Adderall

[Treehuggerone]

I have been taking 10mg of Adderall for almost a year. I was just drug tested twice and my Adderall didn't show up in my urine sample. Now the Dr. thinks that I'm not taking them and is probably going to stop my prescription. Has this happened to anyone else and why isn't the medication testing positive when I take it faithfully every morning?

[KentuckTD]

Just a thought…Are you taking it within 2 hours of taking a “clumping” psyllium fiber like Metamucil? If so, it will affect the absorption of any meds or supplements.

[Treehuggerone in reply to KentuckTD]

No

[Treehuggerone in reply to KentuckTD]

No. But I do take fiber pills after dinner.

[Slmndrs]

Different people metabolize differently. Can you talk to your doctor, or a doctor, about what time of day (within what time span) would the drug most likely show up in your blood, and/or if there are other tests they can use that might be more sensitive to it?

Maybe you can also talk with your doctor about trying a different stimulant with longer acting effects that is more likely to show up in your blood for longer?

Make sure you are not fighting with your doctor over this, that might raise more red flags for them, and you probably won't have better luck with a different doctor with the blood test records (unfortunately), but approach it as a problem to work through.

In a worst case, a lot of people do find the non stimulant drugs helpful. It will be worth trying. Also, I don't know how long you have been seeing your doctor, but the longer and stronger relationship you have the more likely they are to go to bat for you (I'm not sure where the blood test requirements are coming from - your employer? your insurance? your doctor's own practice or policy?).

[peaceneeded in reply to Slmndrs]

10 ml is a very low dose, does it even have an affect? do you feel its helping? Are you taking a slow release capsule or tablet? were you prescribed Adderall ( name brand) or generic aka: dextroamphetamine ? how many tests have you taken since being prescribed ? If this was the first, and you failed I doubt you're doctor will cut you off however, if you passed other pee tests you are going to have a hard time explaining this one. The good news is 10 ml is a very low dose. If you felt it was helping you could probably benefit from a more natural compound such as Caffeine, magnesium, ginkgo biloba, L-tyrosine and ginseng

[Treehuggerone in reply to peaceneeded]

I am taking a generic 10 mg and it does help. I can't understand why it didn't show up in my urine sample twice. I took the pill and had the test within an hour both times. Maybe I need to give a sample later in the day being that it is an extended release pill. I would never walk into a test and not take my pill. I want it to show up on the test because this medication does actually helps me stay focused and I feel sharper.

[Treehuggerone]

Well, I was just put on Strattera. Anyone taking this medication? If so, how's it working?

[Cakerator]

Same thing here! I was taking 10 mg XR and actually felt a positive difference. Had much easier time getting through my day and maintaining my responsibilities. When I went to the doctor after taking it for a month he asked me how I liked it and I told him I did! Then he questioned why it didn't show up in my urine. I didn't understand what he was getting at. I told him I have no idea but I take it religiously every morning. As the months went on he would tell me that he can't keep writing me this prescription if I keep showing up negative. I really honestly had no clue what was going on. I started talking to a few co-workers about it and they told me they probably think I'm selling it or something. I took video of myself taking the medication but figured that was pointless because someone being sneaky would just empty out the capsules into a baggie and take the capsule. I wanted my doctor to believe me. The last time I went that I was not given a renewed prescription I had taken the pill about an hour and a half or two hours before my urine test and showed up negative. The doctor told me he wanted me to have blood work and to go right to the lab and I was happy to do so to finally prove that I am not playing games. It makes you feel horrible when you are legitimately doing what you're supposed to be doing and being accused of messing around with narcotics. When I got to the lab they informed me that my insurance may not pay for the lab work for this and that I may be responsible for about $150. I told them that was fine and I would be happy to pay out of pocket for this. Well I came up negative. I was floored. I called the manufacturer of the drug they gave me a case number and directed me to a company who investigates matters like this. I got a letter from them a couple of months later telling me that there were no findings. I feel defeated. And I feel like because of the fact that it is a narcotic and so many people abuse it I just sound like a desperate addict when I'm trying to explain to them emotionally how frustrating this is to keep being accused when I have done absolutely nothing wrong. I have three kids and I'm a single mother who works full-time and I don't have time on my day off to sit on the phone for hours so I just kind of gave up. But I miss it so bad. I actually started feeling good about myself. I think about it sometimes and wonder if I should contact the State drug commission that handles things like that but again I feel like they're just going to think I'm an addict trying to get my low dose of XR Adderall so I can do deviant things with it. I don't know what to do. I just happened to do a Google search tonight to try to find other people in the same position because I want to challenge this so bad but I just don't have the fight in me. I'm depressed and feeling much less affected by my ADHD on a daily basis.

[Cakerator in reply to Cakerator]

*much MORE affected by my untreated ADHD

[GraspingClear in reply to Cakerator]

Cakerator: I have a suggestion, but it would require the collaboration of your doctor/a doctor to do it. To prove to the doc that you are taking the med, it could be very simple for them to see you take it, and have you wait in their office for 1 hour before getting tested. So this would mean you have an appt, but you show up 1 hour prior to the appt and the doctor can administer the med to you as a witness to your taking it. Then you would wait in the office, either in the waiting room or in a treatment room, and they then can test your urine for the presence of the med. Now, something else to consider is if someone in your household is stealing your meds, and replacing them with something that otherwise looks like the prescribed pills...but is not. While that may seem outlandish at first to consider, it has happened before although I don't know if adderall is one of those kinds that is susceptible to being replaced like that. Either way, the doc can administer the med to you or watch you take it, and see for himself/herself that you are not lying when it does not come up on a urine test. Perhaps there is some phenomenon not being considered between the relationship of the med to the test that is causing there to be an inability to detect it in urine.