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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by woolav on September 8, 2004, at 11:42:04
Hello, I am taking a urine drug screening for a job this afternoon. Does anyone know if xanax/lamictal or prozac will skew it or show up? Also, (sorry this is gross) but if I am menstrating, will that have an effect also???
Help!!!!!!!!!!!1
S
Posted by becksA on September 8, 2004, at 11:56:37
In reply to Urgent info needed today!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by woolav on September 8, 2004, at 11:42:04
If it did, as long as you're prescribed, why would that present a problem?
Posted by Racer on September 8, 2004, at 12:00:51
In reply to Urgent info needed today!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by woolav on September 8, 2004, at 11:42:04
The complete answer is that they can test for pretty much anything they have a mind to test for. That means that, if the lab chooses to test for, say, benzos, they can.
Here's where the $$ come in, though. The more drugs the company asks to have tested for, the more they have to spend. Since the company doesn't want to spend money unnecessarily, they're very unlikely to do more than screen for the Usual Suspects: opiates, THC, cocaine -- the illegal drugs. They have no incentive to test for any legal drugs -- especially since they can be dinged for it if they do, as a violation of your civil liberties, if nothing else. There's also the ADA stuff, since depression is considered one of those protected disorders.
Even if the prescriptions you take might skew the results somewhat, the lab would run additional, more sensitive tests for the specific drug(s) they were testing for. Then they'd say, "Oh, false positive" and leave it at that. The labs are For-Profit, so they're not going to waste their resources testing for drugs that they're not being paid to test for. If they do test for something weird, for any reason, they can also be dinged for invasion of privacy.
The bottom line is that, if the test is ordered by anything like a respectable company, your prescription drugs are not going to be reported. You can stop worrying about it.
Posted by woolav on September 8, 2004, at 12:15:40
In reply to Keep in mind the $$ factor » woolav, posted by Racer on September 8, 2004, at 12:00:51
whew...thanks guys. I feel better. I was just afraid that they might test for benzo's and then not hire me without giving me the chance to say i have a prescription for them...
It is a very large wireless company that Im trying to work for, so they prob. will just test for illegal stuff....
thanks
S
Posted by King Vultan on September 8, 2004, at 12:27:54
In reply to Urgent info needed today!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by woolav on September 8, 2004, at 11:42:04
> Hello, I am taking a urine drug screening for a job this afternoon. Does anyone know if xanax/lamictal or prozac will skew it or show up? Also, (sorry this is gross) but if I am menstrating, will that have an effect also???
>
> Help!!!!!!!!!!!1
> S
I don't know, but I really wouldn't worry about it (particularly since there's nothing you can do about it). Employers don't care about these particular drugs you are mentioning--they are interested in the illegal stuff, like marijuana and cocaine. Now, if you were taking amphetamines for ADD, this might actually be an issue, as one might expect that this is the type of thing they are actively looking for. However, at least in the US, an employee (or potential one) could not be discriminated against if they had been prescribed a controlled substance for a particular medical condition--well, at least outside of the sports world, where a different set of rules seems to apply.Todd
Posted by woolav on September 8, 2004, at 16:50:12
In reply to Re: Urgent info needed today!!!!!!!!!!!!!, posted by King Vultan on September 8, 2004, at 12:27:54
This is the end of the thread.
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