School Drug Test issue

[HtownLVN]

Hello everyone I am a LVN that is in a transition RN school to get my RN license. I have come into some dilemma at school and was wondering if there is anyone out there can give me some advice.

My dilemma is, at my school we had a random drug screen and now, God knows how, my urine came back positive for codeine, morphine and opiates. I swear I do not know how those came up in my urine. I have never ever ever done drugs, I don't smoke, I don't drink and I certainly don't take drugs. I had been sick for the past couple of weeks prior to the drug test. I had a sinus infection, ear infection and a cough. The cough lasted a few weeks and wouldn't go away. I know I took OTC robitussin, Nyquil, Dayquil and maybe some other OTC cold/cough medications and nothing worked. The day we had the drug test, that same morning I tried my sisters Bromfed that was prescribed to her by her doctor because I had a coughing fit. At first I thought that I was positive for codeine because of the Bromfed, but after doing some research and looking up the ingredients, there are no drugs in that med.My school is threatening to kick me out and are going to report me to the BON and I would have to join TPAPN. But I promise I did not take those narcotics. I spoke with the director of my schools program and she said I can request the lab do a split test on my urine and have it sent to another lab and she said she will wait for the results and then decide from there. I spoke with the lab and I paid the out of pocket fee of $125 to have my urine retested but the women didn't give me very much hope, she said usually these tests never change.

I have been worried sick over this. Why did it come back positive? I don't know maybe I took to much OTC cough meds and it messed with the results or maybe I ate something, we make a lot of curry food so I don't know if it could be from one our spices.

If it get reported to BON its going to come back to my employer and I work in one of the big hospitals in Houston and I am afraid I will get fired because of it.

If I get kicked out of this nursing school and get on TPAPN no other nursing school will take me. My nursing career is over before it even began. I had so many hopes and dreams with me becoming a RN. I would never do drugs and ruin my career. I am supposed to graduate in May. Its only 8 months away. I have worked so hard to get to this point. It has literally taken me 10 years to get into a nursing school, I would never do anything to jeopardize it.

Can someone please help me, guide me to some articles or something to prove my innocence. I know a lot of you out there might not believe me but I swear I don't know how this has happened.

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

Unfortunately, you took prescribed medication that was not prescribed to you, so you have to take your lumps. The three medications you mentioned show up on the simple UDS as the same class in Opiates. What you didn't mention, and would be more likely to pop positive the pseudoephedrine in that cough syrup shows up as amphetamine.

I'm sorry you were sick, I do hope you feel better. I pray that this has a good outcome, but I expect it likely won't.

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

Many have successfully completed the TPAPN, so if that is your only option, do what is asked of you to the letter.

Good luck.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I do not have any advice to offer. I simply hope that the best possible outcome arises for you and your future career as an RN. Stay positive and keep truckin'.

[NurseEmmy]

All I can say is good luck. It sucks being sick, but you know taking someone else's Rx isn't ok. These random drug tests are why. You never think it is going to happen until it does. If you have to go through the TPAPN, just know plenty of others have done so as well. This doesn't have to mean your career is over. I know it might seem like it now, but you can get through this. Take care.

[rachelrae25]

Don't worry about who believes you or not.You just do what you have to do to continue on your career path.I was getting drug test on a monthly basis,for a totally other reason.I was constantly failing and had no idea.Come to find out I was failing because of poppy seeds.Every morning I'd get a bacon egg n cheese on a poppy seed roll..I'm talking max 4-5 days a week..it caused me to test pos for opiates.Of course no one believed me.I ended up in a program because of the failed test, but I just started getting my breakfast on a seedless roll...and never had another issue again... Crazy but true !