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Your workplace or education center regularly drug tests. For most people, this isn’t a big deal. After all, you don’t take drugs. There’s no way you could test positive.
Unfortunately, false positives do happen from time to time in testing labs. What is worse, it is rarely a situation caused by the lab. Most instances of it occur because of activities by the person being tested.
If you are expecting a drug test soon and worried about a false positive, you can take some steps to mitigate the risk of a false positive. This could just save you from the kind of drug test result that would put your life on hold. While it is possible to discuss and prove a false positive with those who have given the test, it is better to avoid it happening. Discuss any concerns about your upcoming test with our toxicology testing lab in California.
You Can Cause False Positives
People who get a drug text from a toxicology testing lab in California are typically safe from false positives if they do not use drugs. Unfortunately, several substances can trigger a false positive. These situations occur when a harmless substance can cause the drug test to show up positive when there are no drugs in a person’s system.
For example, the medication selegiline can trigger a false positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine. However, even a substance as common as Vick’s Inhaler has been shown to trigger false positives for particular types of drugs. Even more surprising, ibuprofen and naproxen have been shown to create false positives for cannabinoids.
As a result, it is important to understand how to avoid this kind of problem. Corona Pathology, our toxicology testing lab in California is prepared for the chance that false positives could occur. We may be able to help sort out the problem for you after it occurs. However, it is best to understand how to avoid false positives to prevent the kind of challenges outlined below.
Problems It Can Cause
When you fail a drug test, you are going to face some consequences. These will vary, depending on why the drug test was given. For example, people applying for a job who failed a drug test will obviously not get the job. While frustrating, this is the least worrying problem that a false positive can cause. For those who are already working at a job, it can be even more damaging.
Those who fail a drug screening at work may be terminated as a result of a false positive. Even worse, they may end up losing certain benefits. For example, many states give the employer the right to terminate your unemployment benefits.
It is also possible to lose disability payment as a result of a false positive. In law enforcement situations, those who suffer from a false positive while serving probation may end up getting sent to jail for their whole sentence.
Avoiding This Problem
The easiest way to avoid a false positive in a drug test is to avoid ever using any drugs. It is simply not worth the risk to try to get away with using drugs if you need to take drug tests regularly. However, if you do not take any drugs, you can avoid a false positive by staying on top of avoiding what causes them.
Avoid eating poppy seeds, drinking mouthwash, or taking any other substance that could trigger a false positive. If you take a medicine that could cause a false positive, talk to the testing experts about it before you take the test. In this way, they may be prepared to better understand and explain a false positive to the authorities if it occurs.
Conclusion
As you can see, false positives can be easily avoided if you know what substances to stay away from before your drug test. Our excellent toxicology testing lab in California is flexible and understanding enough to know when and why false positives occur. As a result, you can avoid the kind of problems that can temporarily or even permanently affect your life.
Make sure that you talk about these concerns with the person giving you the drug test. They will have more information on how toxicology tests work and how you can stay free of false positives. While they obviously won’t give drug users tips on how to beat a toxicology report, they can at least help law-abiding people like you get the chance to enjoy their job without worrying about getting fired for something that can be avoided.