Feedback on False Positives from Drug Testing, page 72

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: Tylenol, Motrin, and Levaquin
Date: 9/9/2009
I’ve been on Drug Court for 4 months now and had a false positive for methamphetamines 2 months ago. It was sent to the lab and came back negative. Now I had a test done today, the test cup which was the same thing that had the false positive for meth, and I came back positive for morphine. The only thing I have taken is tylenol, motrin, and levaquin. Could any of these things cause a false positive? I know I havent used but they dont want to believe me. This is very discouraging and I just need some input thanks.

Regina

AskDocWeb: Levaquin, Motrin, and Tylenol are all on the list of products that have shown up as something else on urine drug tests. Since the outside lab came back negative on your first test, there is a good chance that you can rely on it to return honest results on this test.

Subj: False positive for alcohol?
Date: 9/9/2009
On Aug. 26, 2009 I had a random UA for work. They called me on Sept 4th and said it tested positive for Alcohol. I have never been a big drinker, and I havent had any alcoholic drinks since before May 2008 because I had a whipple surgery that removed a mass and the head of my pancrease and my doctor told me not to drink. I am diabetic, but they said they checked it for glucose on Sept. 8th and didn’t find any. What could cause a false positive for alcohol? They retested me on the 8th and I am currently waiting for the results.

Debbie

AskDocWeb: Alcohol can be absorbed through the skin and breathing alcohol fumes, such as while fueling your vehicle, may also show up in test results. It may also occur if you are dehydrated or if your urine has a high level of sugar or acetone.

Subj: Zanaflex?
Date: 9/10/2009
I had my boyfriend take a drug test and he tested positive for benzodiazepines and everything else was clear. He said he had taken Zanaflex about 2 weeks ago. Would this make a test positive?

Drema

AskDocWeb: Sorry Drema, Zanaflex has not been reported to cause a false positive on urine drug tests.

Subj: Terminated from job
Date: 9/11/2009
My husband was recently terminated from his job after he tested positive for marijauna on a drug test only problem is he does not smoke!!!!! He takes meds for blood pressure, chlosteral and hydrocodoine for a back problem he also takes ibuprofen when he doesnt need his hydrocodone could this have caused him to have tested positive?

Debra

AskDocWeb: Hydrocodone contains synthetic opiates which could show up as a number of different problems. There are a number of sources that say Ibuprofen can show up as a false positive for Marijuana (THC) (References: 1, 3, 16, 18, and 29).

Subj: False positive for cocaine
Date: 9/12/2009
I tested positive for cocaine at MEPs for my first time enlistment into the military. I never cocaine, however I consumed a great deal of the drink “Tom Collins” which had tonic water, gin, and Tom Collins mix in it a couple of days before the text. My question is would this give a false positive for cocaine or am I pretty much screwed?

MATT

AskDocWeb: The answer to both may be yes if you can’t get a GC/MS confirmation test. According to a Toxicology Lab Technical Brief from Dr. Joseph Graas, Ph.D. tonic water has shown up as cocaine in urine drug tests. And Matt, thank you for your service to our country.

Subj: Dilaudid
Date: 9/14/2009
What OTC drugs would make me test positive for dilaudid. Recently I had a urine test, I had put my fingers in the urine to pick out a piece of toilet paper, Yuck. I never ever heard or have taken this drug. Help.

Kim

AskDocWeb: Dilaudid is a trade name for Hydromorphone, a more common synonym for dihydromorphinone and dimorphone, commonly a hydrochloride (other trade names are Palladone, Palladone SR, and numerous others). It is a potent centrally-acting analgesic drug of the opioid class. It is a derivative of morphine is both medically an opiate analgesic and legally a narcotic. We do not have a listing for any product that would cause a false positive for this drug.

Subj: Tetanus or hepatitis
Date: 9/14/2009
Does tetanus or hepatitis causes a positive testing for THC?

Eric

AskDocWeb: There are no reports of either causing any problems on urine drug tests.

Subj: Embarrassed!
Date: 9/14/2009
I take wellbuterin and lamictal…first time in my life I had a positive drug screen…boy was I embarrassed…I tried weed once six years ago one time…otherwise…I wont even take narcs when I have major surgery cause I dont want a substance abuse issue…I’ve not taken any prns…..my urine looked concentrated…probably cause I drink pop and not a lot of fluids in general. I’m stumped, my new job I was training for came to an abrupt stand still…boy was I embarrassed!

Patty

AskDocWeb: (answer revised 6/30/2011) A hospital in Florida has reported that lamotrigine (Lamictal®) has shown up as a false positive for Phencyclidine (PCP) on rapid urine toxicology screens.

Subj: Celexa
Date: 9/14/2009
Does Celexa test positive for any substances during urinalysis?

Kay

AskDocWeb: Celexa has not been reported to cause any problems with urinalysis.

Subj: Newborn infant
Date: 9/17/2009
Could a newborn infant urine show a false positive for meth if the mother took sudafed and tylenol 24 hours prior to delivery? The umbilical and mucosum did not test positive, only the urine.

Terri

AskDocWeb: Sorry Terri, we don’t know. Maybe a reader could help out here.

Subj: Positive for cocaine
Date: 9/18/2009
I tested + last week at my methadone clinic for cocaine-they were as shocked as I was because I have been clean of illegal drugs for 2 yrs this month and I’ve never failed a drug test before for the last yr that I’ve been with them. After questioning me on what I had recently taken-methadone, vicodin, relpax, phenergan, and Lidoderm 5% pain patch, they said it had to be the patch! A doctor about 2 yrs ago had given me a handful of samples and every now and then when I have a bad migraine I use them. Since he hadn’t given me a prescription for them, they just made a copy of the packaging of a patch I had with me and put that and a notation in my chart that the patch can cause false positives and they put me on probation for a little while.

Now here’s the problem: Last week, a CPS (child protective services) case was opened up because of an assault against me by my ex. Because of my history with drugs, they decided to investigate me also, although I hadn’t done anything. So yesterday they did a hair follicle drug test. Now I’m terrified the test will show cocaine again due to the patch and they won’t believe that it’s the patch. I’m so scared they will take my 2 yr old son from me! I think these tests should be outlawed until they are 100% accurate! If anyone has any helpful information on this please, I need help, so that I don’t lose my son!

Susan

AskDocWeb: If your test comes back with a false positive then your best hope is to get a GC/MS confirmation test. There seems to be some antidotal talk about the Lidoderm patch causing false positives but no proof. We have yet to find a reference that would admit the possibility that lidocaine might cause a false positive. Both Vicodin and Methadone contain synthetic opiates, which could conceivably account for your result. Phenergan-D has been reported to show up as a false positive (Reference 18) but they don’t say for what.

Subj: Tested positive for meth and alcohol
Date: 9/19/2009
My husband goes to a pain mgmt. facility and they claim in a random urine test that he tested positive for meth and alcohol. My husband is highly allergic to meth (found this out 2 years ago)…we have no meth in our house. They are threatening not to see him anymore. What could have caused this result?

Cyndi

AskDocWeb: You may find that you have one of the following in your house.

The above products do not always cause a false positive but the references listed say that it does sometimes happen. A GC / MS confirmation test should correctly identify these products.

Read more feedback about false positives:

Read Previous –
This is page 72 – Next – Last Page 300

If you find this page useful share it with others. All new questions will be answered by Doctors online.