Relapsed during furlough on suboxone now

Nurses Recovery

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Specializes in LPN.

Hello, I am a brand new graduate, I got my first nursing job and only lasted 2 months due to covid. I relapsed on pain pills while on furlough and after a few attempts I have gone back to maintenance after 10 years in recovery. I have a pre employment drug screen today and I’m so nervous. Also I am in PA and I keep reading different things such as the state of PA doesn’t allow for maintenance. Can anyone help me with the correct information?

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I’m in California and have gotten several jobs on Suboxone maintenance. I’ve never heard of a pre-employment screen testing for Buprenorphine. It does not come up as an opiate. I don’t know about the laws on the matter but it shouldn’t cause you to test positive.

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yes im on subs too, got a job passed the drug test.they don't include it.goodluck!

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also mat,subs,is great no cravings,no desire for narcs when I handle them at work.nno body pain but it is expensive,Dr,scripts,urine testing.

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Specializes in LPN.

Hi thanks everyone, I got the job but my ex who I’m in a nasty custody battle with reported me to the bored. I’m under investigation but I was honest so I’m not sure what’s going to happen. The only thing I’m on is suboxone.

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Specializes in RN Student.

I just read this article posted by RN Bill Kinkle this year actually and they won't allow you on suboxone while nursing in Pennsylvania. They will make you get expensive testing that proves you are not cognitively negatively affected I don't remember the actual term for it while in treatment and that's only if you agree to taper off.

They will also make you have a official tapering plan on file and make you go through a whole treatment plan. If you state you plan to stay on indefinitely you will not be able to practice and go through the treatment basically. Here is the article https://www.Google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en/article/j5yga3/can-doctors-and-nurses-take-suboxone-or-methadone

I was researching it bc I am in nursing school and was put on the medication two years ago as I was drinking an herbal supplement to help with PTSD, anxiety, and depression then found out I was pregnant my OB decided to put me on the medication. Knowing now what I do I wish I'd never been put on it but they basically made me bc they said stopping the supplement without taking the medication otherwise was too dangerous with being pregnant. I have been trying to decide how to go about it, if they actually even test for that. My school apparently does only a 10 panel which doesn't but still am scared to take it so I guess it would depend on the employer from what I read.

On the bright side though I did read about a lot of people getting the sublocade shot a few times and not having withdrawals or needing another. I have already once tapered off of the meds once and the withdrawal lasted months and was unbearable and ended up having to go back on it as I didn't want to have to take other medications.

It's a mess bc you would rather be honest about it.

Another thing I have found out though is that the labs that do the drug tests actually just have a medical review officer that will ask for proof of a prescription if the medication shows and only report back to the school or employer that you passed or failed and if you have a script for it you pass. So it almost seems better not to say anything and if it comes up provide the prescription. I just wonder how they find out what prescriptions people are on then for the states that are super strict and don't allow nurses to be on anything even if prescribed.

 

IDK it's just a bad situation though I think ppl are at less risk on it if they need to be my situation is kinda different but I'll be just as screwed. I do want to stop taking the meds again but really am afraid to have to end up taking a medication for anxiety or depression and don't really want to go back to drinking the supplement bc it got me into this mess tho it isn't illegal nor a narcotic. Just rather not have to take the medication or nothing else.

Does NCLEX or the nursing board ask if your on a potentially disorienting medication and how does that work with HIPAA is it a matter of opinion then. If I have to I'd just get the shot a few months and be done with it just nervous with being able to get thru it with school and my four kids but have so much invested I can't just give up on nursing school esp bc I'm doing so well and am over halfway through.

Pennsylvania sucks esp for stuff like this.

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On 5/2/2021 at 11:21 PM, MoonRose said:

I just read this article posted by RN Bill Kinkle this year actually and they won't allow you on suboxone while nursing in Pennsylvania. They will make you get expensive testing that proves you are not cognitively negatively affected I don't remember the actual term for it while in treatment and that's only if you agree to taper off.

They will also make you have a official tapering plan on file and make you go through a whole treatment plan. If you state you plan to stay on indefinitely you will not be able to practice and go through the treatment basically. Here is the article https://www.Google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en/article/j5yga3/can-doctors-and-nurses-take-suboxone-or-methadone

I was researching it bc I am in nursing school and was put on the medication two years ago as I was drinking an herbal supplement to help with PTSD, anxiety, and depression then found out I was pregnant my OB decided to put me on the medication. Knowing now what I do I wish I'd never been put on it but they basically made me bc they said stopping the supplement without taking the medication otherwise was too dangerous with being pregnant. I have been trying to decide how to go about it, if they actually even test for that. My school apparently does only a 10 panel which doesn't but still am scared to take it so I guess it would depend on the employer from what I read.

On the bright side though I did read about a lot of people getting the sublocade shot a few times and not having withdrawals or needing another. I have already once tapered off of the meds once and the withdrawal lasted months and was unbearable and ended up having to go back on it as I didn't want to have to take other medications.

It's a mess bc you would rather be honest about it.

Another thing I have found out though is that the labs that do the drug tests actually just have a medical review officer that will ask for proof of a prescription if the medication shows and only report back to the school or employer that you passed or failed and if you have a script for it you pass. So it almost seems better not to say anything and if it comes up provide the prescription. I just wonder how they find out what prescriptions people are on then for the states that are super strict and don't allow nurses to be on anything even if prescribed.

 

IDK it's just a bad situation though I think ppl are at less risk on it if they need to be my situation is kinda different but I'll be just as screwed. I do want to stop taking the meds again but really am afraid to have to end up taking a medication for anxiety or depression and don't really want to go back to drinking the supplement bc it got me into this mess tho it isn't illegal nor a narcotic. Just rather not have to take the medication or nothing else.

Does NCLEX or the nursing board ask if your on a potentially disorienting medication and how does that work with HIPAA is it a matter of opinion then. If I have to I'd just get the shot a few months and be done with it just nervous with being able to get thru it with school and my four kids but have so much invested I can't just give up on nursing school esp bc I'm doing so well and am over halfway through.

Pennsylvania sucks esp for stuff like this.

What kind of tea were you drinking? Was it kratom? Just curious 

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Specializes in RN Student.
3 hours ago, Jim Rockford said:

What kind of tea were you drinking? Was it kratom? Just curious 

Yes I have seen a lot of people in my family be addicted to medications and wanted to avoid taking anything like that esp long term. I had been through a very violent abusive relationship which I think was the cause of my issues with anxiety and depression and at the time just was trying to work through it and not have to take anything strong as I figured I wouldn't need it later on which is why I decided to go the tea route. Plus I know how bad antianxiety meds and antidepressants can be to come off of.

I think really they should of just let me quit drinking it I don't see it of having as much of a negative affect to stop as they were saying. I just think they don't know much about it maybe IDK. There's really no studies on drinking that , quitting drinking it, and pregnancy and I def didn't want to risk that either. As Suboxone I think affects you a lot more and is way worse to come off of which I didn't know much about at the time and UST trusted their judgement. When I drank the tea I didn't really have issues when I didn't drink it. I wanted to tell them though bc I didn't want to do anything that would harm the baby and wasn't sure if it was safe to quite just drinking it and knew it wasn't safe to keep drinking it. They even knew I was in nursing school at the time and none of them mentioned any of this stuff at any time.

Now in retrospect I think it would of been the better choice to just quit drinking it and not take the medication but they made me take the medication saying I was potentially putting me and the baby in harm if I didn't. Being that I already told them, there wasn't much I thought I could do. Again there is so little information and not really many studies on it so it's hard to say.

Luckily though my baby had no NAS at all but I also nursed him nonstop and held him almost the entire time bc I felt so awful and guilty. He is very smart started talking very early saying phrases and sentences months before he was supposed to. Also it was unexpected pregnancy not planned. I did though after have my tubes cut.

On the bright side though I still have time to come off of it and with being through domestic violence and seeing addiction ruin my family and now having taken this medication myself I will be able to easily identify those situations and better help ppl going thru it. I also got to see how poor the NAS scoring system was between various RNs and that there probably are many babies given morphine that don't need it due to some nurses not knowing how to correctly score. Which top is a big issue but not in all hospitals just some and my doctor warned me about this hospital so I was well aware and on top of it the whole time.

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Specializes in RN Student.

I also read in a forum that if you fail they the nursing board then can pull your medial records which is how they get that history but it don't see.to be standard just if you are under investigation. One girl took a Xanax from an expired prescription then was randomly drug tested, failed, they pulled her records they found she had been on Suboxone years before and was marked as high risk. So as long as you don't mess up and have a legal prescription that shouldn't happen. Just keep things to yourself as anyone can tell on you at any time. According to the nursing board your not even allowed to take Benadryl. Nothing not even for legitimate reasons as intoxication could put patients at risk.

I just don't want that stress of having to hide something and if anything would go wrong it could be used against you.

That sux about your ex tho

 

 

 

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Specializes in RN Student.

It does seem though they don't include it on most regular tests but I'd imagine if you worked at a rehab or somewhere like that they may.. just depends on the type of test they do as it does cost more to add it to the screen. 

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