Question about taking an employment drug test.

btgoss · Regular Joined: 31 Mar 2005 Posts: 20

Hello,
I am starting a new job, one that will be much more easy to manage, which I think is what I need during the next year and a half of my maintenance chemo. However, it does require a drug test.
I have Lymphoblastic Lymphoma and my maintenance chemo includes the following.
Vincristine injections once a month.
Methotrexate tabs once a week
and a daily dose of Mercaptopurine.
Additionally I take the occasional Percoset for pain from a pre-existing back condition and the pain caused by being on Warfarin for clotting.
I do not wish to draw attention to my cancer, so I was wondering if anyone has had to an employement drug test during treatment.
My doctor assures me that it won't show any cancer treatment drugs, and if it does they will help me explain it, but I would feel better if someone who had been through this could share their experience.
Thanks,
Brian

mssue · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 3:27 am Post subject: RE:

Hi Brian,

I sure hope one of the Doctors here read your post in time ,before you take that test, in order to give you some advice. Even if they don't your own Doctor gave you some valueable info.I think that if you make a list of the medications you are taking,without what they're for, if anything shows up ,they have an explaination.Ask or tell the person that gives you the test about what you're taking ,if it will affect the results, that way they know up front about you med regiment. Usually what they are looking for are street drugs,you know like marajuana, cocaine things like that. Everything that you are taking has been prescribed to you by your Physician. You should be okay for the drug screening Cool

. Good Luck!
Everything will be alright try not to worry.Take good care of yourself.

God Bless You!
_________________
Sue
Age-44
DX-8/29/2003
Stage 1 - ER/PR-,HER2-NU+
Infilterating Ductal Carcinoma
Modified Radical Mastectomy/Left-side
4 Rounds of A/C-completed 1/2004

wjsmith82 · Regular Joined: 26 May 2005 Posts: 13

GC/MS is used to look for specific drugs. Employers utilize a standard five-panel test of commonly abused drugs, consisting of Marijuana (THC), Cocaine, PCP, Opiates (such as codeine and morphine) and Amphetamines (including methamphetamine). Your chemo agents will not show up as any of these drugs and the labs will not know what they are unless they are intentionally looking for them. Has your physician perscribed or have you taken any pain medication within the past 2 week?

Don't worry and enjoy the new job.

btgoss · Regular Joined: 31 Mar 2005 Posts: 20

Well I took the test. It was not a blood test, just a urine sample test. I guess they are not as good because I tested positive for the presence of hydrocodone. The only problem being that I do not take hydrocodone, I take oxycodone, which did not show up in the results of the test. Confused? Well so am I.
The "doctor" who called me yesterday did not have an answer as to why that might be the case, hopefully my doctors might be able to shed some light on the situation.
I try to think of possible reasons why this might have happened.
1. My pharmacist screwed up and filled my perscription wrong (Not likely)
2. The drug lab screwed up. (maybe.)
3. I am so drug adled that I take hybdrocodone and this personaility doesn't even know it. (Good for a movie, but not likley)
4. My wife secretly changed my old medication for new medication (works in coffee commercials, but not likely)
5. Oxycodone, when taken with the chemo cocktail that I am on, breaks down into the markers that are used to identify hydrocodone. (Sounds good, but I don't know if this is possible.)

Any thing I may have missed? Alien intervention? MIB's?

I just hope I can fix this soon, I am supposed to start next week and this really is the perfect job for me to have right now.

I will post when I learn more.

wjsmith82 · Regular Joined: 26 May 2005 Posts: 13

Oops, I just saw the percoset for pain. This is the problem. The drug testing service should have a phycian contact you. Refer him to your phycian and you Rxn. Both the pain drugs you listed are morphine based. They will last for about 2 weeks in your system.

Good luck

btgoss · Regular Joined: 31 Mar 2005 Posts: 20

Well I have failed the test.
So now it looks like I will have to "out" myself as a cancer patient, something that I would rather not have done.
The sitcking point is the fact that the testing company does not test for oxycodone, but does test for hydrocodone. I am going to provide them with a letter from my doctor, who happens to be head of oncology/hematology at a pretty large teaching hospital, and in this letter he will inform them that it is his opinion that the two drugs are so similar that this mistake is very likely. Will that be enough to "clear" my name, I do not know. It doesn't look good right now. But I will try to resolve this situation and hopefully still keep this job.
I hate bringing my cancer into this situation, but I guess it can't be helped at this point.
Anyone have tips on how to run a media circus? Because if I push just a little, I know I could make this a HUGE deal, giving the parties involved.
I will post when I have an update.
Thanks,
Brian

leo · Site Admin Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 1574

Hello

Well, hydrocodone and oxycodone are quite similar molecules, so the test may detect a part of the molecule that is shared between hydrocodone and oxycodone.

I understand that you would rather not expose your medical history with your employer. I hope things turn out well for you.

best regards,
Leo
_________________
Leonardo F - Webmaster Cancer Forums
Disclaimer: this information is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice.

btgoss · Regular Joined: 31 Mar 2005 Posts: 20

As I said I failed the test.
According to what I was able to get from my contact person at the agency, the cut off for hydrocodone is 300, and I tested at 1400. Obviously I think this is from my being on Oxycodone. And while I provided a letter from my doctor saying just that, the company has choosen to not send me for the job.
Here is the situation on the job. The job is a low level job with a major company. This company does not hire directy, instead it uses agencies to hire people on a temp to hire basis. After you pass an interview with the company, you are tied to the agency that sent you, so you cannot re-apply with a different agency.
So now I cannot get the job, even after I had been hired, and given a starting date. I cannot go to another agency, and the agency I went to, while telling me they will find me another position, will not help in any other way, only offering to allow me to pay for another testing of my original sample.
That doesnt sound bad on the surface, but the lab they used is run out of someone's home. I live on Long Island, labs in peoples homes are not common around here. And it is not something I am comfortable with, pardon my sounding like an elitist. Additionally the person who did the test was very unclear about what drugs I was taking, and was not 100% sure about his results, but it still cost me the job.
So here is my plan.
I took another test today, at the lab I use weekly. My doctor has spoken with them, and they understand my situation, and are going to look not only for the basic pre-employment drugs, but also a confirmation of the hydrocodone/oxycodone situation.
Depending upon the outcome of that test I will contact the company that Ihad intended to work for. Hopefully I can find someone in HR who will let me start through another agency.
If that fails, then I don't know. I guess I will try to go to the media, but that will be a bit of a problem, since in some aspect that is who the job is with. But I will post an update when I get one.
I have learned that a simple drug screening test is not so simple for us. The various drugs and chemicals that we take, and the differences in our own body chemistries can confuse and befuddle otherwise good doctors. And with so many employers requiring a drug test, that presents us with the problem of "outing" ourselves, or risking not getting hired.
Being known as a cancer patient and survivor is not a problem for me, but I recently have had enough of the pity that often comes with that, and that was my main reason for not wanting to make it known to my future employer. That and of course the fear that I would not be hired.
But we will see what happens.

Brian

mssue · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:55 am Post subject: RE: test results

Hi Brian,
Man this has got to be the craziest thing I've heard in a while. Shocked

I sure hope things work out in your favor.It's not enough that you've had to endure all that you have with the cancer - now this!
I realize your last post here was March 31-now it's June 10th. I was just wondering and hoping that everything has worked out to your advantage.I believe everything happens for a reason, though we may not always be happy with it at the time. There may be something else in store for you Very Happy

maybe even better than you could imagine. Just wanted you to know I was rooting for Ya-take care!
_________________
Sue
Age-44
DX-8/29/2003
Stage 1 - ER/PR-,HER2-NU+
Infilterating Ductal Carcinoma
Modified Radical Mastectomy/Left-side
4 Rounds of A/C-completed 1/2004

wjsmith82 · Regular Joined: 26 May 2005 Posts: 13

Hi Brian,

Sorry to hear the job thing has not worked out.

If I may ask, what does 300 and 1400 mean? Do they have units of measure, or are they detection limits set in units of absorbamce? Are you still having to manage pain with morphine based drugs? How much and how long may influence a perspective employer. You should discuss this with your doctor.

Hydrocodone and oxycodone are similar molecules but have different retention times and molecular weights by GC/MS. In the hands of a skilled analyst, they should be easily distinguished.

Questions you may want to ask: Is oxycodone oxidized in the body to hydrocodone? A pharmacist may be able to answer this. What type (specific equipment and lab protocol) did the drug testing company use? What are his/her credentials and have they been validated by state licensing boards?

You may be able to discredit the testing lab, but this would also not look good for the placement company. It sounds like they are bargain hunting and not getting the best possible results.

Good luck with the cancer treatment and job search.

Best regards,

Bill

leo · Site Admin Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 1574

The way I see this, it doesn't matter if this was oxycodone or hydrocodone. What matters is that you are not abusing this drug, or obtaining it through illegal channels. You are taking it from a physician for an established medical problem. That by itself should be able to clear the mess.

regards,
Leo
_________________
Leonardo F - Webmaster Cancer Forums
Disclaimer: this information is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice.

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