What can show up as benzodiazepine in a urine test? (2023)

What can show up as benzodiazepine in a urine test?

Analgesics/ NSAIDS

The medication Daypro (oxaprozin), which is prescribed for types of arthritis, may result in a false positive test for benzodiazepines. The pain medication tramadol could trigger a false positive result for PCP.

Benzodiazepines are extensively metabolized, and the parent compounds are not detected in urine. Diazepam is metabolized to nordiazepam, oxazepam, and temazepam; all may be detected after diazepam use. Chlordiazepoxide is metabolized to nordiazepam and oxazepam; all may be detected after chlordiazepoxide use.

Ibuprofen. This over-the-counter pain reliever can cause a drug test to show up as positive for barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and marijuana. 12000 mg of ibuprofen, it is thought, may interfere with the enzyme used in the testing method.

A typical benzodiazepine urine test can detect benzodiazepines or their break-down products, called metabolites. But this is a very complex test. A positive test result means that the test found the medicine's metabolite in your urine at the time the urine sample was taken.

False-positive results for amphetamine and methamphetamine were the most commonly reported. False-positive results for methadone, opioids, phencyclidine, barbiturates, cannabinoids, and benzodiazepines were also reported in patients taking commonly used medications.

A review of secondary sources revealed sertraline to be a well-described cause of false-positive benzodiazepine screens. In 2006, Rapuri et al¹ list sertraline and oxaprozin as causing false-positive screening results for benzodiazepines.

For example, Wellbutrin (bupropion), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Desyrel (trazodone) can all potentially show up as amphetamines in a drug screen. Similarly, Zoloft (sertraline) may show up as a benzodiazepine. Less commonly, antidepressants have been known to trigger false positives for LSD.

Given that the therapeutic blood concentrations for benzodiazepines ranges from 2–1000 ng/mL depending on the specific benzodiazepine, blood concentrations below the level of detection are not uncommon.

“The FDA has found that many dietary supplements – especially weight-loss, bodybuilding and sexual-enhancement products – contain undeclared drug ingredients that could be potentially harmful and/or produce unwanted urinalysis test results,” according to the website.

What herbal supplements can cause a false positive drug test?

Additionally, the ingestion of foods containing hemp, such as hemp-seed oil, have resulted in positive marijuana UDS results,² and ephedra-containing products may cause false-positive methamphetamine results. Other herbal supplements may be less likely to cause false-positive test results.

Typical detection windows for benzodiazepines in the urine are 2 to 7 days, depending on the individual benzodiazepine drug used and other factors, such as time of last dose, drug half-life, route of administration, and individual differences in pharmacokinetics.

Some popular over-the-counter allergy and sleep meds like Benadryl and Advil PM have diphenhydramine. It can relieve coughs and runny noses. But on drug screens, it can show up as methadone, which helps people quit heroin or other opiates and can be addictive.

Over-the-counter medications.

Nyquil, Vicks products, and other cold medications contain alcohol. These and other alcohol-containing medicines may cause a breathalyzer test to show a false positive result.

The critical concentration level for diphenhydramine capsules was 1 mg/mL, for diphenhydramine tablets 2.5 mg/mL, methamphetamine was 1.5 mg/mL, and MDMA was 2 mg/mL. At or above these concentrations, the FTS is likely to produce a false positive result.

Ibuprofen

Once ingested, it takes around three hours for ibuprofen to lead to a false positive of cannabis, barbiturates, and PCP in your urine. The wrong positive shows for people whose consumption falls within the range of 800 to 1200 milligrams per day.

NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen)

NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, have often been implicated in causing false positives but most specimens are corrected with an alternate screening methodology if this is of concern. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen are easily available over-the-counter in the US and are widely used.

Zoloft (sertraline) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), while Xanax is a benzodiazepine. They work on different chemicals in your brain to change your mood or behavior.

The trazodone metabolite meta-chlorophenylpiperazine can cause false-positive urine amphetamine immunoassay results.

Is Lexapro A benzodiazepines?

There are several medication options available if you have anxiety. Lexapro (escitalopram) and Xanax (alprazolam) are two different prescription drugs that can treat general anxiety as well as anxiety with depression. Lexapro is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) drug while Xanax is a benzodiazepine.

Reference Range

A urine benzodiazepine (Oxazepam/Lorazepam/Alprazolam metabolite/Clonazepam metabolite/Nordiazepam/Temazepam) result of < 50 is a NEGATIVE result (50 ng/mL is the lower reporting limit for this LCMS confirmation assay). Values reported ≥ to 50 should be interpreted as POSITIVE.

A patient taking alprazolam, clonazepam, flurazepam, or lorazepam will not test positive for benzodiazepine metabolites on an Aegis report. Prescription: Benzodiazepines are controlled substances, and legitimate prescriptions would show up on the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) in most cases.

Many basic urine drug screens only test for the breakdown metabolites, oxazepam and noroxazepam. Alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan), midazolam (Versed), and triazolam (Halcyon) do not undergo metabolism to oxazepam and can be missed in detection.

Vitamin B Supplements

Yet another item on our list that can cause you to test positive for weed. That's because some vitamin B supplements contain riboflavin, which, in turn, may be made from hemp seed oil. This can cause traces of THC to show up on a drug test.