"Negative dilute" drug test?

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I recently took my drug test for nursing school. The results of this and our background check are due this week, so I logged into my online account to check that everything had finished pending. I noticed that my drug screen said it was a "Negative dilute." I drink a lot of coffee and water throughout the day, but no one had given any sort of warning to hold off on consuming these before my drug test. If anything, I drank even more than usual to ensure I'd be able to produce enough of a sample. I had no idea drinking too much could lead to a result like this. The woman who adminstered the test kept my belongings with her while I tested, checked the temp after, etc, and everything was fine. She didn't comment or seem concerned about my urine being too dilute (it was quite clear, but did still have a little yellow to it). I didn't think much of this until I searched around online and realized some schools / employers consider this a positive result!! I am freaking out now. I am definitely NEGATIVE for any / all drugs and do not want anyone to think otherwise. My school did not give any sort of warning on this prior or mention their specific policy.

I have not received any sort of call or notice from the lab or school mentioning the need for a retest or what this could mean for me. I emailed my advisor last night for advice, and she did not respond at all today, which just makes me even more nervous.

Am I being paranoid? What should I do about this?

I actually had basically the same thing happen to me. I went to go get my test and my kids were with me. Well, the lab wouldn't let me leave them in the waiting room by themselves (at 8,6 and 4) for the minute it takes to fill a cup. So, I had to take them home and had to pee so bad that I did. Then, I drank like 3 bottles of water on the way back to the lab because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to give them a sample. Well, my urine was too dilute. I found out when the department secretary in our nursing department called and asked me to retest within 24 hours. I went back. Talked to the lady in the lab who suggested caffeinated soda rather than water if I was ever in that situation again. The soda wouldn't dilute my urine and the caffeine would help with my need to pee.

Anyway, I wasn't hiding anything, but I was terrified too. Long story short -- I passed my retest and last month I graduated from nursing school. I am now scheduled to take NCLEX in 10 days. :)

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Specializes in Peds PACU & Peds Psych.

Just to update this -- I heard back from my advisor. She said she spoke to the lab and that my urine was not too heavily dilute, so I do not have to retest or anything. She said I may be subject to a random screening at some point during class, but that is fine with me! Phew, now I can relax. :)

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.
Just to update this -- I heard back from my advisor. She said she spoke to the lab and that my urine was not too heavily dilute, so I do not have to retest or anything. She said I may be subject to a random screening at some point during class, but that is fine with me! Phew, now I can relax. :)

Yay! One less thing to worry about!

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Just to update this -- I heard back from my advisor. She said she spoke to the lab and that my urine was not too heavily dilute, so I do not have to retest or anything. She said I may be subject to a random screening at some point during class, but that is fine with me! Phew, now I can relax. :)

YAY!!

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Specializes in Nursing Assistant.
Just to update this -- I heard back from my advisor. She said she spoke to the lab and that my urine was not too heavily dilute, so I do not have to retest or anything. She said I may be subject to a random screening at some point during class, but that is fine with me! Phew, now I can relax. :)

Great news!

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The same thing just happened to me. I feel so embarrassed and I feel if I do end up getting this job they will always wonder if I was trying to fool them by over hydrating. I knew nothing about this going into the test, of course. I thought if I drank some water in the waiting room it would make getting the specimen easier. The first shot I didn't produce enough urine and I only had 4 mins to do it and I didn't know it was a timed test either until afterwards. Labcorp does not give you any instructions and neither does the employer. My opinion is that they actually treat you like a druggie (this was only a pre screen) and my first. What makes it worse was I had the flu which I caught after the interview where the job was offered based on a background check. I passed the background and did the drug screen several days later. I couldn't go immediately because I had severe cramps going through my stomach and a fever of over 100.0 F degrees (usually, I am 96.2 F). I felt so awful, so I completed the e-paperwork on line for permission to do the background check on Thursday afternoon (3-4 days before results) and then I planned to go for the drug screen on Monday morning. However, the employer called Monday morning to tell me background check had come back (of course it had to be early) and it was okay and he then asked me about the drug screen which I hadn't done. I didn't want to tell him I had been sick because that wouldn't look good. I told him I was actually on my way to get it now. He wanted to make sure I got e-mail for it. Then in the office when I got called back I couldn't go. I usually have no problem going but would you believe it I couldn't produce enough and they knocked on the door for me to come out and they called it a shy bladder. So, afraid, I sat in the waiting room chugging water. I cannot ever remember in my life drinking so much water in an hour but I thought I was doing the right thing. Labcorp never told me anything or warned me. The test came back Negative Dilute. I got a message from employer on my machine which I got Thursday evening as I work one day a week (which I told them about). I couldn't go then because due to the flu I had to take some tylenol. I was further into a rabbit hole because I later did research and they test for a lot of things. Obviously, I do not do the street drugs but occasionally I do have to take a prescription med. So, my research was then telling me certain things stay in your system and I took miniscular amounts but I worried. So, I didn't go Thursday or Friday as they advised but I went Monday morning early and I called the employer (not in and left detailed messages) and I left a message to tell him I got it done early Monday morning and to let me know when my start date would be if everything came back okay. I was supposed to start Monday but he had told me on my message machine that they would have to have it back so he hoped for Monday. Labcorp then tells me that it would take 3-5 days to get it back. Now, I am afraid I lost out on this job. I am sure they are thinking she is taking too long to this simple drug screen so something has to be up. I feel embarrassed like I want to explain why it took longer (although the paperwork gave me 8 days or so before it expired) but I think they wanted me to get it immediately so I could get started. I wanted to go Friday but my urine was running super clear and I was terrified that it was going to be negative dilute again and I know that I will not get another chance. So, I thought early Monday morning would be better and the tylenol would not show. I am so scared. I got test this morning so I know it will be another few days and I am afraid I will not hear from him again. I feel like an idiot. This is the first drugscreen I have had and I hope it is the last. The truth of it was I was sick with a high fever, upper respiratory and digestive tract systems and just couldn't think. What do you think I should do now?

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I don't think there is a way they can tell that someone accidently or intentionally over hydrated. How could they possibly know this. They treat everyone the same. They assume one is a druggie until the test is proved otherwise. If there is a marginal result where the data could go either way they will retest. However, there is a positive dilute which would be obvious. Because that person knows they took some substances and were trying to conceal it. But, a negative dilute could also be interpreted as someone knowing and successfully drinking enough water to mask it. So, what someone thinks is out of our control. Only we know the truth.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.
I am so scared. I got test this morning so I know it will be another few days and I am afraid I will not hear from him again. I feel like an idiot. This is the first drugscreen I have had and I hope it is the last. The truth of it was I was sick with a high fever, upper respiratory and digestive tract systems and just couldn't think. What do you think I should do now?

Why would you be worried about Tylenol appearing in your screening? It's an OTC drug. No one is going to bat an eyelash about it. They can't base not hiring you on the fact that you had Tylenol in your system. It would be a HUGE assumption on their part to come to the conclusion that since you took Tylenol, you must be ill and therefore, "un-hire-able". If you didn't take anything illegal, no worries. If you had a prescription for the meds you took, you should be fine. You just have to disclose what you took so it matches the lab findings. That's why they ask you in the drug test pre-screen about the meds you're taking. If you conceal what you're taking, then the red flags go up. Honesty is always the best policy :D

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Yes - thank you for responding. I do have current rx for what I am taking which is PRN. However, I think if they know they may not hire me. I take it very sparingly because I have social anxiety but it has improved a lot lately and I think I can do without it. I can produce the rx but I just as soon would not want them to know. I also thought tylenol showed too but I guess my mind is running away with me because of all the research on line I have done and not feeling well. I guess I have to just wait and see what happens with the new test I did this morning. It looked diluted too. I drank a small Gatorade in the waiting room. I had a small tea earlier. I was terrified I couldn't go because I think I have been dehydrated but I was able to go today but it was quite clear to my horror. I just cannot relax over this.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.
Yes - thank you for responding. I do have current rx for what I am taking which is PRN. However, I think if they know they may not hire me. I take it very sparingly because I have social anxiety but it has improved a lot lately and I think I can do without it. I can produce the rx but I just as soon would not want them to know. I also thought tylenol showed too but I guess my mind is running away with me because of all the research on line I have done and not feeling well. I guess I have to just wait and see what happens with the new test I did this morning. It looked diluted too. I drank a small Gatorade in the waiting room. I had a small tea earlier. I was terrified I couldn't go because I think I have been dehydrated but I was able to go today but it was quite clear to my horror. I just cannot relax over this.

Even if your med is PRN, you have to disclose. You have to view this from your employer's perspective. How does this reflect on your character for not disclosing? Whether you think you need it or not, bottom line is you have a prescription for it. Now that you didn't disclose it, if you get flagged for having it on your screening, then you could get rejected for the job solely on that basis. If you would have disclosed up front and then it appeared in your screening, the results would have correlated.

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I don't think it is a character issue at all because nothing was explained to me at Lab Corp or by the employer. I was not told which panel was drawn and I believed I was only being screened for street illicit drugs (5 panel). It was only after research on the net that I saw that other panels can be ordered that include some RX drugs. I do not know what panel was ordered it was not on any of the paperwork, it could just be the 5 panel. I believe I should have been told and I was not told at the interview either that I had to take a drug test. It was e-mailed to me at a later date. I was totally ignorant of how they work and no one told me to disclose anything. Perhaps if I was asked upfront instead of leading me down a path where I was afraid to ask for fear of discrimination I would be able to relax. I think I should be told what I was being tested for and there was no way I could find out.

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