FAQ: Drug Screening
Question: Will a drug I am taking give a false report on a drug screening test?
Answer:
We encourage you to ask your pharmacist or health provider if you have a question about a specific medication giving a "false positive" result with a drug screening test.
For general information on drug screening tests, we suggest the following resources:
- Urine drug screen at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003364.htm - Toxicology screen at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003578.htm - Drugs of abuse testing at
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/drug_abuse/test.html
For more drug testing information, including school and workplace issues, please visit the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) page Drug Testing & Workplace Issues at http://www.nida.nih.gov/DrugPages/testing.html
For drug testing regulations and certified labs, please visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Division of Workplace of Workplace Program's Drug Testing page at http://www.workplace.samhsa.gov/Dtesting.html
You may also search for references to published professional journal literature with MEDLINE/PubMed®. To look for articles discussing false positives in drug testing, enter the following into the search box:
Substance Abuse Detection[mh] AND False Positive Reactions[mh] AND English[la]
You can also add another "AND" followed by a specific drug at the end of the search. Please note: PubMed does not contain whole articles, just citations and abstracts, with some links to full-text on other Web sites. A tutorial for PubMed is at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/disted/pubmedtutorial
NLM is not responsible for the availability or content of external sites, nor does NLM endorse, warrant, or guarantee the products, services or information described or offered at other Internet sites.
Related Questions
- Where can I find information about lab or diagnostic tests?
- Drug Information from the National Library of Medicine®?
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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/drug_screening.html