I am on a pain contract with my doctor. i am on methadone and vicodine. will he be able to tell if i have taken morphine? when he tests my urine will he be able to tell that i have taken some morphine?

The : The physician-patient relationship is based on a few important principles, the most important of which is probably trust. Pain management doctors often have the unenviable position of treating their patients with very potent, and therefore very habit forming, medications. Opioid pain relievers like methadone, morphine, and hydrocodone (found in vicodin) are examples of such medications. Because they are so potent, they are frequently misused or abused, stolen, traded or sold. Problems arise because these medications cause sleepiness and stun the part of the brain that keeps us breathing when we are asleep. These medications also interact with many other prescription drugs, and with recreational drugs including alcohol. More accidental deaths are caused by these sorts of drugs than by recreational drugs. Doctors who prescribe these drugs are monitored very closely by agencies including the dea and their state medical boards. Although they are often not responsible for unwanted outcomes from the use of opioid medications, they are often held professionally and legally accountable for them. Pain management doctors routinely ask their patients to sign a contract agreeing to take only the medications prescribed by that doctor and only according to the doctor's instructions. This is done for at least three reasons: 1) to protect the patient's life; 2) to not ruin the system for other patients (such as could happen if the doctor's dea license was suspended); and, 3) to protect the doctor from lawsuits and professional sanctions. Doctors frequently test their patients to make sure that the contract is being followed. These days, the test can be very, very accurate and very, very broad.