I have a chance at a my dream job as a contract to hire position. The contracting company says a background check and 10 panel drug test is needed after offer is made and start of work. Back ground check is no worry. I know the drug test will come back positive for hydro, I have a rx from my PCP for norco up to 5 a day. But just to check I got a couple of the iScreen 10 panel strips off the internet. When I did the test I was floored. Not only positive for OPI but there was very I mean very faint line under the PCP strip. I read where any faint T line is a neg result but I really have to look to see the line.

I take Norco, Lamictal, and Focalin. Did some surfing and found some cases where Lamictal causes false positive for PCP to the point that some in jail couldnt get early release cause of the results. Anyone heard of this? All the false positive lists out on the internet dont list this.

I wont be testing for a few days some Iam laying off the Lamictal to try to clear it out. Does anyone know how long till its out of the urine. I have another test I can use after that time to see if its this that is showing false positive.

Thanks

Jim

Might be a good opportunity to sue the hell out of some people if you are denied the job due to the drug test. You could sue the test company and the makers of the drugs.

You might be able to go sail the world for a few years. Think about your strategy carefully. (You might want to up the dosages instead of trying to clear the false positive:)

Other than that, you can strap a bag of clean [censored] with a tube to your leg. Also, your test strips might not be as accurate as the tests the lab uses and you could be stressing for nothing.

And, the half=life is listed as 24-34 hours (healthy adults). SO, in theory, it may be all gone in 68 hours (unless it has a lipid-soluble metabolite that causes the false postive for PCP which might stay with you a lot longer)

If you have a legal prescription for these medications, you don't have to worry. I had Top Secret clearance while being on several medications, including hydro. The drug test examiners take into consideration all the medications you take and are familiar with those that cause false readings. That is why you should always list everything, including over-the-counter meds and supplements. Even Ibuprofen has caused some false readings.

Hi jjr0062!
I had a very negative experience with taking a "drug screen" with a Fortune 500 company about 8 years ago, &
I will never forget it. I have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, and take Dextroamphetamine (a Schedule II controlled substance) daily. I had formerly worked for this corporation for a brief while ten yrs earlier, but I still had to jump thru a lot of hoops, including the tedious MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), and have a Equifax/TransUnion credit report, etc, run, & gained clearance, till I was made "the offer I sought" I accepted,
then, the hiring mgr. asked me, to my surprize, to go to
"Lab Corp." the next day, for a drug screen. I complied.
I was overconfident, being a former employee perhaps, anyway, when I allowed my blood to be drawn & submitted a urine sample, I "turned over a manila envelope with a fresh copy of my Schedule II prescription, and a letter from my medical doctor, that was signed, and informed "to whom it may be concerned" that I took Dexedrine & Adderall for my diagnosis of A.D.D. DSM-IV code 314.01. Well, the Nurse with Lab Corp. was mean spirited and told me "my documents didn't mean a thing, & gave them back to me"...I insisted for them to forward the confidential medical records with my blood/urine samples to the appropriate lab technicians!
Well, this was on a Friday, (Labor Day weekend), and on the following Tuesday, the day before I was to report to work,
my new supervisor informed me (by phone) that "I failed the drug screen" and "that there was nothing she could do at this stage of the game but withdraw the offer, that it was company policy...from hdqtrs...no exceptions...if you fail the drug screen, you were unhirable" I was devastated. I
later consulted with 2 professional headhunters....this advise was given to me by both headhunters...."I should have disclosed my medication use to the hiring person, as
soon as an offer was made to me, then, & only then, after accepting the offer, I should have informed the hiring manager, (perhaps with documents to give him/or/her....my
diagnosis, & "my situation"....the headhunters told me that if they wanted to hire me "bad enough", they would have made arraingements for me to circumvent the test somehow, or perhaps, give me time to take a brief vacation off of the meds, for it to clear out of my system (temporarily), etc, etc. "that when I told my truth, & provided documents to the "Lab Corp." employees, a private contractor, that, it was too little & too late then to save my job.....that
most likely my medical records never left the "Lab Corp branch office". Indeed, when I confronted Lab Corp about my medical records, after "I lost the job", no-one knew anything about "anything"........I did receive a call from Lab Corp on "Labor Day" in Sept 2000 on my telephone answering machine from a out of state Lab Corp employee, but unfortunately, I was in Fla for the long weekend, and,
I failed to return the call to "Lab Corp" that same day to
talk with the lab technical staff.....when I returned to my residence the next day from my flight from Fla. "they informed me I returned my call too late", that the Rules were "they had to turn in a report within 24hrs to their contract client" and "unfortnately" my response was too late to change the course of events that were unraveling on me. ( I feel like they never got my medical records with my blood samples & urine samples) and wrote me off as a
"street speed freak, or a meth (crank head)". I consulted a psychologist about this, and was told "my case most unfortunately just got mishandled" & for the firm to make a exception "after the postive drug screen was turned in" would violate state/or federal laws...or Corporate laws, and might subject the employer to a class action law suit if word got out that, "they made exceptions" to new employee's drug screen's after a the 24hr cooling off period had lapsed. This incident haunted me for years, &
eventually indirectly resulted in my getting a divorce, due
to chronic underemployment, & educational underutilization,
and my resulting ongoing anger issues. Turning age 50, didn't help me either back then, as I was beginning to feel the age discrimination squeeze. IMHO I hope this info is of some help. (On second thoughts, I would get off of all meds for a whole week or so, keep it my "secret", if this job of a lifetime, is all that important to you.) Depending on your skill level, I don't know if a employer would accept narcotic analgesics, amphetamines, or Valium, or not in this competitive, dog eat dog world). Good Luck to you!

I can't believe that this happen to you, I believe you, that it happen......OMG.....Are you doing okay Now?

Trying to fight 2 different companies who work together (but in reality not together) is a nightmare. One will always blame the other and vice versa. The communication between yourself, one company and the other always breaks down. You just want to get the MDs from both companies in a room together and bang their heads together.

Our local council is like that. They contract out to other companies, then tell you it's nothing to do with the council, even though you pay your taxes to them.

My grandmother needed a new door fitting, and is in council accommodation. They hired one company to hang the door, and another to make it close securely. Of course, it didn't work, and hasn't done for months.

Sorry if this is slightly off-topic, but it's the same principle.

Well one thing that might help is the fact that they have to verify the panel test with a GC-MS lab test. This is a way more sensitive and specific test. As long as you have prescriptions for everything you should be fine. I get random drug tests for my job all the time. The panel test are bad about having false positives so they must verify with a Lab Test. Most drugs besides THC are out of your system in a few days to a week depending on your metabolism. Good luck!

This job is going back to the 500 company I worked 12 years for 10 years ago.. I to was told I could not list my drugs due to new Rules with HIPPA (sp)?
I have had the phone with me the last 72 hrs waiting on the call from the MRO. I have RX's for the meds. Well the call came today but from my new employer stating I passed the test and looking forward to working with me again. Dont know what happen there as I take norco 4-5 times a day for DD and Foclin and Lamictal for Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. I had invested in several 10 panel strips from IScreen, not the cheap ones at CVS. They showed OPI and PCP. After investaging the PCP and Lamictal connection on the web, some false reports but all stated that Lamictal would not cause it. Well after laying off the Lamictal for 3 days tested again and the PCP wasnt detected. Took the test with Labcorp and started the Lamictal again. The tests I have at home shows PCP again. So I just whated to advise others.

I take Hydro almost every day and haven't failed a random test yet. They GC-MS test will show a negative for OPI for Hydro. The GC-MS looks for morphine. Hydrocodone doesn not break down into morphine. Only morphine, codiene, herion, and opium should make you fail. Now sense you had a 10-panel test I didn't know if they were giving you a hydro test but it sounds like they did not. Enjoy your new job!

http://www.erowid.org/pharms/hydrocodone/hydrocodone_testing.shtml

Labs are aware of what medications can cause a false positive and will communicate this to you and your prospective employer. So if you do test positive and show your scrips you will be fine. I would not stop taking any medication you are prescribed.

Also understand there is a place on lab forms to put what medications, vitamins, etc. you are taking. You MUST fill this out with everything you take including otc drugs and vitamins. If you don't list and come up positive, it creates more problems.