False Negative Test For Methadone (Top voted first)

I am taking 80mg of Methadone daily for pain control. For the past two months it is not showing up in my urine or blood when it always had in the past. I am frightened because now I question what the pharmacy has been giving me. I have felt less relief of my pain over the past two months, but I would have gone into withdrawal if the medicine was not Methadone. help, I need answers. If it isn't showing up it looks as if I am not taking it, which I am. I truly cannot without pain control. Thanks, hoping for some insight.

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The very same thing is happening to me I have been researching this and the only thing I have come up with is that methadone is a synthetic and a separate test needs to be done in other words the lab that your doctor is using must be informed otherwise it will not show up on a standard urine test, I lost my doctor of 16 years because mine didn't show up either and he thought I wasn't taking it! didn't talk to me about it just sent a letter and refused to be my doctor anymore, I was lost! Thank god I found another doctor, because once you are given this for pain you can't go to a clinic or a rehab center because you were taking it for pain management, is that crazy or what? Good luck.

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I know what you mean Joanne, opiates only help so much especially with arthritis when I get a flare up, steroids is the only thing that works.

I have osteoarthritis ,Spinal steno- sis & Degenerative Disc Disease, and there is no cure for me either, my arthritis is not only down my spine but it has attacked several other joints.
I do take a anti- inflammatory, which helps some and I take Lora tab for break thru, I also take Xanax, but I read that Xanax isn't a good drug to take with Methadone( I am on 80 to 90 mg to) so I need to discuss this with the doctor.
It is an awful way to go through life I hate the idea of taking any of these drugs but with out them my life would not be worth living.
I have tried several drugs Oxycontin was one and it worked fine but my insurance wouldn't pay for it anymore, so my doctor suggested Methadone, at first I felt funny about it because I knew it was prescribed for addicts, but the doc assured me that it was a very good pain med and it lasted 8 to 10 Hrs.
It not only was cheap but it worked just fine for the most of it and I can function fine on it, the only draw back that I find is reading it makes me sleepy and I don't like to drive to far but other than that it's fine, well I hope I have helped a little. Good luck & God Bless.

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Hi Joanne, thanks for answering. This is a nice place to vent and get answers, just to know there are other people out there going through the same thing, and yes I have had blood test in the past but they never were for that, in fact the doctor did not tell me he was doing a drug test, all he said is he needed to get a sample to check and make sure I wasn't dehydrated, 2 weeks later I get a certified letter from him stating that they did a drug test on me and my medicine didn't show up and that it was against there policy and I would have to find another doctor wasn't that nice?? What a coward! after all those years he sneaked in a drug test and then didn't even have the guts to tell me! I believe that's against some law (hippa) I think, I mean why not tell me? I would of had to comply anyway so why the big secret?


While a therapist is fine for you I think places like this is good enough for me, why pay someone? most of the time they don't know what there talking about and how could they possibly know? unless they've been there?

Trust me people do not believe you until it happens to them! I have it on X ray and they still think that I should not have to take these drugs! and I tell what if it had not have happened to someone in congress we wouldn't be getting what were getting now.
I'm not suicidal I'm angry!! all though it may have sounded like I could be I could never hurt myself, I was having a bad bad day when I posted that and that's the way it came out , no I won't have to do anything to myself he the (doctor) is doing it for me by making me suffer needlessly, my blood pressure is back up and I am stressed out and it is all because of a lack of pain meds, that's what pain does to someone.
They get sicker and think in pure thoughts! I don't know yet what the doctor has in store for me, but because he is leaving any way I am going to tell it like it is!

He probably just wanted to get a little extra money in his pocket before he left his practice, what he should have done is referred me to someone else right off, all this has caused me is to worry every day on where to go next, so i have typed him a letter telling him from day one when all this started to happen to me all the pain full injections I've been through before the meds, in the hopes that he may know me a little better and understand where I'm coming from, rather that helps or not I don't know. So beware if your doctor asks you for a urine test make sure you ask him to do an extended test he should know this but some don't it's a synthetic drug and a standard test won't show Methadone and some others. Remember that they may test it with out telling you, I don't care what kind of relation ship you think you have with your doctor, push come to shove he'll turn on you and leave you out in the cold just like mine did.

You know some things that you drink or eat can alter your test they need to ask you these things but most of all they need to educate there self on the meds that they prescribe! I bet that a lot of the overdose cases are not even the drugs fault in a sense, it is the doctor that doesn't take the time to check and see if the other medicines that he/ she is prescribing will interact, most of these deaths are because of a combination of medications not because of just one drug,
I know this for a fact because my son died and that is what the coroner said when he came to my house with his results, my son was only 26 and died needlessly because his doctor didn't take the time to see what he had prescribed him, and get this 2 of the drugs were non narcotic!
He had told the doctor he had trouble sleeping and that he would wake up choking sometimes, but instead of sending him to a sleep clinic he prescribes him doxepin along with ativan, percodan,and lipitor, the first and last drug should not be taken together, you probably wonder why the pain med. well it just so happens that he had 2 ruptured disc's, and he was in a lot of pain, 2 week after my son died that doctor relocated, I did nothing.

I couldn't I was in shock and grieving and that didn't even cross my mind until around a year later and by that time I only wanted to get on with my life and not go after the good doctor, I trust my doctors only to a certain degree, because they are human and make mistakes too, so I make it a point of checking out every medication that is prescribed to me, if I think it is wrong I just don't take it and tell him I didn't work.
If you read my last post, I offered to take a blood test and give a hair sample test, I got NO response from him at all, after 16 years of being his patient he did this to me!
I would just like to know why?? and why he wouldn't let me re test!
You think after that long you know someone, well I thought I did, something had to of happened for him to do this other than that test, it just does not make sense!

I only want answers! this failed test goes on my record and if given out, other doctors will be leery to prescribe, and if there scared to prescribe that means I suffer needlessly, they need to send you to a pain clinic at least there they should know what to prescribe at least there suppose to.

I don't know about you but I don't like taking this stuff you get treated differently or maybe I'm just being paranoid but I have noticed that people that know you are on opiads look at you differently.

I'm not a drug addict! yes I am dependent on them but I do not and never have abused them. When my old doctor kicked me to the curb so to speak, I was desperate! and scared!
I did not want to go thru those horrible withdrawals and I am not in a place where I can go in to treatment! They won't treat you any way because you are pain management! They won't even take you at a methadone clinic because your pain management so where the hell are you suppose to go when this happens!

That doctor had me on 90 mgs. of Methadone for gods sake! not to mention hydrocodone & Xanax? I did have 2 refills on the Xanax & Hydrocodone but not the methadone, but that won't stop the withdrawals of methadone.

I can say this for the drug out of most all that I have tried this one doesn't make me loopy It just takes the pain away so I could function better. Another scary thing for me is I live alone and get little to no help from my family, my son lives in another State. I own my house and I need help now maintaining it as I can only do a little at a time. so you see I have all these fears and worries, I also find that the friends that you once had don't come around as much as they use to it must be kinda depressing to see someone that was once active turn into a cripple I guess, little do they know I need them more now then ever did and that's it there afraid they might have to do something for you heaven forbid!
Well thanks for listening I do need to vent once in a while and who would understand more than someone that's in a similar position. take care, PS, What State do you live in? I live in SC.

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Hi Lady Bell,
You really have helped me. Just knowing that others have to use these medications and understand the constant pain we endure, means a great deal to me.I also was quite resistant to methadone however as you say it is cheap! I just need something for the break-through pain because it is so bad that I have taken several bad falls. My pain will get so severe that I cannot stand on my foot. I also have arthritis in my joints to add insult to injury, no pun intended. I am 56 years old and never beleived that this would be. I will keep you in my prayers as I do all who suffer constant pain. Like you, without some sort of pain control I cannot walk let alone function. It is a very depressing thing to be in constant pain and others do not understand. It has certainly changed my life. I am grateful however, because the doctors were able to save my foot. They used me at a case study because they did not know how they were able to do it. Be well and stay in touch.
Joanne

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Hi Deb,
It sounds as though you are going through a very difficult time. I was very fortunate that my physician knew me well enough to realize that I was taking the medication. It turned out to be a faulty test or a test that will not show methadone.I feel that you will need to find a reputable doctor to handle your pain control. I had to search for a doctor who would not just write a script and send me on my way. I did not want to be over medicated and many of the doctors were too quick to do that. My doctor trys new drugs like anti-depressants that help people with chronic pain to help with the break through pain. Thus far nothing has really worked so I just take the methadone and that is all. Of course I am on an anti-dpressant for depression because as you know chronic pain will lead us to depression. I am very concerned about your emotional state right now. There are days we all feel like giving up, but we can't. Where there is life, there is hope. I pray that they will find something to manage the pain. Are you seeing a therapist to talk about all of the issues associated with your illness?? If not, I pray that you will. I do and it helps me tremendously. It gets me through the difficult times, the times that you are experiencing now. Please talk with someone. If you find the right medical doctor you will at least have one less worry. Did the doctor draw blood to see if the methadone was in your system? How long has he been treating you that he has doubts? Please let me know how you are doing because I am truly concerned. This site is a way of reaching out to others who suffer from chronic pain. It is a place to vent, to share and to support one another. In my lifetime I never thought that I would need this, but it makes a difference as to how I deal with things. I am not a quitter and neither are you. Please hang in and get a new doctor and a therapist. Keep in touch.
Best wishes,
Jo

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Wow, you have had your share of troubles and tragedy. My heart goes out to you. You have to find another doctor!! They should have done more tests, they did with me and sometimes the methadone shows up and sometimes it doesn't. It is quite strange actually. I take it exactly as prescribed and yet it varies. I actually said I would take it in front of the doctor and then take the test, but he said it was not neccesary. I agree that methadone has no high or low and therefore I do not fear that I will develop a tolerance. That is why I will not take anything else at this point in time. Maybe they will find a drug that is not controlled to treat RSD and that is my deepest wish. In your case the percocet should reduce any physical withdrawal. Did all of the other meds show up on the drug screen? My doctor does them on anyone who is taking a controlled substance because it is now mandated. Like you, I had no problem with that until it didn't show up. Now I believe the doctor realizes that it had to be in the testing, not me. Also as you mentioned, other things may affect the results. Please try and hang in there and find another pain control specialist if you are able to. I live on Long Island in NY. I will keep you in my prayers and hope that you will get the proper treatment.

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Dear Joanne, since I last posted things have changed with the new doctor, when I went for my appointment he slashed my Methadone from 90mg. to 40 mg. other meds remained the same, I don't know why he did this only that he said it was to much, he showed me slowly how to get down to that dose, unfortunately he did not give me enough pills and he was wrong in the amount, Methadone takes a long time to get out of your system un like other opiates.
Need less to say I have been suffering this whole month! I have never been lower than 60mg in 6 yrs. I find out now that he is planning to leave the practice so this might have something to do with it, now what?? Oh god lord I haven't been this depressed in a long time, do these doctors have any idea what they are doing to me or do they only care about the money they get and how to cover there butt!
I still am up set about the other doctor of 16 years he was there when my health went down, he knows everything about me.
I am 56 yrs. old too where do I go now?? some people say I should hire a lawyer because this one doctor has messed up my pain management, he would not even talk to me I offered to take another test blood, hair, urine what ever they wanted, I even had my bottles with me to show I wasn't selling the stuff because that is no doubt what they must have been thinking.
why? why? why? that's all I can think about and because of that test any other doctor will feel leery of prescribing me the necessary meds I need. I did not tell the new doctor of the failed urine test because I was scared that he would not prescribe me my medicine and it is embarrassing!
Well that little white lie has jumped up and bit me, because I think the other doctor told him at least that is what I think, I mean why would he give me all of it the first month and then cut it in less than half??
I just hope to god he refers me to another doctor so I won't have to go through withdrawal, I have been in some withdrawal this month but it is bearable because of the break-thru med norco and the Xanax but I have not been comfortable at all,
I could not even get that office to call me in a medose pac (steroid) luckily my knee doctor did.
I am scared I have been thinking that I don't want to live anymore and that is just not me, I hope to god this doesn't happen to you.
I have done nothing wrong and I don't know what to do to prove my self, I'm stuck! It is not my fault that my body has failed but some how they make you feel guilty about that too!
I have DDD, Spinal Stenosis, Osteo Arthritis & cervical dystonia, I am in pain every day,
both of my knees are down to the bone and need to be replaced, I have a bad foot and can barely walk, without the meds I might as well be dead! Good luck and God Bless. PS, do you think I should hire a lawyer?

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When you sign paperwork to allow your doctor to prescribe narcotics to you, you agree to random drug testing.

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I AGREE COMPLETELY. WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET THE DEA OUT OF MY MD'S AND PHARMACISTS BUSINESS?

I can understand, in view of long-forgotten abuses in the field, that there should be some agency overlooking quality assurance, but there are MULTIPLE agencies at MULTIPLE levels doing far too much minding of other people's business. Any ideas will be appreciated. Maybe we can get some energy directed this way.

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Have you been taking it as prescribed? Have you changed anything else, such as taking in higher amounts of fluids, or getting more exercise?

All of this, including your own metabolism and overall health, can have an effect on whether or not something is detected in your body.

In addition, do you know what test or lab your doctor is using? Have they recently changed the one they use?

If they aren't using a certified test, then there is actually a pretty high chance that the test isn't completely accurate. If you browse our boards, you will find many posts from people who have had a problem similar to yours or who have experience false positives for drugs that they've never taken.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Methadone/­

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I am so happy that you found a good doctor. You are absolutely on the money about the testing they were doing. Luckily my doctor knows me very well and never doubted me, but I was still quite upset about it. He now does the appropriate tests and the methadone comes up! I am finding that the medication helps to a degree, howevr I still have a great deal of break through pain. I don't want to go up in the dosage and I also don't want to go on an opiate that I will develop a tolerance to. Any suggestions? I suffer from RSD and there is no cure. All they can do is treat the pain. I am grateful that you responded!! I thought I was alone in this.

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The industry is rife with lousy labs that produce inaccurate results.

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I have no problem with that, why would I??

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I was told that methadone and Xanex is lethal together. You should check with your doctor ASAP Let us know what he says. You can also look for the answer on the computer. Just type in is methadone and xanex lethal when taken together. My sister was on Methadone and she was told not to take xanex with methadone.

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I do not take Xanax! I never have. Could you be confusing my post with someone else's? I was a nurse for 25 years and I am so careful about what medications I take. It took me three years to agree to taking methadone and I only did that because I was in a wheelchair. With it, I can at least walk. But I do think everyone should be careful about what combinations of medications they take.

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I was responding to the poster that suggested her doctor was a "coward" for drug testing her and not alerting her to it beforehand. I thought that was obvious.

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I have to agree with you totally on that!! So many abuse the drugs and I am one who would do anything to be able to be treated with something that is not controlled. My doctor gives me hope that they are testing other medications for RSD and they hopefully will be available in the next three years. A cure he said I will never see in my lifetime, but I still have hope He has wanted me to take something for break through pain, but I have refused. I do not want to be so medicated that I am a walking zombie! It is frightening to me that I will suffer with this forever, and if one takes too much medication, nothing will work. Thanks for clarifying, I am new to this as you can see. Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year. I just keep the faith and it really works for me!

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Joanne, have you ask your doctor about something for the breakthrough pain?? You might not want to take a second narcotic pain reliever, but it may be the only way to ease your pain. I had to use a second pain medication for breakthrough, and I still suffer terribly. It does ease it, but no meds will ever take all of the pain away. they are only meant to make it bearable...

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He has wanted me to take something for the break-through pain, but I have only agreed to try anything non-narcotic. I have tried so many things like neurontin, cymbalta, the list is endless. Nothing works so I would rather not take anything if there is no relief. I am so tired of medicine and would do anything to be able to not have to take anything. I hope that someday they will find a way to treat RSD without medicine, but my doctor feels that I will not see that in my lifetime. Some days the pain is unbearable, today is one of those days. I try to keep my mind busy to take the focus off of the pain, but today I cannot do that. I cannot bear any weight on my affected foot and actually have to crawl to even get to the bathroom. I could go to the ER, but for what, an injection that will help some but then the pain is back. I live alone which is good because I feel embarrased and prefer that others do not see me this way. Actually I need to get a pair of crutches for days like this. I threw mine out because I was in total denial that this was never going to go away. I remember thinking I had three surgeries, so of course it will take a little time to heal. I just never believed this would happen. I was a LPN and in my 25 years of nursing had never heard of RSD. I do think that you are right in your advice, that I do need something for break-through pain, but quite honestly I am scared. I do not want to be a zombie and all of the meds are physically addictive. I am blessed so far, that I do not seem to have the behavioral addiction, which I am grateful for. I get no pleasure in taking medications. I have to come to terms with the fact that RSD has changed my life on every level. I am not the same person I used to be. There are so many things that I cannot do that I used to enjoy doing. Thanks so much for your imput and have a healthy and happy New Year!

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The doctor has tried many non-narcotic meds because I am reluctant to take another opiate. Non of them thus far have worked. Quite frankly, I am scared to take another drug because I don't want to be a zombie. Opiates are physically addictive and that concerns me. I feel blessed that I don't have a behavioral addiction and that is a plus. I derive no pleasure in taking medications. I just wish there were another way to treat RSD. It has changed my life on every level and I am no longer the same person. Today is a very bad day because I am unable to bear any weight on my affected foot, so I have to crawl to even get to the bathroom. I had discared my cruthes long ago, never believing that I would have this forever. I thought after three surgies to my foot, I was fixed. I was, in that they were able to save my foot and I am so very grateful for that. I suppose I need to get a new set of cruthes for the "bad days." I suppose I will speak with the doctor in January and see what I should do. Thanks for your imput and have a wonderful New Year!

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