Preventing False Positives in Drug Testing

Many employers use drug testing to keep their workplace safe and substance free. It used to be only high-risk employers like construction, mining and manufacturing that used workplace drug testing, but now even white collar employers are using them as a preventative measure. Employees who want to pass these tests need to know one thing above anything else. The only true way to pass a workplace drug test is to not take the substances in the first place. The other thing they need to know is that there are many, perfectly legal compounds that can produce a positive drugs test. A false positive is merely a case of mistaken identity, and something a more detailed test will clear up, so there is no need for anyone to panic when they receive one.

There is a case for employees to not take some of these substances as it can impair their ability to do their jobs. Such as some flu medicines can make people drowsy, which has no part to play in the workplace. We aren’t going to go into the why’s and wherefores of whether a particular substance is suitable for the workplace or not, that’s a job for the pharmacists. We are just going to highlight the kinds of products that have been known to produce false positives in workplace drug tests.

First up, as we have already mentioned, are cold and flu medicines. Some popular remedies that contain Ibuprofen can indicate THC use. Others such as Dronabinol, Ketoprofen, Naproxen and even kidney disease can also flag THC use in those that have it. Products containing Ephedrine, such as Sudafed and Nyquil have been known to flag amphetamine on some drug tests. Some over the counter nasal sprays and even diet pills can also flag positive. Asthma sufferers also have problems here because Marax and Primatin tablets both contain a compound that triggers the amphetamine trigger in the tests.

Those who use prescription pain killers, use Tylenol or other codeine-based drugs may trigger the opiate indicator. So might those suffering from diabetes and kidney infections. Even eating poppy seeds regularly will trigger this one as the seed contains the same signature as heroin because of their origins. The over the counter nasal sprays can also trigger ecstasy indicators too. As can Ephedrine and many prescription medications to a range of conditions. Again, this is down to the similarities in the compounds used in both the legal drug and the illegal one. Many legal remedies contain trace amounts of their illegal counterpart as an active ingredient which is where these false positive come from.

Drug testing certainly has a place in dangerous workplaces, but they need to be implemented intelligently to get the best out of them. The employee should notify their employer if they take medicines that can impair their performance anyway, but certainly when they come up against a random drug test. It’s the duty of everybody to maintain a safe place of work, and it’s easier for everybody if the employee works with the drug test regime instead of against it.