Urine Test- St. John's Wort

[Fun2beRN]

I just took a urine drug test yesterday. I take St. John's Wort on occasions and now I am reading on the internet that this can cause a false positive results. I was taking a pill a day and my urine was dark for the urine test. I am freaking out. I don't want to be on the job a couple of weeks only to be fired. Has anyone heard or experienced this. Any suggestions?

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Right now, there's nothing you can really do for now but wait for the results. Should you pop positive, you could try explaining about the St. John's Wort and see what they say. Did you disclose that you were on it before the test?

Unfortunately for you, if the results do come back positive, they don't have to give you a retest or do a qualitative to determine if it is SJW. They can act on that positive test as they see fit.

And the "herbal med" excuse has been abused into the ground--many employers don't put a lot of stock in it. Which may not be fair to you, but it is what it is.

Best of luck.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

Did you list the St. John's Wort on the list of medications you are taking before you gave your urine sample? Since it causes known false positives, you could be safe if you listed it. If you didn't, well... you might want to start applying elsewhere.