Prescription Medications

[onlymiah]

I was accepted into nursing school (RN) and I start this fall. Currently, I am going through the battery of immunizations, drug screens, etc.

I have a question regarding drug screens. I have to have a 10 panel drug screen and the assistant director of nursing told me that I do not need to disclose to the lab any prescription medications I take, but I have to provide the director of nursing of the college a note from my doctor containing any prescription medications I take and the reasons why. This seems a little strange to me, if my doctor clears me for clinicals, why do I need to provide the school with this information?

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Your doctor can clear you physically for clinicals however the doctor would be doing this without any idea of meds/drugs (legally or otherwise) you have taken in the last X amount of day. The doc clearing you for clinicals is only saying that you are physically fit enough to be involved in clinicals, it does not say you are free from taking any of the meds/drugs they may be screening you for.

When the doc lists the meds you take, it alerts the school that should a + result for say oxy come up, you have a legal script for it. If they doc sends the list and a drug comes up + but its NOT on that list, then there's trouble

[onlymiah]

That makes sense. It isn't a matter of anything illegal. I take an SSRI that I have heard can cause a false positive for benzodiazapines. From what I understand there is a Medical Review Officer (the name, number, address is listed on the lab form). If you are positive for anything (as long as it is legal) they contact you and ask for any prescriptions you are taking and the prescriber information. If everything is legit, the positive becomes a negative.

[HarryTheCat, MSN, RN]

Typically, when you take your drug screen you will be asked to fill out a form disclosing any prescription drugs you are or have recently been taking, and to produce a prescription for those drugs (the bottle from the pharmacy will usually suffice if the label lists you as the pt). The form goes only to the drug screening lab, not to a school or employer. Those drug testing labs know what drugs can cause false positives for other substances, and can rule out abuse, sometimes by further testing using other methods. If you don't disclose a particular med to the lab, and it's something that is on their list of meds that are abused or used recreationally, you will be reported as having failed the drug screen. Some schools may permit you to retest, but with more applicants than seats it is unlikely that you would get another chance.