Questions about False Positives in Drug Testing, page 247

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 this forum is not for medical or legal advice.

Test results showed heroin
11/1/2012
Hello my family is in a trasitional living program my wife and I are randomly drug tested my wife test results showed up for herion they sent to a lab this is what was found in her system Codeine morphine hydrocodone hydromorphone and the one that is realy unexplanable is 6-acetylmorphine. On a Friday my wife had a tooth extracted she was giving local anesthetic of 2%lidocaine with 1:100k epinephrine. and tylenol #3 she had been taking tylenol #3 nd some antibiotics a week prior to extraction . so Im in need of help trying to find out why 6-acetylmorphine showed up. I know for sure my wife didnt do herion. thank you

Lawrence

AskDocWeb: Tylenol #3 may test false positive for opiates but not for heroin. If she had taken any cold or cough remedies that contain dextromethorphan, that might account for it. Several antibiotics are also possible causes for a false positives for Heroin (References: 13, 18, and 20). Something to keep in mind: The initial test result of the urine screen is not officially recognized as a false positive until a confirmation test on the same sample shows negative.

Lipozene
11/2/2012
Can Lipozene cause a false positive on a drug test?

April

AskDocWeb: We have read only one antidotal report that says Lipozene may test positive for meth but so far there is no documentation to back that up.

GC-MS tested positive
11/3/2012
The other day I was tested by my doctor using GC-MS and tested positive for Morphine, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and hydrocodone. (vicodine) I take Methadone and vicodine as prescibed by him. Why did it show up as a positive for moriphine and Hydromorphone. I use to take Dilaudid and Morphine, but it has been five months since he gave me dilaudid and two years since he gave me morphine. This put me in trouble with my doc and I follow the letter of the law when it come to my meds, what gives? I thought GC-MS was nearly a perfect sience. I have let people go with results from these tests and now I can see they are not perfect. I hope you can shed some light on this for me. Thanks,

Sparky

AskDocWeb: Although the GC/MS test if often described as “Nearly perfect” that does not mean 100 percent accurate. According to Dr. Kent Holtorf founder of the National Academy of Hypothyroidism (who researches drug-detection equipment), “No drug test or device is free from error.” Even the GC/MS test – the gold standard in drug-detection equipment – has a 4% error rate. Unfortunately, these machines are often treated as infallible. “It’s guilty before proven innocent,” he says, “and that’s a problem.” As America turns to technology to combat drugs, Holtorf predicts, “you will find more innocent people getting hurt.”

How do I post
11/3/2012
How do I post something about failing a test and what it could possibly be for?

Steven

AskDocWeb: You can use the same form at the bottom of the page that you used to ask this question.

Benizcain?
11/3/2012
A friend of mine had a small bag of benizcain and it came back postive for cocain?? how could this be?

Lee

AskDocWeb: Sorry Lee, we have no explanation for you. However, we do wonder about people who put drugs in bags. If you keep prescription medications in the bottles that came from the drugstore it is easy to “prove” that it’s your medicine and not just street drugs.

Failed for opiates
11/4/2012
I had a urine test at work which i failed for testing positive to opiates? I was taking 30mg of mirtazapine and i also was eating poppy seaded bread?

Mr. White

AskDocWeb: Poppy Seeds contain morphine which can show up as a false positive for opiates (References: 3, 16, 17, 20, 21, 25, 26, 29, 32, 48, and 60). If at all possible you need to get a GC/MS confirmation test to show that the result is a false positive. This test must be performed on the original sample to clear your name and record.

Failed drug screen
11/4/2012
I recently took a drug screen i failed this test for Hydromorphone. This is what i take on a daily basis lexapro 20mg. amoxil 875mg, pepcid 20mg, pyridium 200mg, phenergan 25mg, zanax, cortef 5mg, prilocec 40mg

Dennise

AskDocWeb: Sorry Dennise, none of those show up in our database for causing a false positive for hydromorphone. If you believe your drug screen produced a false positive then we suggest you get a GC/MS confirmation test.

Tylenol cold multi-symptom or Biaxin?
11/5/2012
My husband tested positive for opiates after taking Tylenol cold multi-symptom and biaxin. Would drinking 2-3 beers while taking this combination of meds alter this? Has anyone else tested positive for opiates while taking this form of Tylenol?

Tina

AskDocWeb: Yes, several of the Tylenol products are on the list for causing a false positive for opiates. Note that Biaxin is not on that list. Drinking 2-3 beers would not alter the drug test results for opiates.

Failed drug test twice
11/6/2012
My husband has just had a drugs test at work and failed twice. My husband only takes medications that are prescribed by the doctor or over the counter. My husband failed his drug test twice. My husband takes lansoprazole 30mg on a daily basis in the morning, could this have cause the false reading? He tested positive for opiates. He always has been taking cough medicine and paracentmol.

Sarah

AskDocWeb: Lansoprazole may test false positive for THC but not for opiates. However, there are several cough medications that could show up as opiates, some of them over-the-counter. Also Paracetamol with codeine has been known to show up as a false positive for opiates (References 33 and 52). Hopefully you know to get a GC/MS confirmation test to eliminate such false positives.

Test came back positive for barbiturates
11/6/2012
Hi, I’ve been a patient at a Methadone treatment center for two years. I have not used since the day I started, Oct. 4th 2010, therefore have never had a positive drug screen (randomly tested once every month) However, today I was told that my test came back pos. for barbituates? I was completely shocked to say the least. I didn’t even know what a barbiturate was when they told me. I’m devastated to say the very least. I have not used anything since I started two years ago. The only thing I have taken besides my methadone is OTC pain meds (tylenol, ibuprofen, etc) and when I’ve been sick I’ve taken cold meds. I was sick at the time of my last urine screen and had been taking Advil cold sinus gel caps for a cupl of days prior. Is there anyway the Advil C&S could have caused a false positive for barbiturates? I immediately went to the director of my treatment and spoke with her about this. Thank God she is sweet enough and is having them retest it for me. However, I’m confused as to how that works tho. How does the false pos. happen in the first place if it’s not because of the cold meds i was taking. or if it was pos. due to the Advil C&S then wont it come back w pos. results again and if it is because of that is there anything I can do or show them that is a poss. for testing positive for barbiturates?

I’ve taken the Advil C&S several times over the last two years but have never had this happen. The director of my treatment center wasnt surprised and said this has def happened before. If it’s not the Advil that caused the false pos. then what is it about methadone that can cause false positives for barbituates? I’ve read several comments where the same thing has happened to many ppl who take methadone. Any info or links to articles u can give me is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Kristi

AskDocWeb: None of the variations of Advil are known to show up as barbiturates but there are over 80 other possible causes for that type of false positive including one herb. According to the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy Valerian root and extract may cause a false positives for Benzodiazepines.

To avoid unpleasant surprises later you need to find out exactly what they mean by “retest.” Does that mean testing again with the same method or does that mean a GC/MS confirmation test on the same sample? Only the confirmation test can eliminate false positives.

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