False Positive For Fentanyl?

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I go to pain mgt and tested positive for fentanyl. I had never even heard of this before I was questioned. I take 7.5 hydrocodone, cymbalta, nuerontin, and ambien. Could any of these cause a false positive? I am completely stumped and worried this will effect my future treatment when I've done nothing wrong.

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1

Hi there!! I just recently came across your post as I've been absolutely going NUTS abt my recent drug test. I too tested positive for fentanyl and I have NEVERRRRR taken ANY drugs whatsoever. I have a nursing license and wld never jeopardize that. With that said.... The only medication I do take.... Is ambien. Did u ever find out what caused ur positive test result?

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2

I've never found out why mine was positive :( You?

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3

Well believe it or not.... I forced my doctor to dig into what the hell was going on. And low and behold ... There was an employee at the lab that was not calibrating the machines properly. As the girl wrote below... I too am a nurse ... And wld NEVER jeopardize my occupation by messing around w fentanyl. There is NOTHING worse than being accused of something u didn't do... Absolutely NOTHING.

I will say... One thing that I find kind of ironic is that I've noticed a lot of ppl that have tested positive for fentanyl are also prescribed ambien. I too take ambien. Not every Ngt... But enough that it was in my system at the time of the drug test. So that too peaked my concern. Just thought I'd mention that.

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4

Urine test for fentanyl are not accurate without testing for the levels and the metabolites. THe ones that only test for the presence of the drug can be very inaccurate. ALso THe swab drug test are knows for inaccurate results. I would never submit to a swab test without a backup full anlysys urine test. Always request one of the more in depth test when your test are not coming back the way they should. ALso report ALL medications you take so any interactions can be accounted for. If you take any herbs as well report them as many affect levels of medications in your system

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5

HELP!!!! I have also tested false-positive for Fentanyl on a mouth swab test for DCS. I also take Suboxone, Gabapentin, Remeron, Omeprazole, Cymbalta, Micronor (birth control), and Melatonin. I KNOW I haven't been exposed to this drug, what could cause this?? They are opening a DCS case and I could lose custody of my son because of this. The mouth swab took over 10 minutes to administer, and it did NOT turn blue, my mouth was so dry I couldn't get any spit to come out because I was having a panic attack. The Fentanyl showed up at 15.8 ng, which is a HIGH LEVEL. My Suboxone only showed up as 4.8 ng, and I took 16 mg the night before.

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6

I was tested by urinalysis during the month of October 2016,The test was positive for Fentanyl. I am on oxycontin 80 mgs 3 times daily and 30 mgs of oxycodone 3 times daily as well. I also use a cream put together by a compounding company, last is lyrica 300 mgs. 4 or 5 times a day. I have been on top of the insurance company and they don't like me .I called attorney that represents me and asked if the urine could be sent back to my doctors office. I've had 3 major back surgeries and may require more and because they know this I believe they are trying to sabotage my treatment so they can get rid of me.

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7

Same thing just happened to me. Urine test was positive for fentanyl and metabolites but I have not taken any! I was discharged from pain management because of this. (I am on oxycodone, gabapentin, flexerall, flagyl and Wellbutrin). I was in shock and still am (test was also from Oct 2016 in TN). The crazy thing is that I cannot even take fentanyl and have always asked NOT to be given that medication for sedation because years ago it was used for a colonoscopy and did not work for me-I was awake the whole time and it was very traumatic!). I even asked the nurse why would I take a medication that I have repeatedly asked doctors not to give me?? It makes no sense. It is either a lab error (she insists it is 100% accurate and it's on paper in black and white and we can't argue with that.) or somehow I was exposed to it unintentionally but I have no guesses how!? If it isn't a lab error then I'm worried and scared because idk how it got in my system or if it could happen again! I called to ask if I could do a retest or hair sample test (I've heard it goes back 90 days) and the nurse told me that I don't understand and the fentanyl is def in my system and then she hung up on me! I'm worried that I won't be able to get the meds I need or that this will follow me or I could lose my kids-all over something I did not do! What should I do? I have multiple health issues and I am on medical leave long term. I also have an upcoming intestinal surgery (and won't have pain meds). I'm afraid to even talk to anyone because I think they won't believe me. Do I need to worry about this or get a lawyer? Or does it just mean I need to try to find a new doctor somehow? Any advice would be appreciated! Thx in advance!

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8

They discharged you??? That's terrible! I tested positive as well at PM but they didn't discharge me thank god! But I've been afraid of it happening again since I never took it or was never around it in the first place! Uhg :( TOTAL BS that they won't retest you. You deserve that. I'm sorry. I wish I could be of more help.

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9

Lyn,

Stay away from the lawyer. At first it just gives the wrong initial appearance. Rather seek another medical opinion before going the legal route... It's sad in this day that false positives can cause such additional stress to genuine pain patients. Hope things work out for you either way. God speed.

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10

Update: I am a patient at Crystal Ray Medical by a very good doctor. I gave a urine sample for Gallagher Bassett and they reportedly found fentanyl in my urine. I have not taken that drug at all. I did take a large amount of Oxycontin in the days before (240mgs, maybe 24 hours before being tested). I would like my doctor to take a hair sample and have it tested. Is this a better way to find the truth?

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11

My urine drug test came back positive for fentanyl last month and I never took that in my life. How does this happen? Now my doctor is very suspicious of me for no reason.

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12

So frustrating! Same here. No clue- I've never taken it either.

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13

No. I haven't had any meds and I guess I need to try to find a new doctor. I just don't understand it. Seems like an awful lot of false positives have been popping up lately. I cannot believe that someone opened a DCS case and threatened custody issues. No one should have to go through that! Especially when they've done nothing wrong. Something has got to be done about the accuracy of these tests.

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14

Now I'm worried that I won't be able to pass a urine test when I find a new doctor because I have no idea why I tested positive for fentanyl. I have only tested positive for fentanyl the one time in my whole life and I wasn't taking anything new or different that could have caused it. The only thing I can think of is that I was very sick the day before and was actually traveling through several states. I stopped at a gas station and started throwing up uncontrollably. 3 hours later they called an ambulance. I was treated and released at the ER. But all they gave me was zofran and an antibiotics Roceftin or something like that via IV. I didn't ask for any pain meds or anything like that. Just the nausea medicine. My white blood cell count was up which is why they gave me the roceftin. Just curious if anyone knows if by chance that could be what caused it. That and the zofran were the only different meds in my system.

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15

Did your dr tell you if it was a large amount or small amount found in your urine? Mine told me that it was a very small amount found. Ok but there should have been none found. I had had a procedure done the previous month with anesthesia (same dr ordered the procedure) - i'm thinking it was something in the anesthesia but my dr said no, it wouldn't have stayed in my system that long. I still think that has to be it and I'm guessing the same as you... something in the IV they gave you.

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16

No thwybdidnt tell me. She just said it was in black and white on paper and was positive for fentanyl and metabolites. I had some recent medical procedures too but she said it had to be on that day or right before I took the test. I just don't understand it. They did not believe me when I insisted that I did not and would not ever intentionally take fentanyl since I had a bad reaction during a colonoscopy years before. The whole thing is just so stupid. 8 know I didn't take anything. But it's hard to argue w a piece of paper. Just doesn't make any sense.

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17

I failed a urine drug screen for fentanyl and did not take any whatsoever. Could any other medication be the reason as to why this happened?

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18

No I never did find out and have not had meds all this time. Going to find a new doctor. I just hope the false positive does not follow me for the rest of my life. I'm afraid I will be treated as a suspect and not a patient. One new doctor I've seen since that happened (a gastroenterologist) did treat me like a suspect or addict... I suspect maybe that is why if it's on my record somehow. Does anyone know how all that works? Are the records available to doctors in other states?

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19

I have tested positive for fentanyl twice with my probation officer. I am being violated on February 1st. I have never taken fentanyl. I am currently taking gabapentin, lorazepam, suboxone, wellbutrin and adderall. Why am I testing positive for fentanyl?

Can a hair follicle test give an accurate result for fentanyl? If so, can a hair follicle test exonerate me from having never taken fentanyl when a urine sample came back positive?

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20

I go to a pain clinic and get tested for meds via a urine test and I tested positive for fentanyl but I don't take that, but do change my wife's patches every three days. Could this make my test positive?

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31

Why is it I keep coming up fentanyl and I been clean for over 6monthe the besides one time about 40days ago but they say it been positive before that and after that for ab4months I only take methadone and seroquals for sleep

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30

My grandson found an old bag with fentanyl residue in it. He touched it while throwing it away. He tested positive on a urine test of fentanyl. Could this be because he touched the residue?

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29

I have never taken fentanyl and I tested positive. I am just wondering how this can happen? I don't take any pain drugs. All I take is methadone, trazodone, venlafaxibe, clonazepam, quetiapen, naproxen and a migraine med. I have no clue. A lady at work gave me a muscle relaxant for my migraine. Is it possible if she is on fentanyl coated pills that it cross contaminated onto the muscle pill? That is the only way that I believe it physically got into my body. Please respond.

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28

I hear ya!
Same thing happened to me !
The dr told me that just bcuz people lie doesn't make them a bad person!
Wow! I didn't lie!
She acted like if I changed my answer(if I lied to her) that she wld keep prescribing it to me!
How can these Drs sleep at nite?!
They're such power trippers! Lol
My ua after that was clean!
Nice that drs give you the benefit of the doubt!
What kind of dr patient relationship is that?!
Actually it was a relief to leave that Drs office and especially with a clean conscious of knowing I did not lie!
Oh I take Ritalin, Wellbutrin, omeprozole, oxycodone, lisinoprel and methocarbomal.
Does anyone know if any of my meds can mimic Fentanyl?

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27

Fortunately, they do believe me because it is happening a lot at the same place with clients that have been in good standing for quite some time, all for the new fentynal test that just took effect, but if it happens again, they will be further investigating.

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26

That is ridiculous. They need to figure out what is going these tests. Peoples lives are being destroyed from inaccuracy through no fault of their own. They obviously have a lot of glitches, and should start taking it seriously.

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25

I currently work as a toxicology specialist for a drug testing laboratory that monitors both in-patient and out-patient clinics. I doubt this will answer every question that was asked, but perhaps I can provide some closure to people who are (or will be) affected by false-positives.

There are two general types of testing for drug screens: antibody-based immunoassays (or enzyme-mediated immunoassays, EIA), and specific drug identification tests. EIAs are the most common test to order, simply because they are confirmations only ("Is the drug present?") and are thus very cheap to perform. However, they aren't always accurate due to reactivity with other drugs (i.e. antibiotics, rifampin, doxylamine, and diphenhydramine), which can lead to false positives.

Specific drug identification tests are typically ordered after an EIA returns a positive result. These tests are run using complex instruments that require a high level of expertise to run and review. This is more expensive to perform than an EIA, but these tests can not only tell you which specific drug you are taking (can differentiate between morphine and oxycodone, for example), but also the concentration of the drug detected in your urine/blood sample. These tests are far more accurate and have gone through extensive validation, verification, and correlation studies to back that up.

Some doctors will only order the EIA for several reasons. The price of the specific drug test may be too expensive, or the lab that typically performs their screens don't have that test available. If you ever receive a false positive on your initial test results, ask for repeat testing or for a specific drug test. It may cost you some extra money, but regaining the trust of your doctor and avoiding potential criminal repercussions makes it far more helpful in the long run.

Also, for those of you who believe Gabapentin could be causing the false positive Fentanyl results, this is because Fentanyl is a rather addicting drug that is often used to treat severe body pains, and can cause withdrawals when you no longer need to take it. One of the more common drugs to prescribe to help ease a patient off Fentanyl without the withdrawal effects is Gabapentin.

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24

I was in the hospital this past weekend while there they performed a blood test which showed I had taken Fentanyl which is not at all possible. I've heard that Gabapentin can cause a false positive. Does anybody know if this is true?

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23

My husband just got fired from his pain management doctor for the same reason! He has Never taken phentanol. The doctor just said oh well it's accurate and quickly left the room. The entire staff stared at us like we were criminals. When I questioned the lab tech she was just as rude.

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22

Hi am trying to respond to all the false positives for fentanyl. This just happened to me. This is NOT OKAY. I also noticed that it seems to be a new way of testing which is obviously extremely inaccurate, and it NOT OKAY to mess with people's lives like this. I am beginning to think it has nothing to do with my Advil Cold and Sinus, Benadryl, Flouxetine, combo, and EVERYTHING to do with the test. If they can't test accurately then find a new way. I'm sorry, but if I was positive for fentanyl, wouldn't I also be positive for the drug that took me down the first time? It makes absolutely no sense. People could lose their children, or be incarcerated for something they did not do. Or even get frustrated enough trying to prove themselves, get depressed and relapse for real.

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