I tested positive for benzo and i do not take benzo help

[kendel]

Hi Nurses,

pleASE help...i did a urine drug test yesterday for a new job and tested positive for benzodiazepam...i have never taken that in my entire life and i dont do drugs of any kind.

i am currently taking bactrim ds for a foot infection and thought that the antibiotcs has to be the cause. they told me the lab would call me and then ask me for the pharmacy info

i called the pharmacist today about the BACTRIM DS ALSO CALLED SULFAMETH/ TMP DS. HE SAID hes not aware of that causing a positive drug test.

i looked on the internet last night and found 1 article that states bactrim causes positive result for benzo

HELP I AM HURT BECAUSE I AM INNOCENT

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

As I am sure (or hope) you are aware, not taking the Bactrim for one day will not clear it from your system, so not taking it right before will not change a false positive on your next test. You also know, if you're a nurse, how risky it is to not take antibiotics as they are prescribed.

Don't ask about a retest, or anything else, until they contact you! If they do further testing and it's negative, then it's done. It may not be necessary, so just be patient!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

That really sucks. I hope the further screening comes out negative.

I will keep my fingers crossed for you - please let us know the outcome.

Very scary that you have to go through all this agony when you are innocent!

[country mom]

Anytime I have taken a drug test, the urine/blood has been labeled in front of me...I even sign the label so that it never leaves me sight when it is labeled.

That is how chain of custody protocol is supposed to be done. Also, urine specimen's should never be delivered through a pass-through door, but must be observable to the donor from the time it leaves the donor's body until it it is sealed and initialed.

[kendel]

i did the urine test today for the agency assignment will get the result tomorrow........i was sent to a lab and i passed the urine directly to the lab tech i saw for my self it was my urine.........

i wish they had done the same thing at the hospital...i had the benzo issue with.......

well my fellow nurses thanks for everything and all the info about the chain of custody form etc i never knew anything about that before probBLE DIDNT PAY ATTENTION NOW I KNOW.. i will definately warch carefully next time and not take anything for granted.

[Streamline2010]

Since you sound young and you write like in lower case, etc. I'm going to presume that you are young. One possibility that nobody mentioned yet was that you were slipped something in a drink, someplace. Or by a "friend" who is also a competitor for the same jobs. It happens. If you go to parties or clubs, beware of that.

[Popwhizbangz, LPN]

That's tough, I feel for you.

Of course, a strong possibly is lab error, including human error in the lab.

Also consider getting re-checked, if only so you can feel more confident this whole scenario won't repeat itself.

One study ( Psychiatry 2009 July; 6(7): 36-39 by Nasky et al ) found 160 false positives by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) among 522 benzo positive urine tests. They report that such testing is often done to confirm urine positives, but take time for results - perhaps you could find such results or convince someone to have them done.

Possibile causes of benzo false positives from a quick lit search: Zoloft/sertraline, oxaprozin, Benadryl/Diphenhydramine), Valerian Root and extract.

Also noted were multiple Chinese herb pills that contain benzodiazepines.

Hope something in there is helpful

[kendel]

Since you sound young and you write like in lower case, etc. I'm going to presume that you are young. One possibility that nobody mentioned yet was that you were slipped something in a drink, someplace. Or by a "friend" who is also a competitor for the same jobs. It happens. If you go to parties or clubs, beware of that.

thanks for trying to help but i dont go to parties and i dont drink no one knew i was looking for another job.........

its just human error i believe i dont know how or why it happened but i will wait to hear back from them for the final outcome i sure hope they do further testing of the urine sample to see why the error happened

[CrazierThanYou]

A friend of mine's husband had a drug test turn out positive for a benzo and it was discovered that another medication he was taking was suspected to have caused the positive. I can't remember what it was, though. I want to say it was an anti-depressant but since you said you didn't have anything but an antibiotic, I have no idea what to tell you.

[kendel]

HI NURSES....

i still did not hear anything from the lab regarding my drug test at the hospital so i just called the nurse at the hospital who took my urine sample she said my urine results came back negative and that it did not even reach the lab it was negative on the way..........

so there u go ..i asked her why that happen she said some times its faulty strip.. oh well

and the urine test i took for the agency assignment was negative as i expected. i am just happy to clear my name.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE AND SUPPORT

[klone, MSN, RN]

Wow. I'm so sorry you went through all that, and that they didn't call you back right away once they realized the original results were wrong.

[Popwhizbangz, LPN]

Congratulations!

For years now, I have never assumed ANYTHING in health care wasn't the result of an error, oversite, misunderstanding, miscommunication, a dumb rule at some level, poor decision-making, etc. Our system is far too complex and dysfunctional to assume otherwise safely....

[RNSamantha12]

I had to go in for a drug test because 25 Norco were missing and 1 Xanax. I tested positive for benzos....I freaked out because I never take any benzos. After they sent my urine in to see what was in my system, came back it was the Bactrim. Bactrim causes a false pos for benzos. I was suspended for this and just recently called in to say my drug test was clear! Terrible!!!! Ugh