Clean&SereneRN

I take Naltrexone every day too. My administration isn't monitored, I just have to provide pharmacy records every so often to prove I am getting it filled. When I first started taking it, it really did make me feel terrible. I was tired, spaced out, and just felt generally gross. But after a couple of weeks, the symptoms subsided. Now, I don't even notice it, but I am also on some decent antidepressants. I am very happy day to day. I also have zero libido, but I attribute that to the antidepressants. But it is a worthy trade off for me personally. It beats the hell out of the crippling depression I had. I also get you with your job. I got a job about three months after my license was reinstated to probation, and it took using people I knew in positions of power to get that job. But I am happy to have it. I had only a few restrictions - no high acuity or critical care areas, constant supervision, etc. But my job is also non-medical, and I do not find it nearly as fulfilling as my previous nursing jobs. I also find myself daydreaming about returning to my previous positions in nursing. One day I may, but certainly not until after monitoring for sure. I'll just stay in the moment for now. All of this to say, I feel you, and support you in what you're going through! Keep your chin up and show them how it is done! :)

I used vaping to quit smoking early this year. I had the forethought to call ahead to my monitoring company. They had to ask their MRO, but they did confirm that it could cause a positive ETOH screen. I used alcohol-free vape juice from one company, as well as Max VG juice from another. (I can't remember if the TOS would prohibit "advertisement" so I left the companies out!). I vaped for about two months and tested several times during that period, and had no issues. It was a good thing too! My first job back in nursing required a pre-employment nicotine screen! Wouldn't that have sucked? To work so dang hard to find a job, FINALLY find one, and then end up not getting hired because I had smoked a cigarette?! Ugh, 41 months left. *eyeroll*

I take a B12 among many other supplements daily and have never had a false positive for them in an entire year of monitoring. My chain of custody forms that I fill out (my state uses FirstLab) requires that you list all medications taken in the past 72 hours, so I am always sure to include my supplements. I think you are fine but I know the feeling of being nervous like you are! Breathe easy!

You are very fortunate! I assume that their investigation showed no discrepancies in documentation, and that saved you. But imagine if you had forgotten to document a waste at some point? Or if you had overrode a narcotic in an emergent situation? That could have changed everything. Also, who is to say that some street drug was not being used? Hospital records would not show any of that. This is where their minds typically go, and 99 times out of 100 they err on the side of caution and place the nurse in monitoring, even if it is just for a year, to be safe. And yes, I do know nurses to whom this has happened. This is why refusing a screen typically goes poorly. Their minds go where ours did - why wouldn't an innocent person want to prove their innocence? Congratulations on coming out of this unscathed, and I wish you the best!

I actually JUST covered this very subject in my substance abuse class! (I am getting an MSW) The Supreme Court has been pretty clear when it comes to this subject, and ruled in Kerr v. Farrey that 12-step programs are inherently religious, and therefore criminal justice institutions cannot require participation in them. All that to say, drug courts all over the country require attendance in substance abuse community support groups. Until SMART recovery groups take off, in my rural community, drug court participants have three choices: AA, NA, or Celebrate Recovery. So it would seem that this case law exists but is not necessarily enforced. Full disclosure: I am, by and large, a non-religious person, and I gain a great deal toward my being sober from attending NA. And in Arkansas, I PROMISE, 12-step groups are very religious, and tout the importance of a relationship with the Christian god. I just kind of let the religious stuff roll off, get what I need from it, and leave the rest behind.

Has anyone gone back to school and gotten an APRN after completing monitoring? I'm not sure if it is in the cards for me, as I live in a state without an alternative to discipline program, so I will forever have to answer "yes" when asked if I have ever had disciplinary action. Just curious if anyone had any experience with this! :)

The AR Board of Nursing requires that ALL of my screens are observed. It was super uncomfortable at first, but at this point, I know the guy pretty well, and am pretty used to it. I just try to remind myself that he is certified to do observed screens, so he is a "professional" of sorts. And at the end of the day, he is enjoying doing the observation about as much as I enjoy being observed.

Carrimarie1010, It would be awesome to have someone to reach out to who has been through it! I would greatly appreciate it! :)

I am what Arkansas calls a "Substance Abuse Counselor in Training," my credentials being CIT. With that, I can be employed as a treatment counselor in the state of Arkansas, so long as I am working under an "ADC" which is a certified counselor. I could be an ADC as well, once I have completed 6,000 work hours, as well as some continuing education. I got the CIT while under Voluntary Surrender. They knew the status of my license at the time, and there were no questions asked. The Arkansas Substance Abuse Certification Board is who issues it. Maybe your state has something similar?

Finally, seeing another Arkansas nurse made me finally quit lurking for the last week and register! LOL I started my consent agreement back in January and will be under it for four years. So far all has been well, and it has not been too hard to manage. Fortunately, I FINALLY got my first job back in nursing TODAY, and it will become much easier to manage from a financial standpoint. It really has not been as bad as I feared it would be, overall. What kind of stinks is that, 10 days before my consent agreement was ratified, ARSBN approved a rules change to implement an alternative to discipline program! I'm happy for those that will come after us, but it sounds like we will be the last bunch of people who have no choice but to accept their disciplinary actions. Oh well, you reap what you sow, I suppose... CONGRATULATIONS on completing your probation!! You give me hope!