How do I successfully fail a drug test?

July 11, 2006 9:08 PM

How do I successfully fail a pre-employment drug test?

I was let go from my last job and am I looking for new employment. While it was not the reason, I do know that a chronic arthritic condition I have factored in their decision. I am not interested in pursuing anything against my former employer (I was able to do my job completely and successfully) but I am worried about how it will affect my application to a new employer.

For my condition, I take MS Contin and vicodin on a daily basis for pain which will trigger any pre- or post-employment drug screen. How do I let them know I will fail and why? I don't plan on detailing my condition unless I need to but cannot figure out how to explain why I failed?

Follow-up info can be requested to [e-mail]

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (12 answers total)

I would think notes from your doctor, along with copies of the prescriptions, taken to the drug testing clinic would be more than enough. I don't think this would be between you and the company, but between you and the clinic.
posted by Loto at 9:18 PM on July 11, 2006

One of the procedures of taking a drug screen is to list the current medications you are using. If you have prescriptions for these drugs they are supposed to eliminate them from the results. My employment test noted the opiates from my codeine based pain relief and nothing was said about it in the report.
posted by ptm at 9:18 PM on July 11, 2006

you bring your perscriptions to the test, and tell them before you pee. i'm guessing there is some kind of confidentiality issue you probably can invoke with the testing agency, as your 'scrips are for valid medical reasons.
posted by lester at 9:18 PM on July 11, 2006

Ask, but this is what I've been told. If there is a question (positive result), they will contact you,(this is what I've been told in the past). Then, submit copies of prescriptions.

Another route might be to call the testing facilitiy prior to the drug screen and tell them you are on medications that may flag you. It's been my experience these people try not to converse with you (maybe it's in the rules?), but it's worth a shot.
posted by 6:1 at 9:41 PM on July 11, 2006

I took a urine test while taking Adderal. At the time I noted that I was currently taking Adderal on the pre-pee questionnaire. A week or so later I got a phone call from the clinic saying I'd tested positive and asking for contact information for the prescribing physician. And that was that, no problems whatsoever. Don't sweat it.
posted by polyhedron at 11:32 PM on July 11, 2006

What 6:1 said. My brother-in-law works for a company that processes the results of drug tests. When there's a positive result, an employee from the testing/processing company contacts the person to get background. (Basically this person's job is to elicit an admission of drug use.) These places see positive tests for legitmate prescriptions all the time; his company's procedure is to get contact info for the doctor and have a copy of the prescription faxed over. No big deal. If you're really worried, contact your doctor's office beforehand just to make sure everything's up to date.
posted by junkbox at 6:16 AM on July 12, 2006

Man, I told a job that tested that I ate hemp seeds on the advice of a nutritionist, and that's why I was going to test positive for pot. They totally bought it and gave me no grief (though a dumbass friend of mine tried the same thing and they didn't buy it. Maybe I don't look like a stoner and he does?)

But so long as you have a legitimate reason, document it and tell them in advance and you'll be cool.
posted by klangklangston at 7:26 AM on July 12, 2006

I wasn't asked anything about prescriptions I was taking, anything I would want to disclose, etc. when I took a pre-employment drug test last week. If they don't ask you, maybe you should volunteer the information?
posted by Coffeemate at 8:26 AM on July 12, 2006

I had this problem once because I was taking codine for something. All that it required to 'pass' me was a call from the people testing my piss to my doctor to confirm that I was taking the drug.

Tell the screeners you're taking stuff, provided them with your doctor's contact information, and all should be fine.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 9:19 AM on July 12, 2006

I'm not the OP, but can I tag on a question? So does this mean that only the screeners will ever know which drugs the OP is taking? They don't submit a report to the employer, for example, that says "Subject positive for X, Y, Z, but has legitimate scrip"?
posted by peep at 10:07 AM on July 12, 2006

I had a drug test within 2 weeks after minor surgery and was still taking some painkiller or other (maybe codeine?). I asked and the woman said, "we're only testing for illegal drugs so as long as you're not taking any, you'll be fine." They never called me either.
posted by IndigoRain at 2:15 PM on July 12, 2006

To follow up on IndigoRain's post -- taking a legal prescription medication without a valid prescription can absolutely cause you to fail a drug test, depending on what your company is testing for. Not everyone tests for illicit drugs exclusively; my brother-in-law says the hardest cases they deal with are when some sweet, middle-aged secretary gets busted for taking her sister's Valium or her daughter's leftover Tylenol3. No prescription, no pass.

And peep -- submitting a report to an employer about which drugs a person has been legally prescribed would be a HIPAA violation. That said, I guess it's possible a company could make you sign a HIPAA disclosure form when you take the test; read everything you sign carefully. The impression I get from my BIL is that most companies do a simple Pass/Fail test; to the HR folks who get the results, the secretary who took a codeine and the guy who smokes pot every night look exactly the same -- FAILED. Under a zero-tolerance policy, the particular substance or circumstances make no difference.
posted by junkbox at 6:09 AM on July 13, 2006