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Yee gads! Will I test positive?

I have read that amoxicillin will cause a false positive for cocaine. If it does, what can I do? I don't use drugs and I don't want to get a positive test. Help!

Wanna test clean

Docpotter's Reply:

I don't know if amoxicillin causes a false positive for cocaine. *A false positive is when you test as if you used drugs when you didn't.* However, you don't want to take any chances.

You cover yourself by disclosuring your use on the forms you must fill out when being tested. Then, if you get a positive test, your results are sent to a Medical Review Officer (MRO) who is suppose to interview you about why you tested positive. You tell about the amoxicillin and show your prescription. The MRO is authorized to send a positive result as a negative if he or she buys your story. Why not? It sounds perfectly reasonable.

Alternatively, to hopefully avoid the false positive altogether, along with the hassle and potential suspicion, you could cease taking the amoxicillin (with your doctor's ok) for several days, to a week or two prior to the test (ask your doctor how long to abstain), flush your system by drinking a lot of water for a few days before the test and the day of the test.

For more information, check out my book, Pass The Test: An Employee's Guide To Drug Testing.

-docpotter

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