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According
to a report by the Los Angeles Times New Service, a study of 161
prescription and over the counter medications showed that 65 of
them produced false positive results in the most widely administered
urine test. Ronald Siegel, a psychopharmacologist at UCLA said
'The widespread testing and reliance on tell-tale traces of drugs
in the urine is simply a panic reaction invoked because the normal
techniques for controlling drug use haven't worked very well.
The next epidemic will be testing abuse."
Byrd Labs has in its possession
an internal document from the Syva Company, makers of the widely
used EMIT test. This document, leaked by a disillusioned company
employee, lists more than 250 over-the-counter medications and
prescription drugs that can cause false positives. For a complete
list, please read Conquering the Urine Tests.
Among the items reported
as causing false positive test results are:
- Pain relievers such as
Advil, Nuprin, Motrin and menstrual cramp medications like Midol
and Trendar. All drugs containing the widely used pain reliever
Ibuprofen are known to cause. positive samples for Marijuana.
Non-steroidal anti inflamatories such as Naproxyn have cross
reacted in blind tests. These are often prescribed for runners,
sports injuries to joints, and those suffering from arthritis.
- Syva labs has recently
reworked its Cannabinoid test and claims to have eliminated
this problem. But a Science magazine article (July 8, 1988)
lists Ibuprofen as cross reactive. Under the new government
guidelines THC testing levels will be reduced to 50 nanograms.
Many more THC false positives can be expected in 1994.
- Dristan Nasal Spray, Neosynephren,
Vicks Nasal Spray, Sudafed, etc. and others containing ephedrine
or pnenypropanolamine. Over the counter appetite suppressants
which contain propanolamine. Most common nasal decongestants
can cause a positive reading for Amphetamines. As the cross
reactive list suggests at the back of this booklet, amphetamine
false positives are the most common. Recent articles in the
Journal of Clinical Chemistry ,Vol. 38 No.12 1992 and Vol. 39
No.3 1993 warn that medications containing chloropromazine,
fluspirilene, and others may yield a positive when tested for
amphetamines.
- Vicks Formula 44M containing
Dextromethorphan, and Primatene-M containing perylamine as well
as the pain reliever Demerol, and prescription anti-depressant
Elavil test positive for opiates up to three days. Even Quinine
water can also cause a positive reading for opiates.
- Poppy Seeds such as on
the Burger King roll, on a bagel from your favorite deli, etc.
The journal of Clinical Chemistry Vol.33 No.6, 1987 reports:
"the quantities of poppy seed ingested in this study (25
and 40 g) may be expected to be contained in one or two servings
of poppy seed cake. therefore, poppy seeds represent a potentially
serious source of falsely positive results in testing opiate
abuse." Clinical Chemistry goes on to conclude: Not only
is it difficult to distinguish heroin or morphine abuse from
codeine, but dietary poppy seeds can give a strong positive
result for urinary opiate of several days duration that is confirmed
by GC/MS analysis".
- Nyquil Nighttime Cold
Medicine will test positive for Methadone up to two days.
- Antibiotics. Certain newly
developed antibiotics have cause positive samples urine tests.
Ampicillin is suspect. Amoxicillin has caused positives for
cocaine.
- Diazepam tests positive
for PCP as well as the ingredient in some cough medicines, Dextromethorophan.
- Your own enzymes. A small
fraction of the population excrete large amounts of certain
enzymes in their urine which can produce a positive drug test.
Dr. John Morgan of the Dept. of Pharmacology of New York City
University writes: "A false positive test could occur in
some individuals because they excrete unusually large amounts
of endogenons lysozyme or malate dehydrogenase." Dr. Morgan
judges that natural enzyme interference may run as high as 10%
of positive samples.
- Black Skin. This is not
a joke! Those of African origin, certain Orientals, or pacific
Islanders might test positive for marijuana. Dr. James Woodford,
a toxicologist associated with Emory University labs hypothesized
the pigment melanin which protects the skin from the sun, approximates
the molecular structure of the THC metabolite to cross react
on the marijuana urine test. Dark skinned Caucasians such as
those from the subcontinent of India could also read positive
on marijuana tests. The body eliminates some melanin in a dark
person's urine sample.
- Passive marijuana inhalation.
If you attend a rock concert or ride in a car where marijuana
is smoked nearby, even if you do not partake, the second hand
marijuana that you might inhale can e your test a positive result
for several days
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