

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Specializes in PACU.

I've done this before. All I did was call my manager and told her and it was not a big deal at all. I returned it when it was time for my next shift. Everything was accounted for and it was no problem.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

You need to take it back to work and talk to the manager. People accidentally leave things in their pockets quite often. It happens! The way it happened with you is very logical! Since you take prescribed temazepam, you have a bottle that indicates that, or a Rx, right? No worries about the drug test with that!

If you cover this up, it could go very poorly for you. First, you're going to stew on it. Second, others might figure it out. Third, what is the right thing to do?

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Just take it back. It's not that big of a deal. I did the same thing once - a patient wanted only one norco, so I stuck the other in my pocket, intending to waste it. Did laundry a couple of days later and found it while checking my pockets, so I took it back right away.

If you are not stealing drugs, you have nothing to worry about. You have a legit script for a sleeping pill. You're not going to get fired.

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