Feedback on False Positives from Drug Testing, page 78

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: Airline Pilots?
Date: 11/19/2009
Does Wellbutrin show up in Airline Pilot Screening Tests?

Jackie

AskDocWeb: If anyone has information on what test is used for Airline Pilots, please share.

Subj: Cough and cold meds?
Date: 11/20/2009
I have been taking cough and cold meds lately and just got a mouth swab drug test for in home detention I did take it about two days before could I fail?

Skyler

AskDocWeb: You may want to check to see if your cough suppressant lists Dextromethorphan (DXM) as one of the ingredients. That has shown up as a false positive for Heroin (MDMA) (See reference 16).

Subj: Hair strand test
Date: 11/21/2009
I took a hair strand test in June and I tested positive for meth and anphetamines. I have use meth in may 2008 and I admitted to using it and took a hair strand test in July 2008 and I pass it. Since may 2008 I have not used ANY drugs, I was ordered to do another hair strand test this past June and tested positive for meth and anphet. which is not true the only medicines I was on where xanax adderall and loratabs. I did take some medicine for sinusidus. At that time I was about 10 weeks pregnant and the company that did my test called me and told me everything was good my adderall showed up and they just needed to call my pharmacist to clear it out. So after that I’m thinking everything is ok. About 3 weeks later my lawyer called me and told me I tested positive for meth and this has left me in so much stress. I cant get anyone to help or listen to me. I was not on any illegal drugs and its left me so embarrassed and ashamed because I am pregnant and I dont want this on me.

Is there anyway I can test for a false positive. I know what I did and its either a false positive or someone is lying on me and if that’s the case I can never prove I’m not guilty. Or can my hair effect this. My hair has always been long and its down my back and it does not grow 1.5 inches in a month. I’ll be lucky if it grows that much in a year. Can you give me some ideas or help so I can try to clear my name? Also I did do another hair strand test Oct 2009 and it came back negative on everything. I tried to see if the company that I went to this last time could do like a 12month test so I can try to clear up this positive test. Please help,

Nicole

AskDocWeb: All our data pertains to urine drug testing but you may be able to get some Adhelp here.

Subj: Shocked
Date: 11/22/2009
I am about to do my internship at a medical facility after finishing my nursing degree I was told I needed to have a physical done. I went back for my results and the doctor ask me do you smoke marijana, because your urine test came back cannabinoids low positive. I was so shock I did not no what to say. I have never smoked marijana or drink or even to drugs. What could this be, I am so confused. Please help,

Sly

AskDocWeb: Sometimes the products we take that are intended to improve our health have unintended consequences, that is why we published the page About False Positives. You can check the list to see if anything you are using is on it. Urine tests are known to have a false positive rate, which means that some substances are misidentified as drugs that are abused. You can refuse to accept the results of the test and get a GC/MS confirmation test on the same sample to show that it is a false positive. If you don’t get this cleared up then it could cause problems in the future because it will likely stay on your medial record.

Subj: Lost everything
Date: 11/23/2009
Hi, I was working for the biggest food distributor in the US. I had to take a random pee test. I came out just over the limit on THC. The crazy thing is I never smoked the crap. Now I have lost everything and I can not collect any unemployment. I have a hearing soon to see if I can collect the money they owe me. I was wondering if a regimine of advil, alive, ibprohin, and Robitussin could have been the reason I failed. Thank you,

Clayton

AskDocWeb: There are several good references that say Advil can show up as a false positive for THC (References 1, 14, 16, 18, 20, 26, and 29), as well as Aleve (Reference 3, 16, and 18), and Ibuprofen (Reference 1, 3, 16, 18, and 29). If your employer fired you because of the results of just a urine test then you may be able to fight it. As we understand it, a urine test is not accurate enough to be admissible in a court of law. They produce too many false positives but you may need the help of an attorney that specializes in employment law.

Subj: Antacid and prilosec
Date: 11/23/2009
I have been taking an ant acid and prilosec could this cause a positive on a drug screen?

Anita

AskDocWeb: So far none have been reported.

Subj: Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
Date: 11/23/2009
Riboflavin absolutely will cause a false positive for THC. The manufacturer of the screening device, usually a monitect device used by probation depts., state in their package insert that riboflavin is ruled out as causing a false positive at a concentration of 1/10mg(100 mcg)per dl of urine. This concentration is only 25% greater than the urinary concentration of riboflavin in person not taking any supple-mental vitamins. If a person is taking supplemental riboflavin at a rate of 30mg/day, his(her) urinary output of riboflavin will be 10,050mg/day. which is over 100 times the concentration used to rule out riboflavin as a cause of false positive screenings.

Steve

Subj: Very confused
Date: 11/24/2009
My niece is in jail at the moment for a drug urinalysis that tested positive for methamphetamine. She used no methamphetamine. She is, however, on several medications that your list of medications (under “false positives”) say will test positive for this drug. The Prosecuting Attorney that is dealing with her case Laughed outloud in court when we suggested this may be what happened. Then the Judge decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and release her. However there will be more tests done on her in the future, and I am not sure, but I think that just because it tested positive once when drugs were not used, does not mean that it will test positive the next time that drugs are not used. I am very confused, please help!

Sheila

AskDocWeb: Of course the Prosecuting Attorney laughed, intimidation seems to be a part of their job. Remember that it is their job to prove that drug abuse actually occurred but if you get a GC/MS confirmation test then it will reveal any false positives.

Subj: Ritalin
Date: 11/25/2009
My friend got expelled from school for having Ritalin because it tested positive for cocaine. Is it possible that the test was wrong or is my friend a coke head?

Tim

AskDocWeb: Ritalin is an amphetamine-like stimulant that acts on the Central Nervous System (CNS). While it is possible that your friend is a coke-head it is also possible that you don’t know the full details of what happened. Just having a prescription drug in your possession can get you expelled from many schools, even if it has your name on the label because the prescription is yours. On the other hand Ritalin has not been reported to cause a false positive for cocaine.

Subj: Positive for cannabis
Date: 11/25/2009
My brother in law had a drugs test at his work and testes positive for cannabis. He has never touch that stuff. He had been taking a mixture of painkillers at the time. Is this why its come up? He was on tylenol and dyhadrcodine.

Becky

AskDocWeb: Several Tylenol products have been reported to sometimes show up as opiates, amphetamines, or ecstasy on urine drug tests but not for cannabis.

Subj: Positive for cocaine?
Date: 11/28/2009
How could I get a false positive for cocaine? Could it happen from somebody else’s tongue that was using?

Brandi

AskDocWeb: Yes, cocaine is easily absorbed through the skin and even more so orally. The really bad part of that is, the test results are not false positive because the cocaine would actually be in your system.

Subj: Positive for oxazepam
Date: 11/29/2009
I just received my copy of a urine drug screen test that came as ‘positive’ for oxazepam (serax). I have never in my life taken this drug or any other benzodiazepine. I am on Rx for Percocett and Chantix, and take Advil OTC, I did take 5mg of my wife’s Valium a week prior to the sample for muscle spasams. Searching the net has been to no avail. A job depends on this and in these times I cannot miss out on this opportunity. Any assistance my might provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Bruce

AskDocWeb: We would guess that it was the Valium, which does contain benzodiazepines. (Reference 18, 20, and 26)

Subj: False positive for opioids?
Date: 12/1/2009
can albuterol inhalor couse false positive for opioids?

gitapujari

AskDocWeb: So far the only inhalers that have been reported to show up on urine drug tests as a false positive are the Combivent, Afrin, and Vicks inhalers but none of them showed a positive for opioids.

Subj: Getting false positives for benzodiazepines
Date: 12/1/2009
I am taking oxcarbazepine (trileptal) 600mg 3x daily and citalopram (celexa) 40mg 1x daily and I keep having positive urinalysis results for benzodiazepines. Is there any info regarding why I keep getting false positives for benzodiazepines? I was recently incarcerated due to these results so any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you,

William

AskDocWeb: Those products have not been reported to cause a false positive on urine drug tests. You might want to check the list to see if you are taking something else that might account for your results.

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