False Positive Drug Test At My Methadone Clinic In Pittsburgh Pa (Page 2)
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I've been going to the same methadone clinic for 6 years. I'm on a low dose of 44mg a day and am a model patient. For me, methadone was the answer. It gave me a life. I was living a terrible life before that. I had an awful childhood, started doing drugs as a teenager, eventually got hooked on opiates and worked my way up the ladder from vicoden all the way to H. Multiple rehab and jail stints cleaned me up temporarily, but I always relapsed. The last few years I lived in hotel rooms, and did what I had to do to get money. I was miserable. Finally my boyfriend and I decided we had enough and joined a methadone clinic in a last ditch effort to end the pain of our lives. After the first 3 months I never got a dirty urine again. I earned my privileges one at a time, right on time, and after 2 years I only had to go to the clinic once a week and the rest were take home bottles. I also take an anti-depressant (cylexa) and a benzodiazipine (klonopin 0.5mg, 3 times a day). It's all on the up and up and I never took another drug again. I haven't to this day. I only take my methadone, cylexa, and klonopin - AS PRESCRIBED. In that time period my boyfriend (who was doing just as well as me on the methadone clinic) moved out to the suburbs to a cheap apartment, cut off contact with every single person we knew, and devoted ourselves to living a good,decent, moral life. We started working with a homeless cat organization and that is still what we spend our time doing. We got married too.

Then, in 2012, we actually managed to purchase our own home. We had a good car too. We had a life! It just didn't involve very many people. We had lost trust in people and also didn't want to ever go back to the horror of our former life; we figured animals were the best company and we are very content in our rather isolated exsistance. In the last 6 years the only visitor we've ever allowed in our home is my husband's aunt who raised him and we feel safe, secure, and stable. I only tell you all this because it makes what happened so much worse. I get random urine testing monthly, and even though I take my meds every day, I always come up negative for benzos. So my counselor told me I didn't have to keep bringing in forms every month from my doctor because my tests didn't show benzos. Well that counselor left and after 6 years with him I got a new, jerk of a counselor. But whatever... I only go once a week and only have to do a half hour counseling per month. ("counseling"...what a joke). Then last week my urine came up dirty for benzos. I thought this was strange because it had never happened before, but the head-honcho of the clinic told me they just started using a new drug testing lab. (of course they fed-ex the urines to a lab out of state, and they would only switch to a new lab if it was going to save them money). They said you can't take your bottles home, you've lost your privilages until you bring in a form from you doctor. I said I'll go right now and get the form filled out and bring it back. They told me if I paid $35 for a retest that they could then give me my week's worth of take-homes and I could bring the form the following week. And as long as the test comes back just showing klonopin, then I would have my $35 refunded. They said this test actually tests to see what kind of benzo you're taking. I said "fine" because I had nothing to worry about. But the next week they said the test showed I was positive for alprazolam-metabolites, NOT colozapam-metabolites. And they didn't believe me when I told them this is wrong. Now I'm convinced the cheap lab mixed up the results the first time.

People who take alprazolam/Xanax do show up positive most of the time, but me and my husband who both take prescribed klonopin always show up negative for benzos. Other people who take klonopin have told me their tests always show negative for benzos too. Now they have taken my privilages. And it just so happened that our car was in the garage getting major work done on the transmission at that moment and going everyday has been a hardship. We got our car back today, but I don't drive, so now my husband has to go everyday too because he has to drive me. And most of all it is so difficult to have these people treat me like I'm a liar and a user. I have been a model patient and so has my husband (and even though they always say "it's not about him, it's about YOU", they still gave him weird testing that they never did before, to check the type of benzo he's taking, and they only did it because of me) They told me I had to sign these papers admitting to it but I refused. I'm innocent. I offered to do a hair follicle test that shows everything in your system for the past 90 days and they said it wouldn't matter. I just want to use an outside lab that can be trusted. But they don't want to help. If anyone has any idea what course of action I can take to prove my innocence to my methadone clinic please let me know. I am not afraid of any legitimate test because I'm telling the truth. I'm just afraid of them screwing me over. It's either error or it's fraud. Obviously the mistake was made on the first, simpler test, that came up positive for benzos. So the retesting of that urine in a specialized test could've been testing the same mixed-up urine from the first one. I NEED ANSWERS. I've done everything I'm supposed to. It's been a tough road but I've been proud of myself for years now and they are making me feel like crap. Please tell me what I can do to resolve this. Thanks for reading this whole tirade.

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Hey. I've been on methadone for thirteen years. I'm from Chicago, and last year me and my husband ho is also on methadone moved to myrtle beach south Carolina. After Christmas they accused us of falsifying a drug test cause they saw me hand something to him on camera, which was actually his bottle to return , and they put us on a ten day administrative detox. We of course appealed, and were still kicked out. Our lives this last month have never been worse. We went straight back to using because there are no other clinics here, we don't have insurance and the only other option is suboxone which no doctor's in the area are either taking new patients or not taking patients for months and even then it's 300$ each for us to see the doctor.anyway they have ruined our lives over speculation. I made enough waves for them to review case and that's Tuesday. I'm so scared. If they don't take us I don't know what to do. What do you think,any advice?

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Dear Mandy, hello again! I, in doing some more reading here, have a few things I'd like to add...The original screen was "automatically confirmed" so they said and came back "dirty for H" This is after years like 3 or 4 or cleans at my methadone clinic! Which by the way is not far from Pittsburgh, P.A. It is actually in the county over.well in others' writings I see things like that get dismissed because it is out of character! That was not a correct result as I know what I do but they said nothing I can do because it came back dirty.I took it not knowing better but stated it was wrong.never signed anything. Then they said 60 days I can have my 1 time week back so, next urine was obvi correct as it came back clean w my prescription in it only. Then the very one before my privs were to be returned I had my 30min counseling and asked to do paperwork for my privs back n my counselor said it came back dirty!! I told them that it is incorrect and I was not just going to take it again! What do they care! I asked for copies of my u.a. screens when this began and after a bunch of crap got them. The first "fail 3mos ago" says they did a 6MAM and it had morphine AND codeine in it, next clean urine, then the next was prelim for opiate fail.I asked why did they not do a confirmation and was told "it's expensive so we wanted to ask you first!" Really!? I said send it because it is wrong and when it came back Over 11days from original screen date, ir had positive morphine at .89 circled! Not any codeine But the nurse wrote on my u.a. 'MUST BEGIN TAKE HOME PROCESS DUE TO REPEATED HEROIN USE." WHAT!? No...I won't be walked on...these are both wrong results w a clean in between and never in 3yrs at this place and 3 at another have I come back dirty!!! I definitely need to know what CARF is and would love to touch base.I know the u.a. procedure is very wrong at my clinic and I get short end while ppl using seem to now have privs!! Help appreciated!!

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Hi Mandy! Yes, I'd love to chat more on my situation and this CARF you mentioned...along with everything else! We are being productive members of society again and these clinics are walking all over us. They do assume we are all going to take it and are uneducated but I refuse to be another one. I thank you for your reply and look forward to chatting soon!!

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I'm really sorry to hear you're having those issues. My post that you replied on was from back in April, and I did get my weekly privileges back, but it took over 3 months. My clinic owns 13 other clinics in 4 different states, so I ended up filing a grievance that I escalated to the highest level in the main corporate office. It took some doing. I did a lot of research, and my husband acted as my Patient Advocate doing tons of research and basically conducting an investigation into the inner workings of their business. We uncovered a lot of dirt! The kind of dirt they'd rather keep quite. I also filed a grievance with C.A.R.F., and I'd bet money your clinic is CARF affiliated too. They almost all are. If they loose their CARF accreditation it has a devastating affect on their bottom line. It's funny how all of these things Methadone Clinics are supposed to inform patients about ends up being hidden from them instead. They look at us like we're all uneducated *****s who can be easily manipulated and misled. They use this against us, and as a point of fact, the director of my clinic actually failed to follow Company Procedure, thinking that I wouldn't know what to do to go above him. They actually told me a month into this that I would never get my privileges back, that they didn't have to give me privileges, and that they told me they would deny they ever said that to me. Well, I did get my privileges back, and CARF, along with the Pennsylvania State Drug & Alcohol Bureau who handle Methadone Clinic Rules & Regulations for all clinics in the state, did their own investigations and found my clinic to be in default of multiple regulations. The director of my clinic won't even look at me anymore, but no one bothers with me either. I got switched to a new counselor too because they got quite a bit of heat for telling me, for months, that I couldn't switch counselors. Even though I told them that my counselor (a man) screamed at me and called me degrading names and that I was afraid to be around him, they still screwed with me and made me see this guy! They were totally out of line! They were running their own fiefdom because they never told anyone (even if you asked) how to contact anyone at a higher level. I best most of the patients don't even know their is a higher corporate office. Or a State Methadone Regulation Department. Or CARF. Unfortunately the reason they think that we're all uneducated fools is because most of the patients have submissively taken whatever draconian punishments they've had dished out to them because they really don't know any better. But to actually get to a point were you think that every single methadone patient fits the same mold is extremely foolish on their part. Since I resolved this incident and got my privileges back in June, I've been trying to get information out to other patients at my clinic. My husband has even offered to act as a voluntary patient advocate for anyone patients that feels they have been treated unjustly. You can overcome your situation too! If you'd like to discuss your situation in more detail, I'd be happy to help you in any way I can to get your privileges back. You shouldn't have to start all over. I do need some more details, but if you want to explore your options, leave a reply to let me know. Then I'll give you a way to get in touch with me. Hang in there. You can get through this and come out on top. In the meantime make sure you don't do anything like miss a day, or commit any other infractions that they can use against you. I know it sucks, but you need your methadone everyday, and you don't want to let this situation lead you back to any kind of negative life choices.

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First saidm so sorry and I can understand what is happening to you because I have the same basic backstory and am dealing with a similar issue.I also live very close to PittsburghI had my take homes 1time a week for the last 4yrs! I am on klodapin as well 3mg total a day, but it comes up and they automatically do a confirmation test to see what benzo it is. So, they said my u.a came up dirty for heroin..wich I never did and expressed this but they refused to do anything yada yada.They said in 60days I can go back to 1time a week as long as my urines were clean. The 1st one after that no problem then the 2nd urine 13days b 4 im about to get them back they say I came up dirty for morphine!!!! What? I did nothing either time and they won't believe us no matter how well we've been doing for how long.It is baffling! Someone told me they get paid for ppl coming daily.I have no clue what to do.This has got to be a lab cross contamination. I am speaking w the highest boss I could get to. The allmighty nurse wants me to start from the very beginning with take homes! Nah no way should I have to restart w 1day wk, then weekends then 3days week n so on. My advice to you is to go and get an appt w the highest up person you can. I mean not some one who is the boss to all the ppl at your clinic. They have to give u the number. Also fill out a "grievance" just let me know what happens and I'll do the same. They do get paid per head count daily as well as med ammt.good luck!

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Mickey,

I read your post (you're the first one to post since I started this thread in Feb.) and I totally understand your frustration. Since I originally posted when my U/A result was first inaccurate, I have learned a lot. I found that drug testing errors or not false-positives, but human clerical errors. I know the U/A results that caused me so much distress were not from my urine. Somewhere along the way someone else's urine was tested and their results got assigned to my name. You should check out this link about how unregulated and unreliable drug testing facilities are: davekopel.com/CJ/IP/DrugTesting.htm

I don't know what state you're in, but most state's stay pretty close to the federal guidelines. If you want to chat about this issue, I could share some of what I've learned while I've been battling my methadone clinic. And I've made progress too. It's taken a while, but I think I will finally vindicate myself and prevail over my clinics tyrannical methods within the next 2 weeks. Post a reply if you'd like to chat.

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I am currently at a methadone clinic and at this specific clinic I have been there 9 months just about. Well I was getting take homes for fri sat and sun but I recently messed up (1sttime) and was tested positive for benzo. I felt terrible about it and knew I was Not gonna make that mistake again. I was so close to my one week take homes. So the test came back positive like I knew it would so my counselor gave me another UA and I knew I was gonna pass this one bc there was no way I wouldn't. A couple weeks go by and get switched to a different counselor and was time for another UA which was fine I had not done anything I knew id pass. Well I get called back to talk to my counselor today thinking she was gonna tell me I am getting to phase up to my 1 week of take outs. Instead she told me that the last 3 UAs came back positive for benzos!!! Ok like I said I did mess up on that (1) but the 2nd and 3rd one there was NO WAY In the world that could be right bc I haven't done anything since that 1 slip up .25 peach football. Omg.. So here I am shocked and I know they hear this ALL the time but hell no I haven't touched anything and was proud of myself as well looking forward to coming once a week. I told her there has GOT to be a mistake she said she would fax it to the lab to see exactly what benzo showed positive (again I haven't done ANy benzo to make anything positive). I racked my brain the whole way home and all I could think was I take over the counter sleep aids every night to help me stay asleep. So I searched the ingredient in the sleep aid - diphenhydramine. Googled the ingredient asking if it can make a drug screen A false positive for benzo and there was plenty of info that states that it is common especially in large doses. I take 4 a night to help me sleep and not keep waking up every 20 min. I'm wondering if she sends the positive results to the lab if it will show that ingredient in the sleep aid or if they will just retest it for benzo and that is it. That is all it can be but now I got to pay $10 for every failed UA on top of whAt it costs daily for their mess up!!! Does or has anyone else had this problem or one similar and if so please let me know how it turned out. I'm so frustrated!!! I need answers !!!

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