Failed urine test because of nitrites

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Hey everyone! A friend of mine just took a drug test for her first nursing job as a GN. But today she just found out that she failed the drug test because of an extremely high amount of nitrites found in her urine. They told her that the only reason the nitrites would be that high is if she drank something to cover up drug use or something along those lines. Now this girl NEVER has done any drugs. So therefore, she has no need to drink nitrite containing drinks.

Is there anything she can do?!?! Isn't this really rude of them to automatically assume she was "covering up" , instead of doing more tests?

I read on the internet that UTI';s cause nitrites in the urine,

and also hot dogs, bacon, etc, green veggies. And she eats all of these foods.

She talked to her doctor who said that he would run some tests on her to see if there is anything wrong in her body. She has also called the human resources at the hospital she was going to work at but they have not returned her call yet.

Has anyone else heard of htis happening?!? Can you do anything about it?

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How can you know she has NEVER touched a legal/illegal drug in her life? Has she been physically in your presence since the day she was born?

(Just playing devil's advocate here)

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Yeah you're right she came out of the womb with a joint in her hand. Are you kidding me?! I came here to see if this happened to anyone else or if anyone knows a reason this could have happened. And to see what exactly her options were now that this happened. I guess maybe I came to the wrong place ?

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Please don't think people are being mean, they are just being honest...do you really think drug testing companies are in the business of getting false-positives?

It takes WAY more than a trace of things before they will report a positive on a drug test...you can eat poppy-seed bagels until you are blue in the face and a drug test will most likely not show a fail.

There are many levels of nitrates and drug testing companies are very familiar with the combination that is found in the "test clean" kits you get in the grocery store..she most likely had to have a combination of several factors before they sent it back as a fail...and having a "test clean" products in your system is an automatic fail.

There were probably other factors that played into that decision. The drug company has no vested interest in each test....they are not in the business providing information to tarnish reputations of drug-free people.

I wish your friend luck, but you never really know anyone. I'm not saying she was an addict, she may have just smoked one joint at a party and panicked, took a single pain pill borrowed from a friend...people make these mistakes but it doesn't make them addicts or it doesn't mean they have a drug problem or need to be in rehab.

However, as a nurse, your friend should have known better that her system needs to never, ever have anything in it that she cannot explain.

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THe original sample should have been sent to a neutral lab for gas chromatography, to confirm the nitrites and where it came from.

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Can this thread please be moved to General Nursing discussion??

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

Hmmm, I lost my post I think.

Here is a page on nitrites in urine drug screens

http://www.jatox.com/abstracts/1998/mar-apr/urrmiab.htm

Here is an interesting site that sells kits to transport clean urine to pass a test. I'm surprised this is legal. Didn't read carefully enough to see if they send the urine too.

http://www.ureasample.com/buy-drug-test-solutions/store/comersus_dynamicIndex.asp

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hmmm, i lost my post i think.

here is a page on nitrites in urine drug screens

http://www.jatox.com/abstracts/1998/mar-apr/urrmiab.htm

here is an interesting site that sells kits to transport clean urine to pass a test. i'm surprised this is legal. didn't read carefully enough to see if they send the urine too.

http://www.ureasample.com/buy-drug-test-solutions/store/comersus_dynamicindex.asp

what the heck? freeze dried urine powder? the new and improved ultra whizzinator ?

:roll :roll

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
what the heck? freeze dried urine powder? the new and improved ultra whizzinator ?

:roll :roll

i think i deserve a post_thanks.gif for my helpful post, don't you?;)

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I think I deserve a post_thanks.gif for my helpful post, don't you?;)
Absolutely. I was definitely slacking off there. But in my defense, I was laughing so hard I could barely see the buttons :lol2:
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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
Absolutely. I was definitely slacking off there. But in my defense, I was laughing so hard I could barely see the buttons :lol2:

Heh, heh. Now I've been thanked 36 times in 25 posts!!! Not as much as you, Mr Goldstein, but respectable.

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Heh, heh. Now I've been thanked 36 times in 25 posts!!! Not as much as you, Mr Goldstein, but respectable.

I'm a gurl :(

(no worries, perfectly understandable given my user name :) )

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