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17 Legit Things That Can Make You Fail A Drug Test

Urinalysis or UA test is one of the most common methods used by employers to screen for illegal drug use. If you’re searching for a new job, chances are that your employer might ask you to pee into a container to check whether or not you’ve used any illegal substances.

Although some people will easily agree to the challenge, what would happen if you tested positive, yet you haven’t used any illegal drugs?

If you ever thought that the people who fail drug tests are either addicts or druggies who failed to stop the habit long enough before getting tested, think again. Testing positive for illegal drug use has become common these days because of many everyday foods, teas, herbs, subscription drugs, and beverages that when metabolized become chemically similar to illicit drugs.

Although modern drug-testing kits have been improved in terms of accuracy, they’re still short of being 100% foolproof. With an increasing number of false positive drug tests, our research indicates that at least 17 legit things can make you fail a drug test.

  1. Hemp products
  2. Cold remedies
  3. Antibiotics
  4. Poppy seeds
  5. Tonic water
  6. Granola bars
  7. Ibuprofen
  8. Vitamin B supplements
  9. Coca tea
  10. Sudafed
  11. Azo
  12. Baby soap
  13. Second-hand marijuana smoke
  14. HIV medications
  15. Antidepressants
  16. Diet control pills
  17. Pizza

Hemp products

hemp products

We all enjoy eating meals to boost our immunity and increase energy levels, but one product that can definitely compromise your drug test is hemp. Whether you’re in love with hemp oil, hemp seeds, or hemp seed milk (which by the way has the highest content of essential fatty acids), just be aware that this marijuana by-product can easily cause a false positive drug test for THC.

Although most people enjoy the taste of hemp seeds, regular consumption may definitely confuse drug testing equipment, as it won’t be able to differentiate between marijuana smokers/users and those who eat hemp seeds.

Cold remedies

cold remedies

Are you feeling a little bit stuffed up and the only remedy is to take over-the-counter (OTC) medication? In fact, using these drugs can actually result in a false positive drug test if you take them at the wrong time. What happens is that most—if not all—of these cold remedies contain pseudoephedrine, which is a synthetic amphetamine and primary ingredient used largely in the manufacture of meth.

With such information at your disposal, I think the best way of avoiding any last-minute drama is to stay away from over-the-counter cold medicines to avoid a false positive test for methamphetamine.

Antibiotics

antibiotics

Though rare, antibiotics can also cause false positive results, especially in the urine drug test. Common antibiotics you should be aware of include amoxicillin and ampicillin, which when ingested can be absorbed into the body, resulting in a false positive outcome for heroin and cocaine.

If you’ve been taking antibiotics before a drug test, don’t forget to inform your medical examiner beforehand to avoid a false positive result that can potentially lead to a suspension or maybe loss of your job.

Poppy seeds

poppy seeds

If you enjoy snacks, you’re probably familiar with poppy seeds. While most people enjoy eating poppy seed muffins and bagels, did you know that these delicacies are notorious for causing a false positive drug test result?

During harvesting, poppy seeds are coated with opium extract, which contains tiny traces of morphine. Consuming poppy seed muffins or bagels for breakfast before a drug test means that the testing equipment may detect traces of codeine, opium, or morphine, which will lead to a failed test.

To avoid any problems during your drug test, simply stay away from all products that contain poppy seeds as the primary ingredient.

Tonic water

tonic water

Most people don’t even know that tonic water contains substantial amounts of quinine. Also known as quinine water, tonic water was largely used as a means of delivering quinine from South America. Used as a prescription drug for treatment of malaria and babesiosis, quinine is sometimes mixed with various illicit drugs, such as heroin. Detection of quinine in drug tests may indicate use of such illegal drugs.

Due to the presence of quinine in tonic water, drinking this beverage puts you at risk of testing positive for hard drugs, such as opiates, heroin, and cocaine.

Granola bars

granola bars

If you enjoy eating snacks, such as snack bars or granola bars, be mindful of their ingredients, as most of them contain hemp seeds. Granola bars, in particular, contain high traces of hemp seeds, which, as we know, are by-products of marijuana. Although most of these snack bars do pass the recommended USDA testing standards, consuming a substantial number of granola bars can easily lead to a false positive result in a drug test for marijuana.

Ibuprofen

ibuprofen

How do you relieve headaches? Most people prefer taking over-the-counter prescription medications, such as ibuprofen. Also known as a nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen sometimes triggers a false positive result on tests for cannabinoids and some illicit drugs, such as barbiturates and phencyclidine (PCP).

Taking ibuprofen to relieve head pain a few hours before a drug test may lead to a false positive result. Just to be safe, consider substituting ibuprofen with other OTC painkillers, such as aspirin.

Vitamin B supplements

vitamin b supplements

Another product that can easily lead to a false positive drug test is vitamin B supplements. What happens is that most commercial vitamin B2 supplements are synthetic and contain riboflavin, which is mostly derived from hemp oil or fermentation of certain plants. With the hemp oil already on the black list, you may well test positive for marijuana after taking riboflavin.

Although vitamin B (especially B12) is essential for proper growth and functioning of vital organs, such as the brain, heart, and blood cells, staying away from such vitamin supplements before a drug test will really help you in passing it.

Coca tea

coca tea

As you may have guessed, coca tea is brewed from the leaves of the coca plant—the same plant that is used in the production of cocaine. Although the amount of coca in this herbal drink is not enough to cause any intoxicating effects, drinking coca tea before a drug test may lead to a false positive result.

Although products that contain coca are illegal in the United States, they are widely available in other countries in South America and Asia. You should stay away from herbal teas and other remedies with coca before a drug test to avoid testing positive for cocaine you’ve not actually consumed.

Sudafed

sudafed

Another famous offender in drug testing is Sudafed. Similar to most cold prescription drugs, Sudafed also contains pseudoephedrine as the main ingredient, which as we said earlier is a primary ingredient used in the manufacture of meth.

Taking Sudafed before a urine drug test might lead to a false positive methamphetamine screening result.

Azo

azo

Azo is a pain-relieving drug for patients suffering from urinary tract infections. Taking this medication before a drug test may change the color of your urine sample to orange or even red. This will raise the suspicion of tampering, and your sample will be rejected. Since many people consume this drug to fool a drug test, your case may even be reported as an attempt to cheat.

If you use Azo for urinary pain relief, be sure to inform the drug test lab about this beforehand to avoid any inconvenience.

Baby soap

baby soap

Do you regularly use baby soap for bathing due to sensitive skin? If so, you’re at a high risk of testing positive for marijuana. Researchers have yet to establish the exact reason behind the positive drug test after using certain brands of baby soaps and shampoos, but it is assumed they contain some ingredients that have a similar chemical structure to THC or that some chemicals in these products might alter the way the urine test works.

In either case, avoid bathing with baby soap a day or two before a drug test to reduce the risk of testing positive for marijuana.

Second-hand marijuana smoke

second-hand marijuana smoke

Do you have friends who are marijuana addicts? Just to keep you updated, second-hand marijuana smoking has a small chance to trigger the positive result, but it is still possible. Stay away from your stoner friends for several days before the test just to be on the safe side.

HIV medications

HIV medications

Following a controlled study, it was discovered that efavirenz, a particular non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used in the manufacture of antiretroviral drugs used by patients infected with HIV, was capable of influencing a drug test, leading to a false positive result. When tested, efavirenz was discovered to cause positive results in tests for benzodiazepines.

At the same time, according to recent studies, efavirenz does not cause a false positive result for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This simply means that patients taking HIV medications are not at risk of testing positive for marijuana.

Antidepressants

antidepressants

People suffering from depression are also at risk. Some antidepressants, such as Wellbutrin, as well as those from the tricyclic class of antidepressants, can show up on tests for amphetamines. Zoloft, another antidepressant, can cause a false positive result for benzodiazepine report says.

If you use these medications and need to pass a drug test, ask your doctor to prescribe other antidepressants.

Diet control pills

diet control pills

Do you regularly use diet control pills? If so, you could easily test positive for drug use because one popular pill that is usually prescribed for diet control is phentermine. Due to its relatively similar chemical structure to that of amphetamine (commonly abused by many drug addicts), there’s a strong possibility that drug testing equipment will confuse diet control pills with amphetamine, leading to a false positive result.

Pizza

pizza

If you enjoy eating pizza, you should know that pizza could cause a false positive alcohol test result. Yeast in pizza dough causes fermentation of its ingredients. One such ingredient is sugar whose fermentation by-product is alcohol. Although the amount of alcohol is minimal, if you eat pizza before a breathalyzer test you may end up testing positive for alcohol. Knowing this will help you avoid possible problems when passing alcohol tests.

If you’re a potential employee who can’t afford to lose a job opportunity due to a false positive drug test result, this article has given you everything you need to know when getting ready for the test. In case you’ve taken any of these products, be sure to inform the drug test lab before undergoing the test to avoid any negative surprises.