Can Tramadol Cause A False Positive For Methadone On A Urine Drug Screen? (Page 2)
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I was taken to the ER by ambulance this week because I had a seizure and fell, hitting my head on concrete & was unconscious for about 10 min. Luckily I was in our parking lot & someone witnessed the whole event, so I got help right away! When I came to I had no idea where I was (I thought I was in our living room even tho I was actually laying outside in 4in of fresh snow & it was raining). In the ER they told me my urine was positive for methadone & asked me where I got the pill from, told me this is why I had a seizure & could go home. I was speechless!!! Talk about shocked! I've never seen methodone let alone taken it & I've never had a seizure before so I was scared by this event & wanted them to figure out what really caused it! I asked them to test another sample while I was still there (thought they mixed up samples or something), again was positive for methodone. My daily meds are Tramadol, Yasmin, Clonazepam, Ibuprofen & I had taken 2 of my Percocet for pain the day before, but don't take that everyday. Could any of these have caused the false-positive on the urine test? I am really upset about this-I don't want to have that in my medical record because it's inaccurate & I don't want my doc to become suspiscious of me in any way, plus I work for my dr's office. I also want to know what caused it so I don't have problems with future pre-employment tests. I called the ER the next day to asked them to send my urine for gas chromatography, but I'm not sure whether they'll do this since they don't feel this is medically necessary even if the result was inaccurate. The ER doc thinks it may have been the tramadol that caused the false positive because tramadol & methadone one are both synthetic opiates & I take a high dose: I've taken 400mg daily x 4 years. I would greatly appreciate any insight anyone could provide me about this false positive!!! Thank you!

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30

I WAS JUST INFORMED THAT ALL MY PAIN MEDS WERE DISCONTINUIED DUE TO MORPHINE BEING IN MY URINE TEST. I JUST STARTED TAKING METHADONE AND I HAVE BEEN ON TRAMADOL FOR 5 YEARS. I AM VERY UPSET BECAUSE I DON.T TAKE MORPHINE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

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29

Oh yes Tramadol does cause a false positive for methadone in a urine test. I've never taken methadone before in my life but I've taken Tramadol for yrs and my urine test turned up positive for methadone twice but the tramadol didn't show up on the drug test at all. It happened again this morning to me in a urine drug test. It tested positive for methadone and nothing for tramadol. So the test are causing problems for people taking tramadol and some of the doctors don't seem to have a clue that tis is happening. even the company that makes tramadol said 4 out of 10 people taking tramadol will have a false positive on a drug urine test when taking tramadol.

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28

Hi Doc John,thanks for your reply, what do you mean I'm well over my limits? I don't get much relief even when I take the full 300mg a day dose, with out anything for pain I can't even function normal,like today I haven't been able to get out of bed much due to the pain in my back&legs but I'm too scared to take my tramadol. I was on 30mg of percocet a day for several years but about a year ago my Dr told me she had to take me off them& could only write me tramadol, it was something to do with a letter from cms,she said something like they said I was on too many narcotics, I don't know why, the only other narcotic I receive is adderal. Anyways it's hard to believe they want to take me off something that helped my pain for so long to put me on some b.s like tramadol which ends up basically UNSAFE to take, stupid to take one off a safe narcotic to put them on a potentially dangerous NON NARCOTIC which doesn't help half as much as the half the pill dose of percocet did&in the long run caused a life threatening seizure that almost cost my life, my babies & my husbands life,not to mention other people on the road, THANK GOD for my husband being very quick to respond when I all of a sudden started spazzing out doing 45 coming up on a red light!! Why is a medicine that has such a dangerous side effect even allowed to be on the market?

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27

Dear Tired of Haters...Sorry for your seizure. You are well over the limits on Tramadol at 300mg! Check youself on that before you seize and don't come back. Be careful.

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26

Hi Tracey i'm not sure about tramadol causing a false positive but I am 35next month&just had my first seizure ever almost 3weeks ago,driving down a busy highway, fortunately my husband was with me and able to stop the truck and put it in park,it was a bad seizure, he said it lasted about10-15minutes,I was very shocked to find out I had one, I started investigating what could have caused it,I also have been on 300mg of tramadol for a year and a half or so,I was in awe when I read online tramadol can&has been known to cause seizures even if you have been on them for any length of time it is still possible. I was getting the weird feeling in my head as I had before and after my seizure so after reading that I haven't taken the tramadol in a few days and I haven't been having the feeling in my head! This is scary to me and makes me worried about taking anything now!! Has anyone else had a seizure that could have been linked to tramadol or any other medicine? Please reply if so, I'm just curious. Thanks

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25

Not yet, but they may come out with it.

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24

Is tramadal on dip stick drug test now? I understand it causes false results just curious if they are now on drug test!

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23

if it isn't prescribed to you, don't take it and then you don't have to worry if you are on probation or drug court. It does not stay long in the urine, and if it was only one pill you will not be positive.

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22

I'm on felony probation and I took tramadal not knowing it's a narcotic now! Does anyone know if it will be on a 10 panel drug test for Saginaw County!! Please help!!!

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21

JT and others: Please read my other posts concerning false positives on methadone caused by tramadol (Ultram). NO screening test can be used to determine positive drugs...cups, cards, and even EIA testing is screening NOT Definitive, IT must be CONFIRMED by GC/MS or LC/MS/MS. Doctor's offices, clinics. etc use "rapid tests" which are ONLY A SCREEN and they cannot determine your actual drug without a confimatory test. Observed urine collections can be illegal in some situations.

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20

I have never seen a methadone , I take valum, narco, tramadole , an I have migraine pills ( bupropion , I just got put on Al, till the Breake Down of my test comes back, because it sAid I tested positive for (methadone) on the drug screen, they told me that the tamedole is what caused the reading , by mixing with one of my other meds, I freaked out, I'll be off for at least a week waiting on the test to come back, with pay, but I would rather be working, it was very humiliating to me..

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19

I just tested positive for Methadone and have not taken it. I had taken Tramadol the day before. So, for some reason Tramadol shows up as a false positive for Methadone. They did not think I was telling them truth that I had taken Tramadol and not Methadone.
So, Tramadol will show up as Methadone.

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18

Dear Tan,
An observed urine by the nurse is a ridiculous thing to ask, especially if the first urine was "hot"....ridiculous. Try to cut and paste my reply into a word document. I took my quote from the article and pasted it into this...so it should be ok. Good luck. I understand how hard it is, and I too am on pain management and I am a doctor....lol.

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17

How do I print this out for my internist ? It's " ask. Com ? Please help this could be useful?! Do you think I was wrong to decline another test? I was at my Dr. App for needed EKG, Chem panel and CBC for rotator surgery on March 2. This is why I've been taking Ultram everyday. My PCP accuses me of methadone abuse! I NEVER saw that coming!!!! She then goes on to tell me she's reporting this to the ORTHO Dr. Whom will be doing my surgery and went on to explain that no anesthesiologist will put me under for up coming surgery due to a positive methadone test;( so this false negative has had quite an impact on my future! My denial of another test was my decision and made me appear guilty for not giving another urine! My doctor then went on to say I may have had someone's urine ? I said I handed the lab tech a hot urine sample and WHY would I chance a dirty urine? She then said to exonerate my self by giving another with a nurse in the bathroom! At that point I declined and said this whole thing has been very embarrassing and now a permanent documentation in my chart!

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16

Tan, The Benzos were negative on the urine, because Ambien (Zolpidem) it is a separate test not included in most testing...requires different reagents on EIA, and really is not a true benzodiazepine, although it is related to it. As for the Methadone, Tramadol can cause a false positive for methadone. Please read this abstract I printed: A total of 25 reports of false-positive UDS results were identified. Categories of medications included antihistamines, antidepressants, antibiotics, analgesics, antipsychotics, and nonprescription agents. Reports of false-positive results were found for the following formulary and nonprescription medications: brompheniramine, bupropion, chlorpromazine, clomipramine, dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, doxylamine, ibuprofen, naproxen, promethazine, quetiapine, quinolones (ofloxacin and gatifloxacin), ranitidine, sertraline, thioridazine, trazodone, venlafaxine, verapamil, and a nonprescription nasal inhaler. 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. The most commonly used tests to screen urine for drugs of abuse are immunoassays, even though false-positive results for drugs of abuse have been reported with a number of these rapid-screening products. Results from such tests should be confirmed using additional analytical methods, including gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. SO in conclusion, your urine drug test should have been sent for GC/MS or LC/MS/MS confirmation. Anything else will not be true. Best Wishes. PS I am a Toxicologist and a PhD

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15

I to had a false positive methadone result on a random urine drug test TODAY!!!!!! I was extremely upset, see I've been with the same doctor for 22 years and ten of the years I was her nurse! ( embarrassing ) I have been on 400mg of Tramodol for 4 years as well! And NEVER EVER took methadone either . I left in tears and innocent of methadone! I REFUSED ANOTHER TEST, and asked for them to run another test on same urine. Too boot I take ambien for sleep EVERY NIGHT and it was negative for benzoids , so my Dr. Then asked if I was taking my ambien. The answer was yes. So.... WTF

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14

I tested positive for methadone once after taking tramadol. I had never taken methadone and wouldn't even know where to get it. I guess I was really lucky that my dentist verified that she prescribed it the week before after I told her that I was in a 12 step program, and that my only addiction was to Percocet after a lengthy battle with cancer and a subsequent problem with frequent bone fractures. Once I started my program I stayed clean for over a year before this even showed up, and I have never had another positive. If I wanted to take methadone, I would have switched to methadone instead of the Suboxone program I'm already in.
So to docjohn- please check your facts. You are accusing people of lying and by your user name, suggesting that you have the superior medical expertise to do so. If you are a doctor, please do more research. I'm sure there are many addicts in recovery who are trying to cheat the system, but there are also many of us who are staying clean, and we need some support. If I can go to google scholar to learn more about false positives with tramadol and methadone, then surely an actual doctor can as well.

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13

hey i take tramadol also and im sitting at home instead of at work bc i just tested positive for methadone and ive never even seen it much less taken it im soooooo hoping the test they sent to the lab is going to clear this up thanks for everyones post its crazy how ur life can change in one simple cup

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12

Ricky, Thank for the support of letting people know that dip sticks, card tests, and uring cup tests give many false negatives, but upon confirmation testing via LC/MS/MS or GC/MS it definitively would be only the compound of interest. Ions do not lie or switch back and forth...for the most part...lol

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11

Same thing happened to me so I took a home test and it was fine. When I brought it up to my pain management doctor who kept accusing me of taking methadone, they showed me the confirmation they get that comes back when they send out for deeper results and it showed the Tramadol was what was showing up as methadone. So YES, it's the Tramadol. They almost dropped me from pain management because of this. Very frustrating. If I had given up, it would have caused me major problems

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