Just took a urine test... was it for pot?

[ts2334]

Hi, this is my first post although I have been on this board for a long time.

I recently switched psychiatrists and my new doctor ordered that I undergo simple blood work based on different perscription meds I am on.

He knows I used to smoke but is under the impression that I no longer do.

Anyway, I also had to urinate in a cup when I did the blood work. I have never had to do this before with my old doctor.

Could this be a drug test? I am concerned because I smoked about ten days ago. I am not a minor, so if the test came up positive, would my parents be notified or would he deal with me directly and only me. If it came up positive, could he say he no longer wants to treat me because I lied to him? I am worried about all these things.

Your input is appreciaited.

[killerweed420]

If you are an adult you should not lie to your doctor or physciatrist. At least let your pharmacist know that you are smoking so he can let you know of any possible interactions with your meds. It could be important.
If you are an adult they have to tell you what they are testing for.A blood test could just be to test your liver function to make sure the meds aern't hurting anything. The urine test is most likely for drugs but could be for a diabetes check but that would normally be part of the blood draw test. You need to ask lots of questions when a doctor is performing tests. Its your body, you have a right to know.

[ts2334]

Thank you for the feedback. I didn't sign any forms of consent or anything, does that matter? I read in another post that a drug test can't be done without your consent.

I asked the clerk what the urine test was for and he said it was to make sure the urine was healthy. He did not mention drugs. I don't know what that means and what they are checking for, so I'm just a little nervous. I'm not sure if he gave me an honest answer or a generalized one.

It was a test done at Labcorp, and I was not monitored or anything while I took the test. I just went in, urinated in a cup and put it on a counter next to several other cups of urine. I'm thinking a drug test would have been more scrutinized, but I have no idea.

[killerweed420]

It sounds like he's just checking for kidney and liver function. That is standard when ever you go on prescription drugs. Even if he tested for other drugs he can't do anything with the info other than to discuss it with you. IF you are an adult and he DID check for other drugs without your consent you need to look for another doctor because he is acting unethically.

[Burnt Toast]

Under US law, the donor must be informed beforehand that the urine sample is to be tested for the presence of drug metabolites. They cannot perform drug tests without your consent.

[ts2334]

Thanks both of you for the feedback. I am less worried now, it probably was just a standard urinalysis. BurntToast, do you have a link to that law in writing? I'd love to see it. Thanks again.

Oh, and I am a legal adult. I just live under my parents roof and they pay the bills, so I'm very sensitive about this kind of thing. I'm quitting soon, but I'd hate to fail a test based on something I did a week and a half ago.

[FakeBoobsRule]

I don't have the link but burnt toast is right.

[killerweed420]

Here is some interesting reading on the consent law. It seems to vary state by state.Start at page 129.
The Physician's Perspective on ... - Google Book Search (http://books.google.com/books?id=snzOwNvIxp0C&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq=drug+test+consent+law&source=web&ots=U5gzVXKrrD&sig=8_IsRZyutQiRGTFek6UNLMqzYBQ)

[ts2334]

Thanks for the info about the consent law. Unfortunately the only state I saw in that book was Virginia, and I do not live there.

I looked into LabCorp further (http://www.labcorp.com/pdf/doa_reference_guide.pdf), and apperently the confirmation cut-off is 15 ng/mL (as opposed to 50 ng/mL?). Does the lower number mean you're more likely to pass? I don't know how it works.

For what it's worth, I am a weekend smoker who has been clean for 10 days. I am not a heavy person, although the weed I smoke is very potent. I guess I would consider a moderate smoker (I don't smoke everyday anymore and haven't in years) and the detection time according to the Labcorp PDF link is 5 days. So according to that chart I should be alright, I just don't know how accurate it is.

[Zcomp]

less likely to pass. Thats the amount in your urine.
And my dad got a simple pee test, His doctor promptly cut off his meds(hes partial paralyzed) . He's in Mass though, I'm not sure where your at. He says he didn't consent to anything, but maybe he was lying.
Stinky lives in mass I think, She may have some anecdotal evidence for ya.

[cantthink2]

he/she most likely will not tell your parents. before i was an adult my therapist used to drug test me every week ( i had to be clean for a while ). Once i turned 18, i had the right to tell him that i didnt want to be drug tested, and if i did get tested it was confidential between me and him

[Herreic68]

Man I wouldnâ??t worry at all if I was you. He isnâ??t testing for drugs. He couldnâ??t tell anyone (including your parents) even if he did b/c of doctor/patient privilege. Hes also not going to stop being your doctor...you pay him money. That being said you should probably tell him about your use, doctors are there to help you if you donâ??t trust them why bother.

[ts2334]

less likely to pass. Thats the amount in your urine.
And my dad got a simple pee test, His doctor promptly cut off his meds(hes partial paralyzed) . He's in Mass though, I'm not sure where your at. He says he didn't consent to anything, but maybe he was lying.
Stinky lives in mass I think, She may have some anecdotal evidence for ya.

Really? I don't know what to believe because of your signature :p


Man I wouldnâ??t worry at all if I was you. He isnâ??t testing for drugs. He couldnâ??t tell anyone (including your parents) even if he did b/c of doctor/patient privilege. Hes also not going to stop being your doctor...you pay him money. That being said you should probably tell him about your use, doctors are there to help you if you donâ??t trust them why bother.

That's good advice. Thank you. If I continue to smoke, I probably will tell him eventually, it's just hard to do so the first time meeting him. Drugs were basically a non-issue during the meeting, I just told him I had smoked before the meds and not since I was put on them. He didn't question me or anything, so I doubt he'd piss test me (or atleast do so without my consent). I've just never had to pee in a cup before.

Like I said though, my pockets weren't examined or anything, I didn't sign anything, and I wasn't put in any kind of special room. It seemed like just a standard urinalysis.

[ts2334]

Update: I am less worried than I have been. I looked up Labcorp, and they do standard urinalysises to make sure the urine is healthy. In other words, a going in a cup doesn't neccessarily mean it's a drug test.

I know for a fact the blood work wasn't drug related, I've done that in the past. The urinalaysis just threw me off guard because I hadn't done one before. I read different Labcorp stories here, and most underwent some kind of security procedures before taking a drug test.

When I asked the gentleman working behind the counter, he did not mention it was for drugs. Would he have had to have said it was a drug test, or could he have just been avoiding the question?

[killerweed420]

Generally if you ask they will tell you what its for. Its still odd that they did both a UA and a blood draw. I've never had them take a UA on me just the blood draw tells them how your kidneys and liver and blood sugar is doing. They can test your blood sugar with a UA too but why when they are already drawing blood? And if its checking for diabetes they always have you fast for 12 hours before the blood draw.

[ts2334]

Generally if you ask they will tell you what its for. Its still odd that they did both a UA and a blood draw. I've never had them take a UA on me just the blood draw tells them how your kidneys and liver and blood sugar is doing. They can test your blood sugar with a UA too but why when they are already drawing blood? And if its checking for diabetes they always have you fast for 12 hours before the blood draw.

Thanks... they did ask me to fast the morning of the tests, for what it's worth.

[killerweed420]

Thats good news then. They are just checking eveything out to make sure your meds aren't having any side effects.