Questions about False Positives in Drug Testing, page 271

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.

Failed breathalizer test
Date: 2/6/2013
I was recently stopped by police and given a roadside breathalyzer. This happened at 2:30 am. I had 3 drinks all night starting at 6:30pm and my last one was at 9:30pm. There was 5 hours between my last drink and the time I was tested. At 2:00am I purchased a handheld breath tester from a conveinience store and tested myself just to be sure. I have COPD and take 2 medications. Generic Salbutamol 100mcg with an HFA propellant MDI, and Advair 500 Diskus (50 mcg salmeterol and 500 mcg fluticasone). I had been dancing all night and was short of breath on the drive home. I took my regular dose of Advair (B.I.D.) and two puffs on the salbutamol. I was pulled over less than a minute later and tested within 5 minutes. My mouth and lungs contained residual medication and propellant. The breathalizer unit that was used did not show BAC but registered a FAIL. I was told by the police constable it meant I was over .08. Please help! Dis the medication have an affect on the test? My license has been suspended and I face $4000.00 in fines!

Martin

AskDocWeb: The breath machine is calibrated with the assumption that the alcohol is coming from alcohol in the blood diffusing into the lung rather than directly from the mouth, so it applies a partition ratio of 2100:1 in computing blood alcohol concentration. This results in a false high test reading if there is any alcohol in the mouth. To counter this, officers are not supposed to administer a PBT for 15 minutes after the subject eats, vomits, or puts anything in their mouth. In addition, most instruments require that the individual be tested twice at least two minutes apart. Of course laws pertaining to the use of breath testing machines vary with your state of residence so ask a Lawyer.

Red Bull alcohol test
Date: 2/6/2013
I took a mouth swab at my pain clinic for a drug test. While I had the swab in my mouth, I was drinking red bull. The test came back positive for alcohol. I DO NOT drink ever and now my doctor thinks I came to my apt drunk.

Kristina

AskDocWeb: Red Bull is a non-alcoholic beverage, which of course means that there is no alcohol in it unless someone added it. By itself, Red Bull does not test positive for alcohol.

Health note: There is a popular myth going around that the caffeine in energy drinks like Red Bull Sugar Free decreases the effects of alcohol. That is false, and may be deadly so because combining the stimulant ingredients of Red Bull with the depressant effects of alcohol can cause problems with the heart.

Stacker 2 an 3?
Date: 2/7/2013
I just tested positive for my probation for OxyContin an I am on no medicine. I’m a prior addict I have a script for loratab but I didn’t even fill em because I have over 2 years clean. I eat stacker 2 an 3 at work an take bc powder could this cause a positive for OxyContin

Matt

AskDocWeb: Since manufacturers have taken the ephedrine out of Stacker products, false positives are no longer a concern there. However, according to both Redwood Toxicology Laboratory and the Blue Grass Drug Screen company, Loratab may test positive for opiates (References: 33 and 52).

Trying to prove I’m innocent
Date: 2/8/2013
I take 50mG of Sertraline daily, today I also took 2 extra strength Tylenol, & drank a 16oz Red Bull. I took a random urine drug test 1 hour later at work & it showed positive for Methamphetamine and Amphetamine! Can those 3 mixed cause me to show positive? I do nothing wrong and I’m trying to prove that I’m innocent.

Tara

AskDocWeb: Some of the Tylenol products have shown up on urine tests as false positives (References 3, 18, 20, 24, 33, and 52) but that by itself doesn’t prove your innocence. In order to do that you need additional testing on the original sample. The “gold standard” for confirmation testing is the GC/MS, which stands for Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. The results of that test are admissible in court as evidence.

Methyl beta phenylethylamine?
Date: 2/8/2013
Methyl beta phenylethylamine is listed as an ingredient on a pre workout suppliment i took and was drug tested the day after at work, will this show up as a positive for any drug?

Stu

AskDocWeb: Unfortunately relatively little information has been published about this substance. To date it has not been reported to show up on urine tests but that is no guarantee that it won’t. Beta-Methylphenethylamine (?-Me-PEA) is an organic compound of the phenethylamine class, and a positional isomer of the drug amphetamine, with which it shares some properties.

Diluted test result
Date: 2/9/2013
Hi I took thc drug test and came back diluted I would like to know if a itu had anything to do with the test coming back diluted I didn’t drink any fluids or smoked any weed pls help me.

Paradise

AskDocWeb: A diluted test result is a red flag because it appears that you are trying to hide something. Unfortunately there is no way of telling if it was a “false positive” or someone using a diuretic detox product in order to mask the use of a “banned” substance. Many businesses treat all “dilute samples” as positives often because of pressure from insurance companies. Both the NFL and the IOC employ this policy. In some cases it’s possible to challenge diluted results on a drug test, and take another test within 2 weeks.

Suboxone?
Date: 2/11/2013
Positive for oxycontin….will suboxone show a false positive for oxycontin on a urinalysi

Chris

AskDocWeb: Suboxone (Buprenorphine) – may test false positive for oxycodone (Source: The American Association for Clinical Chemistry). Oxycontin is one of the brand names for oxycodone.

Bactrim
Date: 2/11/2013
I get urine tested for probation once a week i have been clean of all drugs and alcohol for 20 months now … anyway last week i went to the hospital for a cyst had it drain and they prescribed me bactrim as the anti-biotic. if i have them send the on-site screen to a lab will it come back positive for benzo still or will i be in the clear? i tried contacting the doctor that prescribed the medicine but she told me there was no way possible that the bactrim would do that.

Ronald

AskDocWeb: According to an article in the MEDTOX Journal, Bactrim may test positive for benzodiazepines (Source: reference 60). If they sent the sample to a lab for a more accurate confirmation test, that should reveal any false positive.

No one believes me
Date: 2/11/2013
I need help. I recently tested positive for an alcohol ua when I have not drank in over 1 year. I have had gastric bypass surgery and I do work at a bakery and also do house cleaning full time. I honestly have not drank any alcohol and no one believes me. This is going to result in prision if I do not prove why I am testing a false positive. Please help. Thanks,

Kate

AskDocWeb: For legal options you would have to ask an attorney. Please see the post about alcohol testing on page 164.

Read more feedback about false positives:

Previous Page –
You are on Page 271 – Next – Last Page 300