Feedback on False Positives from Drug Testing, page 61

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 for cocaine
Date: 3/31/2009
I have been clean for 5 mouths of all drugs and recently got a positive for cocaine on a state urine test I have not touch any drugs so what can cause this?

Chris

AskDocWeb: If the result was a false positive, there seems to be many things that can cause it, the list is here.

Subj: Failed UA test
Date: 3/31/2009
My son is in jail for a failed UA test. They said he took cocaine. One of his meds vicodin was ruled out. Here are the rest of his med. which one also caused the failure of the test. 1. carbamazepine 2.ventolin hfa inh 3.clonazepam 4.pantoprazole 5.levothyroxine

Donna

AskDocWeb: Of the drugs you list, both clonazepam and pantoprazole are on our list of possible causes of false positives but neither has been reported to cause a false result for cocaine. Clonazepam contains benzodiazepines (Reference 18) and Pantoprazole sometimes shows up as a false positive for THC (Reference 37).

Subj: Antibiotic shot
Date: 4/1/2009
Does a antibiotic shot come up positive on a UA?

Ann

AskDocWeb: Some antibiotics have been reported to show up as false positives for heroin and for cocaine, see (references 13, 18, and 20.

Subj: Zicam and Bactrim?
Date: 4/2/2009
Will zicam and bactrim show up as a false positive for bynzos?

Adam

AskDocWeb: Zicam has not been reported to cause any problems with urine drug tests. However, Bactrim may test positive for benzodiazepines. See reference 60.

Subj: Tested positive for marijuana
Date: 4/2/2009
I’ve been on a regiment of Levitra for my ED, and have been supplementing it with Irwin Naturals Steel Libido which I purchased from GNC due to the high cost of Levitra. I recently tested positive for marijuana although I’ve had no contact with the substance. Can the above mentioned regiment and/or supplement be the cause for the test results? Thanks

William

AskDocWeb: Levitra hasn’t been reported to cause any problems with drug tests but you might want to check the ingredients in your supplement against this list.

Subj: Excedrin
Date: 4/2/2009
Hello there. I have to take a drug test but take excedrin for headaches. And from what I read it can lead to false-positive test results. How long does it take for excedrin to leave your body so that my results are clean?

Christine

AskDocWeb: Pain relievers like Excedrin have a short half-life, 2 to 4 hours. It leaves your body within 24 hours.

Subj: A lot anguish
Date: 4/4/2009
I discovered this very informative site after taking my 73 yr. old mother on a routine doctor visit and after taking a drug screen test she tested positive for methamphetamine. She didn’t take this illicit drug and takes only what her doctor prescribes; which is actose, synthroid, celebrex, zantac and lortab. The doctor actually believed she had taken meth and didn’t give her the benefit of the doubt when she told him she hadn’t taken this drug. He put a lot of stock in the drug screen test. We insisted on a confirmation test at a hospital lab and the results came back negative. Why are these inaccurate drug screens allowed on the market, can’t they come up with a more accurate test? This whole incident has caused a lot anguish for my family.

Priscilla

AskDocWeb: If you get a positive result on a cheap urine drug test, you are guilty until proven innocent. There are more accurate tests but they also cost more. Glad to hear you insisted on the confirmation test.

Subj: Job is on the line
Date: 4/5/2009
My daughter recently had a positive test for amphetamines, that she does not take. She is on valium, nerontin, oxycodone, and OTC meds, nasal spray and cold meds. Can these cause false positive? Her job is on the line.

Kama

AskDocWeb: Some nasal sprays, some cold meds, oxycodone and valium have all shown up on drug tests. Since her job is on the line you may want to make sure that she knows about the GC/MS confirmation test.

Subj: Chantix?
Date: 4/5/2009
I am taking Chantix (verencline) 1mg to stop smoking. I tested positive for LSD. I do not use drugs other than the Chantix. Could Chantix cause a false positive on a swab drug test?

Sherry

AskDocWeb: Chantix has not been reported to cause any false positives but it is a relatively new drug.

Subj: 4way Nose Spray?
Date: 4/6/2009
Require Anwser ASAP… Okey I was wondering if 4way Nose Spray will come up possitive for anything? I’m on parole and my agent comes over all the time to test me for drugs and I’m dieing of a cold and can bairly breath need to know if I’m okey to use “4Way”…. Thx

James

AskDocWeb: 4-Way Nasal Spray has been reported to sometimes show up on urine drug tests as a false positive for amphetamines or morphine (Ref: 1, 2, 7).

Subj: Advil cold and sinus?
Date: 4/6/2009
Can advil cold and sinus cause false thc readings

Steve

AskDocWeb: Not sure about Advil cold and sinus but Advil alone has been reported to sometimes show up as a false positive for THC or Marijuana (Ref: 1, 14, 16, 18, 20, 26, 29).

Subj: Tested positive for opiate
Date: 4/7/2009
I tested positive for opiate but have only taken phenergen and advil pm and lasix. I have to pay fifty dollars up front to send this to get checked at a lab. I took rent money because I know what I ingested in my body, but I am still upset how this can happen?

Kellie

AskDocWeb: It happens because the cheap urine drug tests are not perfect. These tests do have an error rate and a small percentage of the people who get tested receive false positive results.

Subj: Coming up positive
Date: 4/7/2009
I have been sober for five years by the grace of god and my 12 step program and the county probation dept. My question is that I have taken suboxone, nexium and seriquel for five years and have allways had neg. urine screens. Recently due to an infection I have been prescribed sulfamethoxazole-tmp and have been coming up pos. for benzodiasipams. Is this possible? I don’t want to end up in prison after all the hard work it took and takes to control my addiction.

Living sober in N.Y.

AskDocWeb: Several antibiotics have been misidentified by urine drug tests. About the only thing you can do about it is to get a GC/MS confirmation test to prove to disprove the results of the first test.

Subj: Lost visitation with my children
Date: 4/7/2009
I am in a serious situation please help. I have lost visitation with my children. I have been clean from cocaine for over 2 years. I had a false positive test for cocaine. The only thing I have done is used amoxicillan for gum infection from my dentist and canker cream, they state that they use mc/mg testing and that there was no way this is a false negative. Could this be the issue or are they just brushing me off. Could the antibiotics and canker sore cream with benzocain cause a false positive?

Anthony

AskDocWeb: When they say that they use mc/mg testing, that sounds like something made up, not a real test. We would want to see the results of the GC/MS confirmation test before believing them. Be careful with your dental appointments as the Novocain your dentist uses may show up as a positive for opiates.

Subj: Came up positive for benzos
Date: 4/8/2009
I go to a methdone clinic and I came up positive for benzos and haven’t taken any in over 8 weeks and I take lexpro tyenol PM and this new over the counter sleeping med called sleep fast.

Justin

Subj: Celexa or Citalopram?
Date: 4/8/2009
Can you get a false positive for amphetamine from taking Celexa or the generic form Citalopram?

Teresa

AskDocWeb: There are no reports of those drugs causing a false positive.

Subj: Fired from my job
Date: 4/11/2009
I take Adderall XR and was recently fired from my job of 8 years because meth came up on my drug test (and I did inform them that I was taking Adderall prior to the test). I have been spinning my wheels trying to prove that I am not a meth user. I’ve been super stressed trying to get someone (my psychiatrist, pharmacist, Shire the drug manufacturer) to provide me something in writing saying that this can happen and while everyone (but my clueless psychiatrist) will confirm that this can happen, no one is will to submit anything in writing for me. This could’ve saved my job. But because I couldn’t get anything in writing, I’m SOL. Why are the people who are prescribing these meds and issuing them seemingly trying to “cover up” the entire false-positive issue? And does anyone have any information that something is being done about this lack of disclosure on a broader scale?

Clark

AskDocWeb: It seems that many people are so afraid of looking like they might be helping illegal drug users that they are willing to let honest people suffer. It is too bad that you didn’t know about the GC/MS confirmation test when it could have saved your job.

Subj: Hair drug test
Date: 4/11/2009
I took a hair drug test a week ago and it test back positive for cocaine. I have never used the drug in my life but since I was younger I have had A.D.D and was on meds for it and I would get operations on my jaw to drain it out because of puss and blood that would build up cause of trauma I had to my jaw when I was younger. Also I had a baby last year and I was given alot of anestetics and last month I got my teeth pulled out and was given 800 mg ibprofeon and amoxicilon would any of this still come out in my hair as a false positive for any drugs?

Nicole

AskDocWeb: Sorry Nicole, the information here only applies to urine drug testing not hair drug tests.

Subj: Independent test
Date: 4/12/2009
I have been on the methaqdone program since October of last year. I have not used any illegal or prescription meds besides Ibuprophen. I have “as alleged by my counselor” tested positive for benzodiazapines. Apparently in 3 tests in a row. Aside from having an argument with my counselor as to her unprofessional behavior prior to any pos. results. I have taken NOTHING! And they refuse to allow me to take the sample and have it independently tested. What could be happening?

Tom

AskDocWeb: It is not surprising that they would not give you the sample. If they did give it to you then there would be nothing stopping you from throwing it away. That doesn’t prove anything but, it does make it look like you might want to destroy evidence, which only increases your appearance of guilt. There is no reason for you to touch that sample in order to get it sent to an independent lab for a confirmation test.

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