False Positives/Drug Testing
arlene.m.osborne
reprinted from the Electrical Workers Journal, June-July 1989
Prescription and over the counter medications, as well as
the food a person eats, could cause a false-positive result
in certain drug-testing methods. The listins is not all-
inclusive, and more sophisticated testing methods are not as
prone to false-positive results.
A PERSON TAKING COULD TEST POSITIVE FOR
Advil, Nuprin, Mediprine, Motrin, Rufen Marijuana
also at risk are persons with bladder
or kidney infections or a liver disorder.
_______________________________________________________________________
NyQuil, Vicks Inhaler, Contac, Sudafed, Amphetamines
diet pills, heart and asthma medications,
many nasal sprays.
_______________________________________________________________________
Amoxicillin (antibiotic), tonic water, Cocaine
herbal tea.
_______________________________________________________________________
Elavil, Benadryl, Soma Norflex, Phenergan Methadone
_______________________________________________________________________
Dilantin, Phenobarbital Barbituates
_______________________________________________________________________
Phenergan, Vicks Formula 44, tonic water, Heroin
poppy-seed rolls.
_______________________________________________________________________
Contact, Dristan, NyQuil, Hall's Mentholated Alcohol
Cough Drops, Terpin-hydrate,
many cough medicines.
_______________________________________________________________________
Dr. Daniel R. Masys
>
> BEWARE OF FALSE POSITIVES
> reprinted from the Electrical Workers Journal, June-July 1989
A world class medical journal, eh? :-)
>
> Prescription and over the counter medications, as well as
> the food a person eats, could cause a false-positive result
> in certain drug-testing methods. The listins is not all-
> inclusive, and more sophisticated testing methods are not as
> prone to false-positive result.
The key here is "certain drug-testing methods" and the caveat that "more
sophisticated methods are not as prone to false-positive results."
It is important to understand that to keep costs under control, drug
screening is usually done as a two-step procedure. The first step is
a screening test, most commonly these days a solution containing antibodies
to certain classes of drugs. The screening tests are quite sensitive and
reasonably specific, but they are inadmissable as evidence due to the
uncommon occurrence of false positives.
The "gold standard" is atomic mass spectroscopy, which is the test used
to confirm positives found on screening tests. It is expensive, but it
isn't fooled by any of the foods or medications listed in Arlene's list
(exception: phenobarbitol *is* a barbiturate, so it is not a false
positive, and any cough medicine which says "Elixir" *does contain*
alcohol).
When I was a Navy doc and had the rather disgusting duty of occasionally
being volunteered for the "pee team", even the military with its rabid
anti-drug frenzy would not use any data other than mass spec to charge
anyone.
Therefore, given the current technology and case law precedent for drug
testing, the list:
> A PERSON TAKING COULD TEST POSITIVE FOR
> Advil, Nuprin, Mediprine, Motrin, Rufen Marijuana
> also at risk are persons with bladder
> or kidney infections or a liver disorder.
> _______________________________________________________________________
> NyQuil, Vicks Inhaler, Contac, Sudafed, Amphetamines
> diet pills, heart and asthma medications,
> many nasal sprays.
etc., etc.
is more of use for generating lunchtime conversation among electricians than
it is informative for helping people to understand the repugnant realities
of drug testing.
Dan Masys
ma...@lhc.nlm.nih.gov
a...@raven.aosg.gsf.dec.com
> Dilantin, Phenobarbital Barbituates
Well, since phenobarbital IS a barbiturate, it's not too surprising that a
person taking it would test positive for it.
BTW I believe that the above 2 medications are commonly used to control
seizures so it might not be a great idea for these people to be in control
of an airplane.
Tony V.
Ron
Prescription and over the counter medications, as well as
the food a person eats, could cause a false-positive result
in certain drug-testing methods. The listins is not all-
inclusive, and more sophisticated testing methods are not as
prone to false-positive results.
Dilantin, Phenobarbital Barbituates
False positive? I though Phenobarbital was a Barbituate.
Contact, Dristan, NyQuil, Hall's Mentholated Alcohol
many cough medicines.
Many cough medicines contain alchohol. NyQuil is about 50 Proof.
I'm not to sure I put my faith into medical inforamtion circulated
by a union. Most of the drugs listed are ilegal to fly with anyhow
-Ron (I only use it for medicinal purposes)
arlene.m.osborne
> In article <1992Mar23....@cbnews.cb.att.com> a...@cbnews.cb.att.com (arlene.m.osborne) writes:
> >
> > BEWARE OF FALSE POSITIVES
> > reprinted from the Electrical Workers Journal, June-July 1989
>
> A world class medical journal, eh? :-)
Well, I didn't say it was a reputed medical journal, but I didn't want
someone to think I made it up either!
> Therefore, given the current technology and case law precedent for drug
> testing, the list:
>
> > A PERSON TAKING COULD TEST POSITIVE FOR
> > Advil, Nuprin, Mediprine, Motrin, Rufen Marijuana
> > also at risk are persons with bladder
> > or kidney infections or a liver disorder.
> > _______________________________________________________________________
> > NyQuil, Vicks Inhaler, Contac, Sudafed, Amphetamines
> > diet pills, heart and asthma medications,
> > many nasal sprays.
>
> etc., etc.
> is more of use for generating lunchtime conversation among electricians than
> it is informative for helping people to understand the repugnant realities
> of drug testing.
> Dan Masys
THANKS MUCH to Dan for setting me straight! I don't often post to this group
but I thought the information might be of interest to readers. I'll go
back to being a net-lurker now.
Arlene
Bill Coleman
>> A PERSON TAKING COULD TEST POSITIVE FOR
>
> Well, since phenobarbital IS a barbiturate, it's not too surprising that a
> person taking it would test positive for it.
Yup.
> BTW I believe that the above 2 medications are commonly used to control
> seizures so it might not be a great idea for these people to be in control
> of an airplane.
Indeed. A history of seizures is enough for the FAA to deny a medical. (And
not just in the last three or five years, any time in your LIFE!) Believe
me, I know. (Seizure free for 23 years, off medication 9 years)
--
Bill Coleman, AA4LR ! CIS: 76067,2327 AppleLink: D1958
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Disclaimer: "My employer doesn't pay me to have opinions."
Quote: "The same light shines on vineyards that makes deserts." -Steve Hackett.
Paul Cantrell
> screening is usually done as a two-step procedure.
> The "gold standard" is atomic mass spectroscopy, which is the test used
> to confirm positives found on screening tests. It is expensive, but it
> isn't fooled by any of the foods or medications listed in Arlene's list
I wondered whether this was always done or not, so I talked to our lab to
find out whether the mass spectroscopy was optional, at the discretion of
the employer or lab. The person I talked with indicated that it was indeed
required by the government to follow up any initial positive result with a
mass spectroscopy. I must admit that this makes me feel somewhat better,
in that the employer isn't contacted until a fairly rigorous test occurs.
Hopefully that prevents a lot of "guilty until proven innocent" type of
terminations.
I did ask about split samples, and the lab indicated that had to be done
at the clinic (or whereever the samples get taken). Our clinic doesn't
currently do this, although I'm certainly going to have a talk with them
about this!
The lab indicates that after a positive result the sample is kept for 1
year. I assume that the pilot could have a genetic test done if he
suspects a sample switch has occurred. One question for the net.doctors,
though. If a split sample is *not* done, how likely is it that the sample
can be contaminated such that the correct sample is tested, but it shows a
positive result? If it's possible, it argues strongly toward split
sampling. If not, then I would only argue a bit for split samples, but not
do anything as drastic as use a different clinic if they refuse split
sampling.
> [...]
> even the military with its rabid
> anti-drug frenzy would not use any data other than mass spec to charge
> anyone.
The military with it's rabid anti-drug frenzy is nothing compared to an
aviation company trying to pinch pennies. Pilots are cheap. I can well
believe that some companies would rather terminate a pilot than spend
big(er) bucks on a better drug testing plan. I'm sure this isn't true for
the airlines, but at your normal 135 by-the-shoestrings operation...
PC
--
cant...@sequoia.com
Mary Shafer
US gov't had done of its employees and all the money they'd spent, only
to find that there were virtually no drug users (on the order of a couple
of hundreds in the hundreds of thousands tested) and that the cost per
caught user of the testing was something like $75,000 each. Has anyone
else seen these numbers? I can't find it again.
--
Mary Shafer DoD #0362 KotFR NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA
sha...@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov Of course I don't speak for NASA
"There's no kill like a guns kill." LCDR "Hoser" Satrapa, gunnery instructor
"A kill is a kill." Anonymous
Steven Reardon
[good question about split-samples]
I worked as the head of Information Systems (computers) for the American
Institute for Drug Detection, a privately held drug testing firm located
in Rosemont right next to Chicago's O'Hare airport for a little over four
years.
This was a fairly big and reputable lab and the only one I am in a position
to say anything about. But, at this lab the chain-of-custody on a specimen
and it's accompanying documentation was so carefully controlled that if a
person even touched the package in transit or the specimen or documentation
at the lab, they had to sign the chain of custody log. This was also true at
our client clinics. I've seen quite a few attempts to doctor samples or
results and, at least at our lab, it would have been next to impossible
to do.
The lab got bought out and closed down by a competitor a few years back.
So, it's not the lab your company is using. But, all of them I have ever
heard of follow these same procedures because of competition and
certification procedures.
Hope this helps.
Steve
--
* "Nevermore." *
* -The Raven *
* Steven Reardon *
* srea...@bradley.bradley.edu *
Mark Cousins
Also, it's called "Contac" not "Contact."
Mark
--
Mark Cousins Hewlett-Packard Co. m...@hpsemc.cup.hp.com
HP-UX VAB programs 19055 Pruneridge Ave., MS 46T5
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