When securing employment in a field that requires safety and conscientious operations of heavy machinery, passing a drug test is a prerequisite for starting in earnest. What should be a routine condition of getting the job, however, often has unusual and surprising complications. As many as ten percent of all drug test results return false positives—that is, they report the presence of a drug the user never ingested. This can prove quite alarming for applicants. Here’s what you need to know about false positive drug tests.

The real question about false positive drug tests

As you can imagine, we often talk to people that feel that they have received a false positive drug test. The first thing we ask is what type of test was it, and more specifically, has it been confirmed by GCMS (gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) or LCMS (liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry) technology? There are countless ways to administer drug testing, and like many things, you get what you pay for! Some drug testing can be done on site and may yield instant results via oral swab or urine. While the quality of these drug test kits may vary, it is perhaps more important to know if your on-site drug test is being sent for further confirmation testing. Whether you have taken a lab-based drug test or just an on-site drug screening kit, you should never be told, based on one test result, that you are positive for drugs. For example, all testing we offer, whether it be a lab drug test or an initial on-site drug test, includes any necessary confirmation testing. In fact, if we have a screening test detect something, we do not consider it, or even refer to it as positive until confirmation testing has been completed! In other words, this is referred to as a non-negative until further testing can determine if it is a true positive.

Has my prescription caused a false positive drug test?

Can your prescription cause a false positive drug test? There are two key factors in answering this. First, was confirmation testing done? Secondly, was a medical review of your prescriptions complete? Medical review is the process in which a medical expert, usually a physician, looks at your reports to determine whether or not your positive (screening and confirmation completed) is prescription related. They will also use several methods to verify that the prescription is legitimate and current. Here is an example of our process to completion: Jennifer is taking Adderall as prescribed by her physician. Jennifer takes a urine drug screen. Jennifer gets a “non-negative” on the first test and the second test (confirmation by GCMS technology) is completed, which also shows positive for amphetamines. Jennifer completes the medical review process, including proof of prescription, and the final drug test report reflects the verification of the prescription. It is important to keep in mind that just because you are taking a prescription, it may not be the cause of your positive drug test.

What if confirmation testing and medical review was done but I am still getting a positive?

We often talk to callers stating they are getting a false positive through another avenue, such a probation, child protective services, and even their pain management doctor. In some cases, these people are telling the truth! A false positive drug test can cause some real problems. It can result in jail time or extend your probation. You might get rejected by your pain management doctor, suffer wrongful employment termination, or even lose custody of your children. In these cases, you need something for your own records. We recommend doing your own drug test, trying a different laboratory, and even trying a different type of drug test sample. Customer service can help talk through your specific situation and help decide what type of testing may be in order.

Don’t lose hope—get your own drug test.

In summary, it’s important to consider what people really mean when they say they have a false positive. Each situation is different! What kind of drug test was it? Was it a quality lab? Was confirmation and medical review provided? Was this prescription related? Remember the window of opportunity to get a drug test is limited. Hair drug testing can lengthen the look-back time and is offered in 5-panels up to the 17-panel hair drug test. We cannot promise to deliver the test results that you need, but we can promise to talk through the situation and help in any way we can. We also promise to tell you if we think a test will not help your situation. What you need to know about false positive drug tests is that you are not the only one, which generally means there may just be a remedy to your situation.