+ Uds

BETSRN · Nov 6, 2003

A meconium drug screen is far more accurate than a uds anyway. We always send the mec as a first line. The drugs will be in the med even if she hasn't taken drugs in long enough for it to be out of the urine.

santhony44, MSN, RN, NP · Nov 6, 2003

I work in occupational health so we do lots of drug screens. Some of the reliability of this depends on the testing lab. I recently talked with our corporation's medical review officer, who is a occ med specialist; he told me that the test we use is good enough that it will *not* show positive THC for second-hand smoke. We hear quite a few folks who were "at a party and someone else was smoking." And, with other drugs, there's always "it was my dad's pain pills," (for amphetamines), "someone put something in my drink," and "I'm taking a prescription cough medicine" (for a positive cocaine).

I would suggest talking with someone at the lab which runs the tests to get specifics for your testing and your lab.

Tiki_Torch · Nov 6, 2003

Many years ago I worked iin a hospital laboratory and we were talking about drug tests with one of our pathologists. He told us that because marijauna is fat soluable it stays in the urine/blood for up to 30 days; he said that cocaine is water soluable and usually leaves the body within 3 days when drug testing is done. Granted this was back in the late 1980's so things may be different now.

As far as a person becoming positive because of inhaling second-hand marujauna smoke... it suppose it's possible since people who inhale second-hand nicotine smoke can have asthma attacks, etc. Makes me think she'd have to be around quite a bit of it though for it to show up positive in her urine...

Good luck googling this one, and please let us know what you find out! Maybe someone else with better information than my old lab memories can help shed some light on this subject.

I agree that testing the baby's meconium would be probably the most accurate way of knowing if the baby was exposed.

:)

kastas, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2003

Yep, I agree with the meconium part......

BUT, does it really matter whether she inhaled or was "just around it"? Either way she is putting her baby as risk. If this is the type of people she is going to hang out with after the baby is born she shouldn't be keeping that baby.

Sorry, it makes me so angry!!!! Why do we bother with the UDS or the baby screens? Nothing ever changes. We send babies home daily with crack addicts unless that baby gets lucky and the mom abandons it before we can discharge him/her.

A social worker told me the screens are important b/c they start a paper trail. What does it matter if the baby is found dead someday and they look back and realize, "OHHHHH, guess we should have thought twice about this baby going home. Mom had a positive drug screen when he was born". Dang! I get so angry at the system!!!

Sorry.

RN,@yourCervix · Nov 7, 2003

Thanks for the replies.....I googled and asked Jeeves too...I've just found out that there are many variables to testing and just come to the conclusion that I need to ask the lab at work......As far as I know we've never done a meconium test....Is that something that is done in hosp and results reported back right away or something that takes awhile to get results? And will IDPH pay for that..?...

Kastas says;

"Sorry, it makes me so angry!!!! Why do we bother with the UDS or the baby screens? Nothing ever changes."

I totally agree with you Kastas....

BETSRN · Nov 14, 2003

I believe mecs are sent out.

Dayray, RN · Nov 18, 2003

I would imagine that it is possible to get a positive test from second hand smoke. Not probable but possible. The reason I think this is because of something that happened to me a few months ago.

I was spending the night at my sisters apartment (who is in college). Her, her roommate and I were watching a movie with the lights down. next thing I know I was feeling pretty good and getting hungry. Then I realized that there was smoke in the room. I looked around and there was her roommate smoking a pipe. I was pretty ticked at them. I yelled at them and told them that I could be fired and lose my license if I tested positive.

I was more then a little worried that the count would be off and everyone on the floor would have to take a drug test. I could see it now when mine came back positive and I claimed that it was second hand smoke. I'm sure they would have thought I was full of crap.

Like I said I think its possible but not probable. I was very surprised that I didn't notice what was going on until I had received enough second hand smoke to feel the effects. I would assume if I got enough for that it would show up on a drug test. Thankfully I never got to find out.