ephedrine for job drug testing

[mature muscle]

Are you sure... I send people for chain of custody drug screens and was told make sure if they take OTC like ephedrine they stop a few days before or tell the evaluator they take it.

but that's the point of random testing you dont have the luxury of stopping a few days before.so telling the collector will give them heads up that a false positive could occur.

 

[dragonfire101]

but that's the point of random testing you dont have the luxury of stopping a few days before.so telling the collector will give them heads up that a false positive could occur.

random testing ain't so random lots of times the system is so overloaded persons have a day or two and know when their screen is. They also have screens set up weekly on certain days. Its ridiculous if you knew how shit worked.

 

[dragonfire101]

Yes I'm sure. Unlike most people, I don't waste my time and everyone else's by posting shit I am not sure of.

There are literally hundreds of substances which can cause false positives on immunoassay. How ridiculous is it to believe that there is no confirmation of positives?

If a sample has to be sent for GC/MS, it costs more money. So, the only reason they tell you to instruct people on OTC medication intake is to save money on GC/MS testing. That, or they don't know their business very well. But I would suspect that any company who performs a significant amount of drug screens would instruct their people based on cost management measures. The alternative is not to send an aliquot for GC/MS, deny employment to a person who has never used drugs and get sued.

Now, some mom and pop operation may have the idea that they want to perform drug testing but don't want to incur the cost of using a real lab. So they use spot immunoassay and just ask the person what they took if they get a positive. But any real company with competent legal advice or any government agency is going to use a real lab.

Not to mention, I spent 8 years of my life in intensive drug screening for the state medical board as well as felony probation. I was never off of ephedrine during that time and I never failed a drug test. So besides understanding drug screening protocols, I have tested this personally at least a few hundred times and never managed to get a false positive. I would have had to back up five years at "hard labor" if I had a positive. Or possibly kiss my livelihood and all those years I spent in school goodbye for good. So if I'm willing to bet 5 years in prison and my livelihood on it, I am quite obviously sure.

Rex.

I don't know what to tell you, but false positives are rare, but can happen with ephedrine use. I would not take if I knew I may be called for a tox screen any day.

Nishiguchi M, Kinoshita H, Higasa K, et al. The false positive reaction of the Triage panel drug-of-abuse by herbal drugs ma-huang (Ephedra sinica Ephedraceae). Nippon Hoigaku Zasshi. 2001;55:331-338.

Levisky JA, Karch SB, Bowerman DL, et al. False-positive RIA for methamphetamine following ingestion of an ephedra-derived herbal product. J Anal Toxicol. 2003;27(2):123-124.

 

[ballennonstop]

random testing ain't so random lots of times the system is so overloaded persons have a day or two and know when their screen is. They also have screens set up weekly on certain days. Its ridiculous if you knew how shit worked.

I took a class called P.T.I. which was Pre-Trial Intervention. The class was taken to defer a charge barring completion of a substance abuse class. It was six months long and they would randomly call you at 8AM and if they didn't have a urine sample from you by noon you were going back to court. They called me four times in that six months and thank God I was 4/4. As soon as that prick told me "I know you're not going to make it through this class" I cleaned up my act.

I believe Rex is right; however, ephedra is not worth going to jail for or losing a job, custody of your child, etc. Put the stuff down for a while...

 

[Rex Feral]

I don't know what to tell you, but false positives are rare, but can happen with ephedrine use. I would not take if I knew I may be called for a tox screen any day.

Nishiguchi M, Kinoshita H, Higasa K, et al. The false positive reaction of the Triage panel drug-of-abuse by herbal drugs ma-huang (Ephedra sinica Ephedraceae). Nippon Hoigaku Zasshi. 2001;55:331-338.

Levisky JA, Karch SB, Bowerman DL, et al. False-positive RIA for methamphetamine following ingestion of an ephedra-derived herbal product. J Anal Toxicol. 2003;27(2):123-124.

Okay. I explain to you that ephedrine can cause false positives on immunoassay but that there is a second aliquot that will be sent for confirmation with GC/MS. Your reaction to this is to post two studies that show ephedrine can cause false positives on immunoassay. Didn't I already explain that to you or did you just miss it? Jeez. Triage panel and RIA are immunoassay. So you say you don't know what to tell me and waste your time by submitting evidence of what I already explained. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense does it? While you're at it, find me some studies showing false positives with GC/MS and research drug testing protocols.

Rex.

 

[dragonfire101]

Okay. I explain to you that ephedrine can cause false positives on immunoassay but that there is a second aliquot that will be sent for confirmation with GC/MS. Your reaction to this is to post two studies that show ephedrine can cause false positives on immunoassay. Didn't I already explain that to you or did you just miss it? Jeez. Triage panel and RIA are immunoassay. So you say you don't know what to tell me and waste your time by submitting evidence of what I already explained. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense does it? While you're at it, find me some studies showing false positives with GC/MS and research drug testing protocols.

Rex.

I'm not going to waist my time looking trying to find studies in research drug how does that apply to real practical application to me sending someone for a tox screen and they test positive for a amphetamine metabolite. Its positive its positive. Its is what it is. I'm not sending them for additional testing if it happens. There is a poster above who said it happen to them. Why even risk the rare instance that it may happen. I will try and find out what testing methods the lab we use performs and what they consider positive false positive etc and make sure see if EMIT is positive if they are then sending out to confirm with GC/MS results. Maybe were just going based on EMIT not GC/MS.

 

[Rex Feral]

I'm not going to waist my time looking trying to find studies in research drug how does that apply to real practical application to me sending someone for a tox screen and they test positive for a amphetamine metabolite. Its positive its positive. Its is what it is. I'm not sending them for additional testing if it happens. There is a poster above who said it happen to them. Why even risk the rare instance that it may happen. I will try and find out what testing methods the lab we use performs and what they consider positive false positive etc.

Well, you wasted your time by finding studies that confirm what I already told you. So I figured you must not be averse to wasting your time.

The fact of the matter is that you don't know enough to be answering this question and thus should refrain from giving erroneous advice. But you fail to accept that fact.

Rex.

 

[dragonfire101]

Well, you wasted your time by finding studies that confirm what I already told you. So I figured you must not be averse to wasting your time.

The fact of the matter is that you don't know enough to be answering this question and thus should refrain from giving erroneous advice. But you fail to accept that fact.

Rex.

All I'm saying is I get false positives back from people I send for testing and it was caused by ephedrine. That is reality of it without getting into the science of it. What is there to know about it or be wrong or erroneous about it. I did not make it up. Why go through all the additional bureaucracy of trying to prove a initial test was a false positive as maybe employer tester will not bother following up with GC/MS to prove otherwise because of cost unless they are legally obligated.