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What Causes False Positive Test Result For Ecstasy While On Tegretol?

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Posted on Tue, 27 Oct 2015
Question: im a 60 year old women and i take tegretol and had a false positive blood test for exstacy, why
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Answered by Dr. Ronald Schubert (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
False positive drug tests

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care questions

You recently had a urine drug test that was positive for MDMA or Ecstasy. There are frequent false positive tests for MDMA. Several medications can turn a urine test positive including cold or flu medications that have decongestants in them. Medications like trazodone and possibly even tegretol and other seizure medications.

I would ask the lab to do confirmatory testing so you can prove that you did not use ecstasy. The problem with screening tests that there will be a high number of false positives. That is the nature of screening tests as they are trying to capture all possible positives. This is called high sensitivity but low specificity. In other words high number of positive tests but not very accurate for MDMA. So I would strongly urge that you have a confirmatory test done to clear your name and record

I hope I answered your question. Please contact us again if you have any further questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Ronald Schubert

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :1984

Answered : 2407 Questions

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What Causes False Positive Test Result For Ecstasy While On Tegretol?

Brief Answer: False positive drug tests Detailed Answer: Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care questions You recently had a urine drug test that was positive for MDMA or Ecstasy. There are frequent false positive tests for MDMA. Several medications can turn a urine test positive including cold or flu medications that have decongestants in them. Medications like trazodone and possibly even tegretol and other seizure medications. I would ask the lab to do confirmatory testing so you can prove that you did not use ecstasy. The problem with screening tests that there will be a high number of false positives. That is the nature of screening tests as they are trying to capture all possible positives. This is called high sensitivity but low specificity. In other words high number of positive tests but not very accurate for MDMA. So I would strongly urge that you have a confirmatory test done to clear your name and record I hope I answered your question. Please contact us again if you have any further questions