medications and drug testing question

[FlowerGarden]

Do medications that difficult children take for bipolar, etc. have any effect on drug testing? difficult child has had drug testing done about 5 times in the ER and pysch hospital. They all came up negative for marijuana. He admitted the other day that both times that he was in the ER & sent to the hospital, he had smoked pot. He said that he couldn't believe when they said that the testing came back negative. Naturally he had denied any drug use at the time of testing and the whole time in the hospital.

 

[Merris]

We had that SAME situation. I knew difficult child had smoked pot, he admitted it and then his test came back negative. No scientific reason for it but he thought it was his Depakote.

Hope this helps!

 

[SunnyFlorida]

I'm thinking it depends upon how much they smoked recently and how much they've smoked in the past. It also depends upon body build. I'm pretty sure THC is stored in the fat.

 

[OTE]

First, as with most drug tests, there are different kinds for pot. A true test yields a number, not a plus or minus like on a woman's stick. LOL

Only way a test can be truly negative is if the number is zero. But the number is something you don't get. You only get the reader's interpretations of whether it's positive or negative. There's an "allowable" number for most professionals that's considered within an acceptable range, or an error range.

The actual number will vary based on how strong the pot is, how much was smoked, how long ago, how the body metabolizes, etc, etc. Chances are, if the person has been using that the number was not zero but was considered to be low enough to be called "negative".

I'm not aware of any drug that can make the number zero or that would sure be a best seller in a lot of places including outside PO offices. LOL.

 

[SunnyFlorida]

Because my difficult child 1 was a "chronic" smoker, his numbers were high. Therefore it would take anywhere between 4-6wks for the THC level to clear his system. difficult child 2 who was recreational and leaner than difficult child 1 could clear easier and faster. When I was getting drug tests, I would always ask for the quantitative tests which give the level numbers.

 

[everywoman]

"I'm pretty sure THC is stored in the fat."

That's why my 6'2" 130 lbs. son never worried about being tested!

Actually he always tested postive--even when he was on his medications. He called me last week to tell me that they had tested everyone in his house and he is clean and that it feels good to know that all that stuff is out of his body.

 

[FlowerGarden]

katmom,

Good to hear that your son is proud of being clean and having the stuff out of his body. He sounds motivated. THC being stored in the fat? Maybe that's why my difficult child never tests positive -- he's slim. There isn't any fat on him. He can eat like crazy and he doesn't gain. He drinks a lot of water since his school is warm and they are allowed to have water bottles in class, so maybe it gets flushed out of his system fast. School caught on that some kids were putting alcohol in their water bottles so now they can only use a clear bottle and they have to take the label off of it as well, so it's completely clear.

 

[KFld]

So is vodka though, so I hope that isn't the only way they are counting on knowing.

 

[FlowerGarden]

The school thought of that too. They just bought a wand device. They can just pass it over something and it will let them know if there is alcohol in it or on it. The principal had it at a PTA meeting. They also have a device that looks like a flashlight. It can detect alcohol on your breath. It's the same one that some police depts. use. According to what we were told is that if you are stopped by a cop at night and they shine the flashlight in your face to be able to see you, they can also be trying to detect alcohol through the "flashlight". It signals them some how and they know to pursue testing for driving while under the influence.

Unfortunately, our school district and another have seen a great rise in teenage alcohol and drug abuse. It doesn't help when a former DARE officer in our school system has gotten arrested for drug dealing along with a couple of other partolmen!

 

[DDD]

I've never read of the wand or the flashlight method...they
both sound good to me!

I do, on the other hand, know the name of the product that
you buy to "cleanse" your system for drug testing. Yep, my
kid uses the product monthly. Last month AND this month, I
am happy to say, easy child/difficult child has not smoked pot. The problem is
that he lost his sense of smell with the brain injury and
he no longer is able to tell when someone fires up a blunt
in his presence. There are instances where 2nd hand smoke
has resulted in a positive result. He is afraid to take the
chance on being violated. I believe him and give him a chance to earn money at the store or home to buy the dumb
pills. Is that enabling?? I don't care if it is. My kid
is a full fledged alcoholic and in denial. The booze is going to catch up with him again. It's inevitable. He no
longer is a regular pot user but every kid he knows either smokes or drinks or does heavier drugs. Sad. He is actually trying to avoid the "dogz" who use alot. That is
a baby step forward.

Yes, it is stored in fat. He is 40 pounds heavier how than
he was before his accident. Yikes. DDD