Ameritox Urine Drug Test has destroyed my doctor/patient relationship... literally.

a reply to: new_here

For God's sake call someone. Call everyone. Yours is the first of many such horror stories we are going to hear unless the Fed med train is slowed.

I read the OP and I could not believe we are here now here in America. I also am wondering how long it will be until my own son is in a similar situation. He takes vyvanse, similar to adderall. I don't know how often he skips a does due to being only 13 and just forgets. What bugs me more than anything is the charge for the drug test as that price is unreal. My employer conducts a seven panel drug test on our new hired employees. At most, it is $50 per test. This is nothing short of criminal.

As a former user some i have some experience of the psychotropic and mood stabilizers/antidepressants used in the 90s and 2000's and I use those terms lightly, and I can show proof of my history for those who doubt (I keep unfinished bottles) don't worry there well past expiration. Now here's my experience. I was a minor at the time so keep in mind my psychiatry office was shut down you can look it up. what I'm getting to is this: I've taken adderall(xr), risperdol, abilify, concerta, celexa, seroquel, zyprexa, trizodone, that is just what my mind allows me to remember without having them in hand at the moment. I was under 18 receiving Adult doses. IT TOOK THAT FACILITY YEARS TO BE SHUT DOWN. what that means is not like everyone else, two things

1. Make sure this company has not been cleared of class action some have look it up. Just taking the medicine from the pharmacy or doc is compliance verbal isn't necessary in some cases, essentially they redraw up the contract with the doctors and insurance allowing it this saying terms have changed just sign here nothing major is different and you believe it.
2. Make sure you have an exponentially talented lawyer. I'm talking Einstein of his field mind you there a're a lot of good lawyers who can win but most can't win this fight.

That's my advice take it or leave it.

Aren't we all so glad our grand emperor has mandated Obamacare for all US citizens? we can see from this one instance how well its all going to work out in the end can't we?

I'm sorry your going through this OP. I wonder which page of the 2500+ pages this one was on? Just wait, I'm sure this is going to get worse lol. Ready to overturn that law yet? lol

Find someone who is sympathetic to this problem both in the American Medical Association and in Government. They don't have to be your representative, but they love a good story.

You might also want to consider reaching out to your local news to put pressure on the doctor for what he did to you.

You mentioned he was a trusted physician after 15 years of seeing him? No "trustworthy" doctor I know of would have pulled some stupid shyte like that. You should find another doctor, and make sure that this becomes one of your interview questions... don't let another doctor do this to you again, and make sure you are notified BEFORE they change any office policies if it will effect your healthcare so that you have the opportunity to seek quality care, which is your right. They open themselves up to a lawsuit otherwise.

You definitely need an attorney. A good one. You probably need a Civil Rights attorney as well, because your personal privacy rights are also being invaded by a company that you didn't authorize to share your personal information with. I would sue the doctor you were seeing for sharing that information without your written consent (unless you consented in writing, otherwise there is no proof) and sue Ameritox for HIPPA violations.

Good luck! I will not be peeing in a cup for any of my doctors anytime soon, and if I do, I'll be sure to ask exactly what it's for before I do.

~Namaste

a reply to: new_here

Ok, here's what I'm having a problem with. When something doesn't quite add up in a person's story, it kind of buzzes around in my head until it gets my attention, and that happened in your case just now, so I decided to do some checking. This company markets itself for therapeutic drug monitoring. They specifically state that they monitor pain meds. Specifically opiates. They don't perform therapeutic drug monitoring tests for Aderall or any other medication that is not used for pain management. They only test for it to make sure their patient isn't hindering his/her own treatment. This is actually specified in the methodology link you provided.

But even so, they failed to ask me when I took the last dose. And they did not record the correct dosage instructions before sending in the urine.

It wouldn't matter when you took the last dose, because they cannot perform a quantitative drug screen from urine, nor can they isolate one specific brand or formulation of a drug in a urine test. Even if they did perform therapeutic drug monitoring for amphetamines, which they do not, they would not be able to get a specific result without a blood or hair strand test. They test for amphetamine and other substances when the physician suspects that his/her patient is abusing drugs while taking heavy medication for chronic pain.

So, what is the real story here? Ameritox states that they will test for amphetamine in chronic pain-management patients to make sure that they aren't taking anything that would interfere with opoid painkillers, and that is the only reason that they look for substances like that. Pain management should not be handled by a general practitioner either, and in most states there are very strict guidelines about that. Additionally, it would be very odd for a GP to be contracting out to an independent laboratory and paying that kind of money without having a specialty in that field of medicine...the malpractice risk isn't worth operating outside their scope of practice.

So, you're a chronic pain-management patient who came up positive on a drug screen for amphetamines and your physician dropped you? Is that what this is actually all about? Because it's the only thing that makes sense at the moment, based on what you have told us. And if that is the case, you have no legal recourse; no physician is going to be punished for discontinuing care of a patient who is jeopardizing his/her own health by taking drugs that have not been prescribed to them in conjunction with controlled substances...if you become a liability, it is perfectly ok for them to dump you, and rightfully so.

The following appeared in Practical Pain Management and was authored by Ameritox’s Michael DeGeorge, Jr., PharmD and John Weber.When a patient’s urine drug screen tests positive for methamphetamine by mass spectrometry, the result has serious implications for the patient and the provider. Determining the source of the methamphetamine is an important next step and is not always as straightforward as it appears.

Amphetamine drug testing on chronic pain patients




Ameritox Drug Monitoring

With use of prescription opioids on the rise, it is increasingly important for clinicians to effectively manage the medication adherence of their chronic pain patients. The American Pain Society and American Academy of Pain Medicine guidelines for chronic opioid therapy state that “clinicians should consider periodically obtaining urine drug screens or other information” as part of their plan of care.1Urine drug monitoring gives you critical information and insight to help you evaluate patient adherence to their pain medication regimen and help achieve better outcomes.

a reply to: tigertatzen

The OP has stated that she [I say she because of the avatar used on the profile] had a valid Rx for Adderall - since the drug test failed to discern the amphetamine in the urine, the doctor's office said the patient was not compliant and dropped the person. OP stated that she had told the doctor that she had cut back on the dosage because of uncontrollable high blood pressure and hadn't taken a dose the morning of the urine test.

a reply to: Aliensun

I believe this falls under "adhesion" clause of your medical contract. You shouldn't have to pay what you did not authorize specifically with that lab. Also, did you get the lab request from the doctor or did they FAX it to the lab? ALWAYS get your lab request so you can see what they are wanting...

originally posted by: VoidHawk
Their claims about the ability of the test is plainly bs!
Oh boy! I would go on a mission with this if I were you!

Its not just you!

This bs will go world wide if people like you dont PUBLICLY kick up a very noisy fuss about it.

Well I just sent a letter to the Medical Board in SC. That is a start?

originally posted by: InverseLookingGlass
a reply to: new_here

Contact a lawyer immediately. This is a new feature of medical totalitarianism. You must make every attempt to stay off the radar. Make them purge the record and drop the pill pusher.

As a nurse, I have to agree with the above. However, I would try and contact your physician first and inform them of the information you discovered about Ameritox and their claims. You need to remind them of the uncontrolled BP issue (WTH do they still have you on Adderall??) and their recommendations about lowering your dose/not taking it.

Adderall is out of your system pretty quickly. Your doctor should know that. Also, can you find out any infor on the new "law" that they claimed when you took the drug test?

I had to take one, just an in office one though, because I also take Adderall. They also claimed a new "law" but I let them all know I knew it was BS, but that I had nothing to hide and took their test...ONCE. I told them then that I would do it ONE time and one time only that I had never done anything, at all, to make them suspect me of diverting my medication or to suspect I was abusing it. I never heard any more about it and that was over a year ago.

Did you sign a waiver to allow Ameritox access to your medical records? If not, that is a HIPAA violation, big time.

Good luck. I HATE that this is where we are headed in medical care. It's not enough that we have ZERO privacy as it is, you'd think your private health information would remain just that, private, but it appears this is no longer the case.

originally posted by: OpenMindedRealist
a reply to: new_here

For God's sake call someone. Call everyone. Yours is the first of many such horror stories we are going to hear unless the Fed med train is slowed.

Who do I call? The AMA? I am open to ANY and ALL suggestions!!!

a reply to: new_here
You can call the hospitals your old Dr is affiliated with. They'll take complaints. Hospitals love feedback.

I got distracted.

originally posted by: warpig69
I read the OP and I could not believe we are here now here in America. I also am wondering how long it will be until my own son is in a similar situation. He takes vyvanse, similar to adderall. I don't know how often he skips a does due to being only 13 and just forgets. What bugs me more than anything is the charge for the drug test as that price is unreal. My employer conducts a seven panel drug test on our new hired employees. At most, it is $50 per test. This is nothing short of criminal.

I don't mean to scare you, but when I went to the post office to pick up my certified letter, there were 6 other people picking one up. One was a lady saying "He's only 7... he doesn't HAVE a picture ID"

About the price, yeah, they market this service to doctors. I've been reading up on this company. They expect their 'sales people' to increase the number of doctors offices using this, and they get commission on every cup of pee that is analyzed. It's a scam.

a reply to: tigertatzen

Not sure you and I read the same OP...

The OP said nothing about taking opioid medications...But that they take Adderall. The Ameritox ppl probably told the primary care MD that they should test anyone taking Schedule II controlled meds, which Adderall is.

So is Oxycontin, Opana, Morphine, Diludid and a whole host of other OPIOID medications...

This may be the "law" in SC, but if it is, they shouldn't test people taking Adderall, which is NOT an opioid, at a place "specializing" in testing chronic pain/opiate taking patients.

The letter sounds like a canned letter provided to them by Ameritox. Find a lawyer, go to your congressman and do whatever else you can to raise heck about this. It's wrong, period, to treat patients like this.

She needs to clear her name and find a new doc anyway as she should never have been taking Adderall with uncontrolled hypertension. Lucky she hasn't had a major stroke!

originally posted by: Iamthatbish
a reply to: new_here
You can call the hospitals your old Dr is affiliated with. They'll take complaints. Hospitals love feedback.

It's a General Practice with 3 docs and a couple nurse practitioners... do they really do that much with hospitals? I'm just asking. I don't know. I live in a small town. One hospital.

originally posted by: InverseLookingGlass
a reply to: new_here

Contact a lawyer immediately. This is a new feature of medical totalitarianism. You must make every attempt to stay off the radar. Make them purge the record and drop the pill pusher.

My wife asked for a copy of the Doctor progress note at her last visit, she got it, read it, totally inaccurate information abounded. Medicine is run by the Insurance companies, your local Doc probably only has 15-20" for you and probably see's 20 + patients a day. You can't slap the Capitalist paradigm onto healthcare, it just isn't a good idea and we are seeing that now. Everything is about profit and not about taking care of people.

a reply to: lovebeck

You are correct, not on any Opiods/Pain Meds. And no, it is not the law in SC, I just looked it up.
I found this on Ameritox's website, which explains why I was suddenly asked to pee in a cup:

*Ameritox Online ServicesSM allows you to submit requisitions and access reports around the clock via a secure web site.
*Rx Guardian AutoReminderSM automatically and randomly selects patients for monitoring based on a protocol you select, eliminating guesswork and bias.
*A comprehensive array of reports track patient and practice progress for more effective risk management programs.
*Strong relationships with leading insurers and managed care organizations ensure broad coverage for your patients.

Practice Management 'Resources'

I bolded the pertinent part. (Big Brother will see you now...) So essentially, if your doctor ever signs on with this company, you may walk in my shoes. I surely hope not. It is not a good-medicine-spot.

originally posted by: new_here
a reply to: rukia

I just got off the phone with him. He was very nice but said it was way beyond anything he dealt with and very complex. He asked me what I hoped to accomplish. I told him: get that out of my records, and have a physician to go to (but not that one... the trust is forever broken from my end.)

He said it would likely cost thousands of dollars, with expert witnesses and lots of research, and I could possibly contact my state's Bar for advice as to what area it would best fit.

Times like this you wish you had a lawyer in the family!!!

To me this is:
A) Libel (the letter which will accompany my records to any future physician.)
B) Patient Abandonment (Total disregard for ongoing/unresolved high blood pressure issue, which is WHY I was going light on the Adderall and they KNEW that... and condoned it.)

Should I call the American Medical Association and make a complaint?

Try for another attorney, most will pass it off if they don't think it will be lucrative.

Absolutely call the American Medical Association and make a complaint. I would get very, very noisy.

I don't know if there is some sort of state agency you can call as well but some states have that.

a reply to: new_here

Hi new here ....

I - like you - take Adderall and up until recently had uncontrollable HBP. I had my primary change my BP medicine from Lisinopril [I could not STAND the cough it produced] to Losarten. I also started taking 1000mg of vitamin C twice a day on top of it and it brought my BP down to a decent range. I keep track of it. 139/77 - 136/83 - 114/65 - 135/63. I've had readings of 200+/100+ in the past.

Also - like you - I do not always take the dose as stated on the bottle. That should not be a 'medical' crime. The doctor who prescribes the Adderall also recommends that I take a few days a week OFF the Adderall as it works better that way. And it does.