Does Your Sub Doctor Drug Test You?

[TheTalkingAsshole]

From what I heard IRL and from this site it seems like a majority
of sub doctors require drug tests, if not scheduled than possibly random.
Fortunately I asked my doc at the first visit, she said only had to do it once
to prove I actually had opiates in my system. She didnt care that I tested +
for weed, benzos, barbs, and amp.

Anyways, yea, do it.

[dolofina]

Yes- mine does require drug tests- every time I see him- plus randoms. I believe this is only because the insurance that I have now requires these tests- in order for them to cover the cost of my subs. When I had different insurance before, my sub doctor did not drug test me as much, and when he did- it did not matter then, as much as it does now, if I do come up positive for something.

[TheTalkingAsshole]

my doctor is a psychiatrist with a "holistic" (non-prescription) approach, as well as prescribing the good shit
definitely seems like she herself is on some kind of psychotropic something

[pink_reaper]

Mine does it "randomly", but somehow I would end up being on the list 5-6 months back to back so I just expected it every time I went. A friend who goes to the same clinic said they've only ever tested her twice in almost 2 years so who knows!

[iriewon]

when i was on subs for 6months i was gettin the max 32mg a day. and was tested one time during that 6 months and it was during my intake. really didnt like the way subs made me feel back then...this was when they 1st hit the market here and only a few dr's were rx'n them and were limited to 30patients each. shit cost me a fuckton to get into it and the scripts were fucking insane too. cut myself down from 32mg that 1st day to 4mg within a week...learned really quick that NO ONE needed that much or anywhere near it. at the end of the day i really had no plans on quitting...and i was hoping they were kinda like methadone and i could use on top of them...and i could at low doses plus it was nice to know that i had something incase i ran out of w/e and shit wasnt gonna look good on the re-up for a little while.

second time was the same deal with the same dr except 24mg rx'd a day. this time taking even less from 4mg to 2mg within the week. tested me once during intake and went for 4 months had more than enoug stockpiled and stopped going. i had asked a few others in the waiting room if he tested them also and most of them said nope not unless he suspected something and some ppl who had been there for years said they were tested maybe once or twice a year so i guess i never got the chance.

third time around with a dif. dr he tested me on intake and i spent 3 months going. the 1st month he had me coming bi-weekly and tested me everytime. then once a month for the next 2 months he tested me when i went in for my script. was on 24mg from him too and taking 2-4mg every 24-48hrs.

every dr is dif. some are just in it for the $ some genuinely give a shit although those kinda drs have been rare ime.

[Cognitive_Shift]

Nope, not even on the initial visit. I don't think anyone has ever been piss tested unless they showed up to the doctor with pin point pupils and nodding.

[Miss M]

In 2 1/2 years and two different doctors I did exactly one UA -- that was on the second visit to doc # 1. The test was only for buprenorphine. Doctors are advised to test their patients at this point for bupe, to insure that their patient is actually taking it, as opposed to selling their script, I guess. At least that's what he told me.......After that UA, he went on and on about how he had a "zero tolerance policy" for benzos, cocaine, meth and pretty much every other illegal-type drug....and then never tests me again.

[zer0sleep]

My clinic has never tested me in the year and a half I've been going there. They claimed they would test me for the initial appointment but they didn't even do that. They only prescribe Subs and Naltrexone...no "good stuff".

[Ironic]

When I went to the clinic, they only tested you if you admitted to a relapse (weird, right?) as well as at induction (first appt.)

The private doc I see now tests everytime, but doesn't care about +s for THC, and prescribes benzos to some patients (including myself).

[jibthis]

My doc tests me upon each visit, every fucking time. My visits are monthly and if you drop dirty he makes the next appointment for 2 weeks instead of the month. I know since I had dropped dirty once at the beginning of my treatment. I was actually clean when I went in for my first visit since I was buying some off of a good friend who actually referred me to the doc. He also says he gets tested monthly but has yet to drop dirty. He has been going for over a year now. I don't understand what the big fucking deal is, he even said he wouldn't boot you if you were dirty just schedule the appointments closer (probably just wants the money). He says he understands people relapsing and it's part of recovery, so why the fuck test?

[Ironic]

My doc tests me upon each visit, every fucking time. My visits are monthly and if you drop dirty he makes the next appointment for 2 weeks instead of the month. I know since I had dropped dirty once at the beginning of my treatment. I was actually clean when I went in for my first visit since I was buying some off of a good friend who actually referred me to the doc. He also says he gets tested monthly but has yet to drop dirty. He has been going for over a year now. I don't understand what the big fucking deal is, he even said he wouldn't boot you if you were dirty just schedule the appointments closer (probably just wants the money). He says he understands people relapsing and it's part of recovery, so why the fuck test?

I agree with you, in the sense that people who want to stop using have no reason to lie about relapsing (assuming that you have a good doctor and it isn't happening once a week). I may not be the best one to be considering this out loud though, because I don't tell my doc about my "relapses." but that is because they are so infrequent, I don't have to worry about dropping dirty for anything other than weed, which my doc is OK with.

Some docs probably should test..like if they are prescribing you Sub with a (quasi)narcotic like benzos or Adderall. If one of those patients ODed and they were being written a bunch of drugs, wouldn't liability on the doctor's part be a concern?

[limitless_euphoria]

I answered "it's random" ... but, a) I no longer go and b) it WAS random but it was curious how I got asked MUCH less frequently. It wasn't until the doc decided that everyone needed pharmacy reports run all of the time. He used to stand by his word that he didn't believe in drug testing. He saw compliance and patients returning as a good sign. At first the "drug testing" was just because insurance companies didn't want to pay for bupe. I mean, yes, I get it, psychiatry and opioid maintenance are net losers, sure. Who wants to underwrite an addict—especially an addict with psychiatric issues. But then pharmacy reports come along and by doing the drug testing the doctor probably realized "shit, my patients aren't as compliant as I'd hoped—John here is smoking pot, Jane's back on the benzos again—screw it, I'll just test all the time now and run pharmacy reports on everyone—trustworthy or not!"

I wish neither had ever come around. Those are ultimately what led to the end of our doctor-patient dealings. I was getting klonopins from the psychiatrist at a health clinic that takes Medicaid. In hindsight, much like people who go off pain pills to later learn they weren't in pain, their body was just willing to do anything to make them get the pills, benzos, too, have a way of making one's brain generate panic events to make the person seek the umbrage of the benzo tree. My vast choices for a PCP went buy-bye when I lost my self-bought PPO (Blue Cross Blue Shield). When the doc I saw went to a clinic that neither takes Medicaid nor takes most HMO's, shit, that's when things got bad. The sub doc was a psychiatrist too. He asked how come this other guy was prescribing and I asked him "where do you think I got my meds if I wasn't seeing you the couple of times I quit. You know you haven't seen me for a behavioral visit in a year or more!"

Were it not for drug testing and pharmacy reports, I'd likely still be going there—I'm still conflicted. Part of me says "well you can't really afford the fuckin' money anyway" but part of me says "you haven't kicked the subs yet and even if you IM them, there will come a day when that bottle's empty and I don't think you're getting the kind of gift you got to taper with i.e. one of the wife's scripts!"

She's made it clear she's not going to keep filling it because she only sees it making things worse. I still have mini panic attacks a few times per week. I know it's my body going "feed me benzos bitch" but I make sure I reply "no bitch" because that's one less thing I take every day and my goal is to consolidate. The Brits really figured this one out well. Benzos are every bit as insidious as narcotics. Why doctors say stupid shit like "oh, tolerance only builds in addicts" just boggles my friggin' mind. Tolerance builds in anyone that takes any kind of drug for any prolonged period of time, did you NOT pay attention in medical school!? Eh, I digress.

Sorry, guess that touched upon some old wounds, and yes, I do have a resentment about leaving earlier than planned. I wanted to accrue some more subs in my warchest before having to depart. Then again, I was not really benefiting. He was just my sub dealer vis-a-vis copays, truth be told. A positive UA for pot probably didn't help either. Then again, I'd been saying since early 2009 that my days of using subs, k-pins and pot concomitantly were numbered anyhow.

[Metrik]

I voted yes-randomly. I no longer go to said sub doc but when i did i rarely got tested but when i did it was random, they used this system where they randomly picked a number between 1 and 10 each day and if that number was the same as the last digit on my medical card number then I had to pee. However i only had appointments once a month so it was rare that my number came up at all. But the doctor was hella cool and didnt care about pot or my relapses as long as i was honest with her (which i rarely was except when i came up + on my piss test lol). In fact im pretty sure i tested dirty almost everytime i got tested and she never did a damn thing about it but talk to me a bit.

[Brony]

My sub doctor tests randomly, usually every 3 or 4 months.

[SpaceChimp]

I got tested the first visit yesterday, and he said I'd be tested next time too, but I think just to make sure it was in my system.

[Duckfeet]

Mine never did: I think he told me he had the option, but he seemed pretty glad to have me, I got the impression his regular doctor practice wasn't going all that well, and he was really nice to me...I asked for subutex, and he had no problem, and his visits were just 50 bucks...he was from Ivory Coast, and his wife was the receptionist, and did some kind of herbal medicine stuff....nice guy, I always felt like if I had played my cards right he might have given me some better drugs....my problem was just that I didn't much like subs all that much, but doc was fine...

[SubHuman]

nice guy, I always felt like if I had played my cards right he might have given me some better drugs....my problem was just that I didn't much like subs all that much, but doc was fine...

Thats funny man, my doc gives me the exact same impression. Its always right on the tip of my tongue to say Id much rather be on methadone maintenance but dont want to deal with the clinic and have him magicaly say "I can Rx methadone for you". When I first started in treatment with him I mentioned how I wasnt sure whether or not I should go on methadone and he told me "a few of my patients are on methadone" and I dont know if he meant for pain or maintenance, Im assuming pain since the latter would be illegal but man I wish I could get Rx'd methadone.

[SalvationThroughDilaudid]

Yep, drug tests at random and I say it's bullshit. I'm there voluntarily, it's not like I'm on fuckin parole.

[Strapped420]

I have had 3 different doctors... First one was at an outpaitent i went to when i was 16. They drug tested. Second, Was a lady doctor who was prescribing me them until i found a new doctor.she drug tested me (oops so 4) THe next doctor was a FUCKING ASSHOLE. Biggest douchbag ive ever met. he was this gruff old man who wore his glasses at the tip of his nose. He drug tested me. i got kicked out cus i wouldent let him see the track marks on my legs haha. But my next doctor, Is this 75 year old japanese guy who is chill as fuck. Has ac one room office. its just him. He hasent tested me once. hes awsome.

[*LIdiesel69*]

my doctor has recently gained a slight reputation, and has started putting signs all over his office about how he will no longer be prescribing oxys. along with this, he shall begin testing his sub patients, at our cost every other visit or so. basically, he is a very very nice doctor and people took advantage of him. i haven't been tested more than 2 times since i was first prescribed, and both times were for starting intake. lucky for me i have nothing to hide beside the fact that i inject my subs. in a perfect world scenario i would be prescribed a generous amount of dilaudid for maintenance but until then im stuck with the films, and a nice dream of a planned relapse

[ryan5892]

my doc never tested me, not even on the first appointment.... but this was nearly 5 years ago..

[sexualhealing]

never tested except for the time I was at my docs and he had been raided by the DEA a week prior to my visit... he said to keep everything on the up and up when i went back in 3 months he "really needed me to have a test on file"... this was 3 years plus with said doc...lol...

[alexnt]

I get my suboxone prescribed at a clinic and every time you go in to get script you have to be tested befor the Dr will write you the script.

[sfgiant]

Never been tested, even my first visit I wasn't drug tested.

[chopstix]

The last one I saw did, what an asshole he was. 2x monthly and he'd only write for 2 weeks.

He also, after 5 years of being on 20mg valium a night (initially prescribed by someone who has forgotten more about addiction tx than this clown will ever realize), after trying to transfer my script over from a doc in a different state to his practice, he cut the script IN HALF. Had I not understood the implications of that, I would have been in a serious world of hurt, and if he had taken ANY fucking time to get to know my situation, he'd know benzo wd and insomnia will drive me back to heroin quicker than a Top Fuel car, and destabilizing my benzo intake was a really poor move on his part.

Just out of the blue, HALF. We had some very heated words in his office and that was the last time I saw him. Fucking jerk.

[starla]

every damn time. i like him though. at first he said if i didnt quit the benzos he could no longer treat me. now he writes my zanny script.