I'm an "impaired practioner" in the medical field. I was out for a while but am returning... no not due to addiction issues. I've been clean for a very long time and still am. The issue is this upon my return to practice I was just given a "12 panel Hairstat" test from USDTL. Several weeks ago I took one... yes just one Vicodin for a pain issue that was driving me crazy. I readily admit this was stupid but I'd never been hair tested before this and now they spring it on me. It would've been a total of 5mg of hydrocodone, that's it... period. I wasn't worried because frankly I never got into the opiates. They are not and never have been my DOC. I don't know the cutoffs but assume they're much lower than a pre-employment test. Also the panel says opiates and that's it so I don't know the true specificity of the test either. What I'm asking is do you believe that even at the lowest cutoff that one single vicodin would show on this test? Being an impaired practitioner there are no "excuses" that are acceptable so I didn't bother saying anything when they said hair test. What do you think? I'm 38 195lbs and it was done well within the window of the hair sample they took. I'm sure. Do I need to worry or do you think I'm clear.

Wouldn't give it a second thought. Single use isn't going to show on a hair drug test (HDT). Galanter (2011) and others estimate that positive results from hair testing are generally expected only when a person has used a drug with some regularity. Plus Hydrocodone (and metabolites) are not readily incorporated into hair.

See p. 58, Galanter & Kleber, 2011 Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Substance Abuse, American Psychiatric Publishing, Wash, DC

Thanks Dr Bill! I understand what these people are charged with doing... protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public but it just seems like we are always held to this standard of excellence that is almost unrealistic with all these so-called "infallible" tests of complete abstinence. It's like they look at it as if our mouths are moving then we're lying. No doubt we all got ourselves here and I don't deny it but why should my entire livelihood hang in the balance of some guy whose never even had an addiction issue to decide with no REAL evidence whether I'm fit. I know honesty and acceptance is key but really I'm being honest and I accept my demons. The truth is though I can't really be totally honest with these people all the time because they just want to catch someone rather than really help people. The process has gotten lost somewhere. Anyway, I'm clean and no one can take that away from me. Thanks!