So I am getting ready for bsn nursing school to start in the summer. One of the things that was required was a drug test. I took it without any hesitation, since I do not take any drugs. However, I did messed up before the drug test. Because of all the stress of moving, getting ready for nursing school, and personal life things my mother suggested I take one her lorazepam pill to help me calm down. I took it without hesitation because it a pretty universally used drug.
The part that I messed up at is that I took it before the drug test and it showed up. I obviously have no documentation saying that I have a prescription. So now I am kicking myself in the head and I don't know what to do.
What are the consequences for this? Will I be prevented to start? Are there any legal problems I should worry about? Can I retake it to show I am not an addict or have a problem with drugs? I am thinking of e-mailing my programs director to explain my situation and tell him "I am an idiot, I am not an addict, and I am very sorry. Please don't kick me out". Thoughts?
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
It it is against TOS to recommend, but I might sugest to me, to seek RX fom my provider
I don't think that would work unless you could convince the doc to backorder the Rx. Otherwise, the original date of the Rx would be after the date of the UDS.
OP did make a mistake. Although I do think it is commonsense, in my opinion, that one should NOT take a prescription medication written for another person, especially a controlled substance, it is not the end of the world. To say the OP is not nursing material is more than harsh. Yikes.
When I was 18, I had no idea about controlled substance regulation. A worker from the shop next door was selling we Percocet after a dental procedure. I knew it was wrong to sell them, but I didn't know it was illegal when she gave one to me and a coworker for free. I never did take it (lost it while saving it for a bad period, when long before a PCOS diagnosis, I was not offered anything more effective than Advil for my hellish cycles) but I would have.
I suspect the writing is on the wall with this nursing school, but it may not hurt to talk to them because all try can do is still reject you. OP, I hope things work out for you in some way down the road. It is illegal to take a controlled substance without a script, but I doubt anyone could or would report this to the police for the purpose of creating legal trouble. Better now than a year into the program when you would have to explain an expulsion of you tried to continue your education elsewhere 😕
That might be smart advise because if she is not allowed into the program, d/t a positive result, she may have to divulge that when she applies to another program. If she drops out now, she won't have to say anything about taking illegal drugs.
I don't think that would work unless you could convince the doc to backorder the Rx. Otherwise, the original date of the Rx would be after the date of the UDS.
That would be a titch illegal. Even if they write the rx for pre-drug test, she didn't have a script filled pre drug test.
The people that think this is just a little mistake are the ones that need to be watched very carefully when wasting medications. Just saying.
Oh, please. Do you really not believe that large segments of the public don't "get" that it's illegal to share their medications? Families do it all the time and sincerely don't recognize they're doing anything wrong, certainly not anything illegal. The OP made a mistake, and now knows better. End of story.
I grew up with a physician father and an RN mother, and, before I went to nursing school, I didn't realize it was illegal to take a family member's rx drugs, or that there could be any negative repercussions. I didn't recognize there was any significant difference, legally, between schedule drugs and other rx drugs. Buying drugs on the street? Definitely illegal. Your mother giving you one of her pills because she thinks it would help you? No clue. Never thought about it one way or the other.
I was just reading your own thread about turnover and poor morale in your workplace. Is it by any chance because you go around accusing the nurses working with you of stealing drugs or not being fit to be nurses??
Absolutely if you are planning to go to nursing school and you have to take a drug test you need to provide a prescription for any controlled substance before you take the test they generally ask you do you take any prescription drugs and if you do you say yes number two it's illegal to take prescription drugs that are not prescribed to you which if you're getting your BSN maybe you already have an LPN or an RN you should know this obviously if you're going to college you should know this you're not a baby they could absolutely deny you entry for a positive drug test I doubt you would have criminal charges but they could very definitely did not you entry to the program
While the majority of cases between the 1960s to the 1990s involved monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), in the last decade, the most commonly cited antidepressant for misuse has been bupropion, primarily via intranasal administration.."
People SNORT Wellbutrin for fun?! Now THAT is scurry. Wellbutrin does enough weird stuff when you take it properly.
Ive never heard of people being tested for tricyclics in routine drug screens before. As far as I know it's ill advised, but not illegal, to share rx drugs that are not controlled substances. Heck, even dextromethorphan can be abused. I certainly understand how licensed professionals would be held to a higher standard though.
OCNRN63, RN
5,979 Posts
I don't think that would work unless you could convince the doc to backorder the Rx. Otherwise, the original date of the Rx would be after the date of the UDS.