Pain management is necessary for those suffering with certain medical conditions. However, there are also many people that abuse their pain medications. This is a specifically high trend in the elderly who have fixed incomes and can use their medications to supplement their income. The problem is really out of hand and it grows each and every day.
Physicians often have to be savvy when it comes to their patients and their care. They want to give patients the pills they need for relief, but they also want to avoid the drug seekers and not feed their habits. This is why so many doctors are looking to urine testing to help protect them and their patients.
Conducting urine drug testing has proven to be a great method to ensure that a patient is taking their medications. Most people are honest, but there are always those few drug seeking patients who just want a fix. By giving a drug test, it can allow a physician to help assist in both diagnostic and therapeutic decision regarding their patient.
A doctor can easily see if a person is misusing the drug and/or not getting the full benefits from the pain management treatment that was ordered. The presence of the medications in the urine proves that the patient is taking the drug. If the drug is not present in the urine, or there are other drugs in the urine that are not prescribed, a doctor can save themselves problems by no longer prescribing this course of treatment.
Before prescribing any narcotics or opiates to a patient, they should be explained to the patient that they will have to submit to a urine test. Pain management doctors and clinics often come under intense scrutiny because there is big money in selling the drugs on the street. With pills like OxyContin going for $1.00 a milligram, and an 80 milligram pill is worth a small fortune. One way to protect a doctor’s character and to ensure that patients are doing as they should is by doing a urine test.
Most of the time pain issues start as a medical problem and the need to relieve that pain gets out of control. However, it is often the case that doctors prescribe too much. Patients will sell their extra pills and just take what they need for the pain. It’s best to check concentrations in the urine and make sure that the numbers of prescribed pills match the concentrations in the urine.
There is no full proof test, but it is a good indicator whether the patient will benefit from drug therapy or should be advised for surgery or other procedure.
To be able to accurately drug test, professionals need to know what drugs to test for and the appropriate methods to use. The most common test is the Immunoassay. It has the ability to classify the substances. Its readings can show that the substances are either there or not there and if they are higher than normal.
While this is a great tool, more sophisticated testing is often needed for certain drugs. Though it’s not a perfect method, it does help doctors to be able to stop those with a drug addiction and ensure that those who do take their pills responsibility get the medications they need.
Doctor Luis Fandos is a pain management physician located in Babylon, NY.
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