DrugBuyers.Com: failed hydro holiday

From my experience, if you declare which pain meds you are on at the time of your drug test and present a statement from your doctor to your employer (not the drug screen rep) merely stating that you are under a doctor's care should hold up under scrutiny. Be sure to keep a copy of that form that shows where you declared your medications because oftentimes, the employer only receives a "pass" or "fail" notice. While some employers will try to use this statement against you, perhaps you could get your doctor to include something along the lines of "my patient needs [the prescribed medication] in order to function pain free in his/her routine day. He is released to work (or some other statement regarding your ability to work while under the medication). Not allowing you to work or discharging you from job because of your medical condition would be tantamount to discrimination of a handicapped person." You or he may chose to use the term "physically challenged" or what ever the PC term is, this week.

Your physician's statement needs to include some keys words like; "discrimination" and "handicapped". While not actually threatening your employer, you are making it known that you know your rights and will defend them, if necessary. This is even more effective if you were hired under the same circumstances; that is, you were already on the medication when they hired you. If it doesn't affect your work, as in falling asleep on the job, there should not be any problems.

Conversely, if this is the first your insurance company has gotten wind of this "condition", they may try to claim that you had a preexisting condition and make you wait 6 months to a year before they will pay for any more refills related to your pain. As for beating yourself up, don't do it. The world of "perfect people" do a fine job of bashing CP sufferers. As the other posts illustrated, you don't see a diabetic going on a "holiday". As long as you are not taking more and more pills, don't worry about it. I know of one person that was taking over 180 mg of Hydro a day who is now down to 37.5 - 45 mg per day and still able to work. She takes a three day holiday each and every month right before her doctor's appointment so he can see her without the medication in her system. (FYI: It is much more difficult for a doctor to write a script for or justify pain meds if you are not in some kind of pain. Doesn't make sense but that's the way the game is played and the doctor has to document what he or she observed.) She also, breaks her tablets in half about a week before she will run out so that she slides into the "holiday" ending up with taking 2 -3 tablets (15 to 22.5 mg of Hydro per day) and takes the over-the-counter Percogesic (325mg APAP and Phenyltoloxamine citrate 30mg).

Promethazine is a fine anti-nausea drug with sedative properties. It's not controlled but you will need a prescription for it. (It is cheap, too.) That along with good ol' Imodium AD and LOTS OF WATER, should help. In fact, I've found out that when my pain meds seem to be less effective, if I'll drink more bottled cold water, what's already "on-board" works better... so much so that I can resist the temptation to take another pain pill.

All the best! - rich74880 -

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