Cut off due to false negative

Hey everyone, I'm at the end of my rope here. I've been following my doctor's taper, even if it was pretty rapid, because he was all I had to be able to get through this mess. Yesterday I go to my appointment to check in, and right away he confronts me, asking me if I have anything to tell him because the results he got don't add up. I am just completely blindsided by this. I tell him I've been doing everything he told me to do. I've brought my bottle with me before with the amount that should be missing at that time in the taper missing. When I switched from Ativan to Clonazepam to taper I gave him all of my Ativan. I even took Clonazepam in front of him. The fact that he was accusing was ludicrous, even more so when I pulled up research right there in the room that showed Clonazepam in particular is notorious for false negative in a urine sample.

 

Eventually I demanded a blood test, and after four hours he finally relented but said, "This is for your peace of mind, it doesn't change my decision."

 

So that's it, everybody. I run out of Clonazepam on Sunday. No way of finding a new doctor in the meantime since it's the weekend. I went from .5mg to .125 in less than a month and the withdrawal from that alone has been absolutely debilitating. I have been bedridden and in agony.

 

Has this happened to any of you? I can't believe this guy, who I've had a great honest relationship with for 2 years just called me a drug dealer to my face and threw me to the fucking wolves.

Similar situation happened to me.  Threw me into CT.    Hope you can find another doctor to script for you.  It’s been rough going for me to say the least.

 

 

F4M

Did he tell you what he SAW in your test? Was it a urine test? You need to know what he saw or thought he saw. It may not have been benzos.

I think many doctors, since they know benzos are addictive (and thats about all they do know-) tend to put benzo users into the Drug Addict Category. And that is not a flattering position to be in. Doctors tend to think "drug addicts are dishonest" and will try to cheat to get more of their drug. Never mind that the "drug addict" before him was prescribed an addicting drug by HIM!!!!  Please dont let this stop you. You can either continue his too rapid taper, or try to find a more helpful doctor. And that might be very hard.

Did he tell you what he SAW in your test? Was it a urine test? You need to know what he saw or thought he saw. It may not have been benzos.

I think many doctors, since they know benzos are addictive (and thats about all they do know-) tend to put benzo users into the Drug Addict Category. And that is not a flattering position to be in. Doctors tend to think "drug addicts are dishonest" and will try to cheat to get more of their drug. Never mind that the "drug addict" before him was prescribed an addicting drug by HIM!!!!  Please dont let this stop you. You can either continue his too rapid taper, or try to find a more helpful doctor. And that might be very hard.

 

Oh it was spelled out to me within the first 30 seconds. My urine was negative for benzos and therefore I was obviously selling or giving them away. No amount of logic was swaying this guy, I even pulled up multiple studies on false negatives for benzos in urine, Clonazepam usually being the case. To add, I have my test results and they are negative for every drug, all of that makes sense except the benzos.

 

My last dose is tomorrow, but I'm going to go to the ER because I'm not going through CT again that led me more into this mess.

Similar situation happened to me.  Threw me into CT.    Hope you can find another doctor to script for you.  It’s been rough going for me to say the least.

 

 

F4M

 

Hey F4M sorry to hear you went through the same accusations, doctors are shameless. I saw that you were floxed, I too was floxed 10 years ago. It's so strange, it feels so similar to benzo withdrawal to me. It took me a very long time to recover (never fully did about 80%) from being floxed and honestly I think it's why I still have a very sensitive nervous system. Probably why I only a few weeks of Ativan was all it took for me to become physically dependent. Also why withdrawal has been out of this world severe. Best of luck to you F4M

you can add him to the list of professionals i want to $£"+!

you can add him to the list of professionals i want to $£"+!

 

You're telling me bud, I jumped through all his hoops and then some, and be still labeled me a fucking drug dealer. It would be even more hilarious if you knew how fucking vanilla I am in life. I even went to the fucking appointment with my mother. What fucking drug dealer takes his mother to get his score of...2 .5mg Clonazepam. I'd be laughing if I wasn't dealing with this awful withdrawal.

My doctor found out I was tapering (turned out I was using a rapid detox plan) and she CANCELED my prescription.  Almost died. I think she was pissed that I was calling the shots. I would very much like to sue her ass.

My doctor found out I was tapering (turned out I was using a rapid detox plan) and she CANCELED my prescription.  Almost died. I think she was pissed that I was calling the shots. I would very much like to sue her ass.

 

Love the abusive pride of some doctors, what a bunch of god damn psychopaths. I wish there was a way to take any kind of legal action for the pain and suffering caused by these people. So sorry you went through that mess.

Thanks Fighting Fox.  I am certainly going to try to sue her after I am healed. I guess we have 3 years before statute of limitations is up.

Yes, I had the same thing happened to me. After nine years on the same 2 mg prescription of Ativan, Dr started drug testing through urineand twice that I came up  negative!! I cannot believe what I was hearing and insisted that I must take the prescription daily. She did not care and cut me off immediately and canceled my prescription with my pharmacist .  So bad !!

 

I am fortunate enough I immediately called around and found another doctor. He gave me my first month prescription, then upon returning the next month he started a reduction at 25% where I’m still holding.

 

Do whatever you have to to obtain another prescription so you can begin tapering again. Best of luck

Man i see you have the tinnitus too, fucking blows. These doctors are stuck up dicks and need to be taught a fucking lesson or to in respecting people. The guy must be a sadist. I have so many medical people i hav met through my travels through hell that i would like to string up by the b@!!$...I have become so angry at the attitudes of these people and there negligance that they can get away with. Bullys!!!

Hey everyone, I'm at the end of my rope here. I've been following my doctor's taper, even if it was pretty rapid, because he was all I had to be able to get through this mess. Yesterday I go to my appointment to check in, and right away he confronts me, asking me if I have anything to tell him because the results he got don't add up. I am just completely blindsided by this. I tell him I've been doing everything he told me to do. I've brought my bottle with me before with the amount that should be missing at that time in the taper missing. When I switched from Ativan to Clonazepam to taper I gave him all of my Ativan. I even took Clonazepam in front of him. The fact that he was accusing was ludicrous, even more so when I pulled up research right there in the room that showed Clonazepam in particular is notorious for false negative in a urine sample.

 

Eventually I demanded a blood test, and after four hours he finally relented but said, "This is for your peace of mind, it doesn't change my decision."

 

So that's it, everybody. I run out of Clonazepam on Sunday. No way of finding a new doctor in the meantime since it's the weekend. I went from .5mg to .125 in less than a month and the withdrawal from that alone has been absolutely debilitating. I have been bedridden and in agony.

 

Has this happened to any of you? I can't believe this guy, who I've had a great honest relationship with for 2 years just called me a drug dealer to my face and threw me to the fucking wolves.

 

I think we can all sympathize. Doctors are complete morons when it comes to benzos. Then when you combine it with the natural arrogance and self-importance that most doctors carry, it makes for a bad situation. Any chance you can find another doctor? Could you just go to the ER, explain the situation and tell them you are having really bad withdrawals? Maybe they can give you a week's prescription or something. It would at least mitigate the withdrawal or buy you some time before you see another doctor. This could make the withdrawal a little bit less painful.

Find a new doctor to prescribe K to you soon!

If you already call dozens hospital but could not, call to Benzodiazepines Information Coalition. http://benzoinfo.com

They should be able to provide you the MD near where you live.

 

BP

FightingFox, I'm so sorry you are experiencing this.  It's bad enough to be tapering - but to have this as well just adds insult to injury.

 

It does raise a very good point for all of us who are tapering at lower doses than our doctors believe are necessary.

 

Does anyone know the concentration thresholds of when a benzo stops being reliably detected in urine and blood? 

 

It might be proactive for us to have this information to share with our docs - that if they are going to rely on a urine test to validate our usage of the benzos, that perhaps we could request a blood test instead... (assuming it would be detected in blood longer than in urine...)