Feedback on False Positives from Drug Testing, page 129

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: Positive on dip stick urine tests
Date: 4/6/2011
I am testing positive on the dip stick urine tests for benzos but negative at the lab why I am in family drug court and this could cause me to go to jail or even lose my daughter I take strattera lexapro hydroxyzine tramadol and I drink amps and full throdall energy drinks what is making this happen

Gina

AskDocWeb: Did you mean full throttle energy drink? If so, the ingrediants are carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, taurine, natural flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, ginseng extract, caffeine, carnitine fumarate, niacinamide, blue 1, red 40, pyridoxine hydrochloride, guarana extract, and cyanocobalamin.

None of what you list has been reported to cause false positives on urine drug tests. However, if the lab says that your confirmation test came back negative then you should be okay.

Subj: Someone gave them to me
Date: 4/7/2011
I was takening generic adilpex & adderaill 2 lose weight I had a mental breakdown at work and was accused of being on “dope” I have been drug free 4 six years this coming Tue: p i paid have a drug test done and it came back positive 4 meth and now my job is on the line. My prov is they were given 2 me by coworker they belong 2 his wife ans she passed away so he gave them 2 me because I want 2 lose 45 pounds. My advice dont take them u nor only lose weight but I lose everything.

Kim

AskDocWeb: As a general rule, if you live in an area where a prescription is required in order to purchase medication, it is likely to be illegal to use drugs that are prescribed for anyone else. If you have any doubt, call a law enforcement officer or your Attorney General’s office to make sure.

Subj: Cocaine and tonic water
Date: 4/7/2011
i came up positive for cocaine but i drink tonic water at times. how much tonic water do i have to drink to become positive?

Crystal

AskDocWeb: We haven’t seen a specific amount mentioned anywhere. Because of the quinine in tonic water, even a small amount might cause a false positive for cocaine. Quinine is the main ingredient in tonic water. There are also some health concerns with using quinine.

Subj: Results confirmed by GC/MS
Date: 4/7/2011
I am on a pain management contract for oxycodone,and oxycontin I take as perscribed and was recently given a ua no biggy i thought until I recieved a letter from my PM doctor stating they would no longer treat me because I tested for methamphetimine. they sent me copies and it says positive for methamphetimines as well as amphetines which was done by gc/ms. I dont use meth so i was pretty shocked .however I do take adderall,metformin,elevil,ventolin aerosol inhaler and vicks inhaler on occasion in addition to the oxycontin/codone could this result come from the meds I take or the combination together because I can not come to grips with how I tested positive for methamphetimines when i never have done it in my life

Jen

AskDocWeb: Once the results are confirmed by GC/MS there is little more you can do other than to accept it and move on.

Subj: Lisinopril and Atenolol?
Date: 4/7/2011
I had an employee’s drug test show positive for Benzoylecgonine under GC/MS confirmation testing. He claims pretty adamantly that he has not used cocaine. He did provide prescriptions for Lisinopril and Atenolol, both of which he takes regularly. Could the combination of these two drugs cause a false positive drug test result for cocaine/benzoylecgonine under the GC/MS confirmation process? Thanks!

Kevin

AskDocWeb: Neither of those drugs have been reported to show up as a false positive for any drug of abuse.

Subj: RE: Doctors threw me out of pain management…
Date: 4/8/2011
Dear steve, First of all, it might be a good idea to let us know what town U live in so we can suggest another local doctor. Another idea would be for U 2 ask your old(or new) Dr. to have a GC/MS confirmation test. (This will prove whether or not it was a false posative, (this I’m SURE ABOUT) & I THINK that it will also tell which chemical(s) caused the false posative result. If you want you can contact me, my partner just had a false posative for amphetamine (from prescription wellbutrin) & PCP (also from prescribed diazepam-valium) — & the SAME DOCTOR prescribed BOTH MEDICATIONS! That’s why I joined this website, to learn as much as I can about this. Respectfully,

Missy

Subj: Xanax tested positive
Date: 4/8/2011
I take xanax with a script. I tested + on a preemployment urine screen. Im in the Medical field, can they not or will they not hire me for this?

Debby

AskDocWeb: As long as you have a prescription for the Xanax then you are supposed to be okay. Did you show them proof of your prescription? It is our understanding that if they use the results of your urine test as a reason for not hiring you then they must do a confirmation test or the reason is not valid and they may be at risk for a lawsuit. In one case a Florida woman was awarded $859,000.00 because a business withdrew a lucrative job offer on the bases of her urine drug screen results.

Subj: Over the counter medications?
Date: 4/8/2011
I was wondering if there were any over the counter medications such as a cough syrup that would cause a false positive for TCS and Methadone. Would ambien have caused this possibly?

Larry

AskDocWeb: The standard drug tests check for PCP, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, and marijuana. Ambien is not in the same class as those drugs and unless they are looking for illegal prescriptions, it won’t show up on a urine drug test. As for over-the-counter medicines, Nyquil and Vicks Formula 44M are on the list.

Subj: Trying to detox
Date: 4/9/2011
(My) husband says he has stopped using cocaine last time about 2 weeks ago he is now taking b complex, vit. c and also l-lysine 500 mg. He has a drug test for work in 2 days can any of this make a false positive because I think he is trying to detox. Will it detox? I think he may still have done a line here and there I would really like some accurate drug testing can I rely on the work screening please help.

Michele

AskDocWeb: Once discontinued, the cocaine would be out of his system is 2 to 4 days. The health supplements you mention will not cause any problems on a urine drug test.

Subj: The Reditest
Date: 4/9/2011
I take drugs tests on a regular basis that are pre-packed and are double sided they are called the reditest and its a panel dip test would these false positives apply to these tests too? I was taking Benadryl cold and allergy and according to this test i had benzos in my system….

I have to take panel tests randomly and found that this site was very helpful. I was not aware that so many thing over the counter could give you a false positive. I took a cough medicine last night and it has doxylamine 6.25 mg and this site says that it can cause a false positive for pcp is that really true cause if that is I am really in trouble, what can i do?????

Candi

AskDocWeb: According to the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Doxylamine has shown up on urine drug screens as a false positive for phencyclidine, also known as angel dust, PCP, an a myriad of other names. Knowing that this is possible you can be prepared to show proof of your prescription to the lab testing personnel when you take the drug test. The prescription bottle with your name on it will usually do just fine. That also has the name of the drug and your doctor’s name on it.

Remember that the Reditest panel dip test provides only a preliminary test result. If you get a positive test result, it must be confirmed by a more specific test, preferably gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Any result that is contested or used punitively, and especially if it is taken to court, must be confirmed.

Quirky side note: It seems like the people who rebel against English teachers who say that using a double negative in a sentence is not considered proper English are now calling a positive result a “non-negative” result.

Subj: HIV med Reyataz
Date: 4/9/2011
The HIV med Reyataz I have been told by a doctor that it can show a false positive. I thought that was bizare. Could you research it and perhaps let me know? Thanks.

Kevin

AskDocWeb: Okay Kevin, here is what we found. Bristol-Myers Squibb publishes a pdf file (http://hivihub.com/site/images/pi/iHub-PI.pdf) that covers prescribing information for several drugs used in the treatment of HIV. These include Zerit® (stavudine), Atripla®, Videx® EC (didanosine), Sustiva® (efavirenz), and Reyataz® (atazanavir). Although Reyataz is listed at the top of that document, the reference to false positives appear to apply only to Sustiva®. The undesirable side effects of each drug are listed separately and only Sustiva® lists “false positive cannabinoid test results.” It is possible that someone doing a quick scan of that document may think everything on it applies to Reyataz but that is not the case.

Subj: Cocaine metabolites?
Date: 4/10/2011
I wanted to know if cocaine metabolites are detected in lab urine screens past 4 days? If the at home drug test showed negitive what are the chances the lab one will? Please respond to me.

Narissa

AskDocWeb: Cocaine is excreted in the urine primarily as benzoylecgonine (metabolite) and can be generally detected for 24 to 60 hours after use or exposure. The exact clearance time can’t be determined since the metabolic rate of individuals varies depending on such variables as age, weight, body fat index, sex, metabolic rate, overall health and amount of drug consumed over what period of time. In most cases cocaine will not show up in a urine test after 4 days however, there is one unconfirmed report of cocaine showing up in a urine drug screen 12 weeks after discontinuing. Supposedly that was from a heavy user.

Subj: Coming up hot every time on drug screening
Date: 4/11/2011
I take suboxone. At my clinic they require me to do a drug screening. Ever since I started the program I have been doing what they have been telling me I have been clean since I started the program. Every time I do a drug screening it shows up positive for herion, amphetamines, and methadone. I have never done herion in my life just pain killers. I also have never done amphetamines. The only things I take besides the suboxone is Excedrin extra strength for headaches and zantac for heartburn. Nothing else. Why is my urine coming up hot every time I get a drug screening? I dont even use cough medicine or anything so it doesn’t make any sense why it would be hot for herion, methadone, and amphetamines.

Emily

AskDocWeb: The Zantac might explain the false positives for amphetamines (Reference 30) but not heroin or methadone. You would have to get a confirmation test to show if you results are false positives or not.

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