Feedback on False Positives from Drug Testing, page 105
False Positives Forum
This forum is intended to help those who Do NOT Abuse Drugs. We do NOT support the illegal use of any substance. If you have experience with false positives, share your experience. What would you tell someone about drug testing and false positives? Please remember that we do not give medical or legal advice.
Subj: Tested positive for Benzodiazepines
Date: 10/7/2010
I have tested positive for Benzodiazepines which I have not taken. I have been taking Zoloft or Sertraline which is the generic name and have searched Google and found many people have also had false positive results from Sertraline. I had this company do two different UA’s a couple weeks apart and noticed that on the second UA the amount of Benzos in my system had gone down about half from the original amount. Is it just coincidence that a few weeks ago my Sertraline dosage was cut in half? Anyway, I am curious why the Zoloft website does not mention anything about the posibilities of Zoloft showing up as Benzos on UA’s or do they keep that hush, hush?
Zim
AskDocWeb: You would have to ask them why they don’t publish such information.
Subj: UA for methamphetamines
Date: 10/7/2010
I failed a UA for methamphetamines, and I have never done meth in my life, nor anything in the last year that would explain it. The only possibilities are if Claritin non-drowsy indoor & outdoor (loratadine 10mg), or Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray 50mcg. Any ideas?
Dallas
AskDocWeb: Claritin is not on the list but one nasal spray (4-Way Nasal Spray) has shown up as false positives for Amphetamines and Morphine (References 1, 2, and 7). Your nasal spray may or may not have the same ingredient that caused the false positive.
Subj: Zoloft showed up as serax
Date: 10/7/2010
I have been accused of taking benzos, I believe they use ms. I am currently taking zoloft, it showed up as serax which I have never heard of
Mary
AskDocWeb: Serax (oxazepam) contains benzodiazepines. Others have also reported that Zoloft showed up as a false positive for benzodiazepines (Reference 31).
Subj: Paxil?
Date: 10/10/2010
hi my doctor recently has wanted to place me on 20 mg of paxil due to drug testing in my employment I have been nervous to use the meds. I wanted to know if paxil will show a false positive for benzodiazepines or amphetamines, cocaine, THC, tricyclin anti depressants, opiates. thank you for your time.
Tom
AskDocWeb: Paxil has not shown up in the research on false positives so it is likely that you will be okay.
Subj: Porzac
Date: 10/9/2010
Can Porzac give a false positive for Benzodiazepines on a hair test?
Doug
AskDocWeb: The information here applies only to urine drug testing, not to hair tests. Prozac (Fluoxetine Hydrochloride) has been reported to show up as a false positive for amphetamines (Reference 31) on the EMIT urine tests, but not benzodiazepines.
Subj: Mogadon?
Date: 10/9/2010
Hi, my son is on a methadone programme and has been told by a friend of his that if he takes mogadon daily it will stop him needing the methadone and so he will become clean in this way? Is this true? I just dont think this is right surely he will become addicted to mogadon and surely this cannot replace the methadone.
Georgina
AskDocWeb: We are not familiar with any treatment that uses Mogadon to replace methadone but let’s keep the focus on false positives here.
Subj: GNC products?
Date: 10/11/2010
Are there certain GNC products( vitamins, protein drinks, etc.., ) that can create a false positive for ‘cocaine’?
Jack
AskDocWeb: What products do they carry? (pause) Let’s approach this from the other way around. All of the products that have been reported to show up as false positives in urine tests are listed here. It is a much smaller list.
Subj: Testing positive for benzodiazepines
Date: 10/12/2010
I’m a therapist and have a substance abuse client who keeps testing positive for benzodiazepines. It’s been approx. 2 1/2 weeks since we started testing. In that time she has gone from testing positive to negative on THC, Opiates, and oxycodone so she has stopped doing most of her drug of choice. She insists that she is not taking anything. Is there any way that she could be telling us the truth? We really do tend to believe her, but it doesn’t seem likely.
David
AskDocWeb: As you can see from the the list there are dozens of things that the EMIT tests misidentify as benzodiazepines. However, just one GC/MS confirmation test would eliminate any doubt one way or the other.
Subj: Tested positive for methamphetamines
Date: 10/12/2010
I tested positive for methamphetamines. I was taking methadone 10mg 2 tab 3 times a day, percocet 5/325 1 tab 3 or 4 times a day, and dextroamphetamine 10 mg. I am not currently prescribed the dextroamphetamine I found an old prescription I had. Anyways, they said they saw the amphetamine and the methadone and percocet but that methamphetamine also showed up. I DO NOT do meth so what could have caused the false positive on that. Please help. Thanks
Shannon
AskDocWeb: There are about 30 different substances that have been misidentified by urine tests as meth. They are listed on this page.
Subj: K2 Spice
Date: 10/18/2010
We recently started testing for K2 Spice at our job, which has been reported as being abused regularly. The effects of K2 are similar to a marijuana high, but more intense and lasting longer, but our urine tests don’t detect it. Two out of ten tests returned with positive results. Is there any way these could be false positives from another substance?
George
AskDocWeb: When the test used is the EMIT urine test, yes, false positives from other substances are possible. K2 Spice is a cannabinoid but with a completely different active ingredient called JHW-018. This has a different structure then THC, which is why it doesn’t show up on a THC test. Be warned though, certain labs are able to test for JWH-018z. The DEA has labeled K2 Spice as a “drug of concern” and it may soon be banned nationwide. Fifteen states have already acted to ban or regulate one or more of the chemicals used the creation of K2 Spice.
Subj: My doc is taking my pain meds
Date: 10/19/2010
I tested positive for cocain on emit and GC/MC tests through ameritox, I do not do any illegal drugs, I have seizures, severe arthritis and lyme disease. I have taken percocet for 9 years and never had this happen, Ameritox says the test is infallible, but Im living proof its not, Ive been on my pain meds, 6 weeks Cefalexin antibiotic, keppra, lamictal, adderal, nexium, proazin, cymbalta, and clonipin. I eat mostly vegetarian and do drink a wide variety of teas, Please help me My doc is taking my pain meds. I dont do drugs, what could have done this, the test is not infallible Im proof please help, I dont want to loose my doctor or my meds. Thank-you, Phoenix
Phoenix
AskDocWeb: Sorry Phoenix, there just isn’t much you can do about it once the drug screen results have been verified by a GC/MS confirmation test. Urine screening does seem to be becoming standard for chronic pain patients. A lot of this is “CYA” testing because doctors don’t want to be sued for patient’s abuse of their medicine.
Subj: Toradol
Date: 10/21/2010
could toradol test positive for benzodiazepam?
Tony
AskDocWeb: Toradol has not been reported to show up as benzodiazepam on urine drug screens. However, there is antidotal word from a pharmacist that Toradol may cause a false positive for cocaine so we are currently searching for documentation on this.
Subj: What about human error?
Date: 10/22/2010
I recently took a urine test in a cup. It tested positive for meth. It was then sent out to be futher tested. Again it came back positive for Meth. I am on ritalin, propanol, well the list goes on. Also dexatrime and dimeatapp from the store. And I’m diabetic. I DON”T USE METH. Something’s wrong. Do you know if any of these or something else could have caused this? What about human error? Come on, something caused this and it wasn’t me. Thing’s can’t always be 100 per cent accurate. Can you please help me??? Email me back please.
Randy
AskDocWeb: Of course whenever human beings are involved in something, there is always a chance of human error. That is why there are confirmation tests to eliminate as much doubt as possible. However, when diabetes or liver disease is involved the situation becomes more complicated. It is not known if the false positives found in those with these diseases are cause by the diseases themselves or the drugs used to treat them.
Subj: Sertraline
Date: 10/28/2010
Sertraline may cause benzodiazepine false positive drug screen. Please add to the list. Reference = False-Positive Urine Screening for BenZodiazepines: An Associaiton with Sertraline? Psychiatry 6(7): 36-39 (2009).
Donna
AskDocWeb: Thanks for adding to the list Donna. That is a good professional reference involving research from doctors at the Navel Medical Center in Portsmouth. Their findings showed that a widely used benzodiazepine screening test commonly produces false-positive results, and a significant portion of those (26.5%) occurred in patients who had active prescriptions for sertraline at the time of screening.
Subj: Tested positive for benzos while in labor
Date: 10/30/2010
Hi, I was tested positive for benzos and the only things I have been taken was Ibuprofen, Theraflu, and Robitussin and I was tested positive while I was in labor but when my baby was born she wasn’t tested positive is there any way it was a false positive?
Jeanny
AskDocWeb: If they just used a urine test then it is possible that the result was a false positive. The EMIT Urine drug tests are not 100% accurate and the error rate (percentage of false positives) can range up to 43%, depending on which test is used. (source: National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA))
Read more feedback about false positives:
Read Previous –
This is page 105 – Next – Last Page 300
If you find this page page useful share it with others. All new questions will be answered by Doctors online.