Meds that cause a positive Smoker's urine test result??

[Blahblah]

I have never smoked, nor have I been around anyone that smokes (and I avoid all smokers outside)

My urine test results fell into the "Passive Smoker" level and I wonder which of my meds may have caused it? (methylphenidate, lamotrigine or fluoxetine) . Maybe @browri you'd  know (since mikl is gone...)? I'm on very low doses also... This could affect my life insurance so I'm a bit concerned!

Edit/Add: I've read that certain meds cause a false positive test for PCP, amphetamines or THC...but for Cotinine /Nicotine?? I've also been taking high level B3/niacin vitamins, sometimes NAC and wonder if that would have an effect?

Edited October 11, 2020 by Blahblah

[Banana Smurf]

Are you a vegetarian?  Some less accurate nicotine urine tests hit if you eat too many cruciferous vegetables.  

[CrazyRedhead]

9 hours ago, Blahblah said:

I have never smoked, nor have I been around anyone that smokes (and I avoid all smokers outside)

My urine test results fell into the "Passive Smoker" level and I wonder which of my meds may have caused it? (methylphenidate, lamotrigine or fluoxetine) . Maybe @browri you'd  know (since mikl is gone...)? I'm on very low doses also... This could affect my life insurance so I'm a bit concerned!

Edit/Add: I've read that certain meds cause a false positive test for PCP, amphetamines or THC...but for Cotinine /Nicotine?? I've also been taking high level B3/niacin vitamins, sometimes NAC and wonder if that would have an effect?

I found a decent article about this:

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-long-does-nicotine-stay-in-your-system-80291

Quote from the article ...."A compound called thiocyanate, which is found in some medications and foods including broccoli, garlic, radishes, almonds, and cabbage, can result in a false positive blood test result. Vegetarians may have elevated levels of this substance in their blood due to increased consumption of thiocyanate-containing foods".

However, the above refers to a false positive blood test, and you mentioned you had a urine test.

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by CrazyRedhead

[Blahblah]

33 minutes ago, CrazyRedhead said:

I found a decent article about this:

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-long-does-nicotine-stay-in-your-system-80291

Quote from the article ...."A compound called thiocyanate, which is found in some medications and foods including broccoli, garlic, radishes, almonds, and cabbage, can result in a false positive blood test result. Vegetarians may have elevated levels of this substance in their blood due to increased consumption of thiocyanate-containing foods".

However, the above refers to a false positive blood test, and you mentioned you had a urine test.

 

I am not vegetarian and I don't really eat cruciferous vegetables like the above listed at all...a bit of garlic or almonds that's it

[CrazyRedhead]

2 hours ago, Blahblah said:

I am not vegetarian and I don't really eat cruciferous vegetables like the above listed at all...a bit of garlic or almonds that's it

Hmm.....I've searched all around, and can't find anything that indicates your medication could cause a false positive for nicotine.....I'll look around some more and see what I can find.......There is a possibility that the lab equipment used to run your test wasn't properly cleaned--I've read about cases of that.

Edited October 11, 2020 by CrazyRedhead

[Banana Smurf]

Apparently the foods include other nightshades.  I don't know about you, but I eat potatoes and tomatoes every day.  This information is really disappointing because I'd probably miserably fail a test even after I gave up tobacco.  I hope you can figure out something or maybe the lab can give you some suggestions.

"Dietary intake of nicotine may be an important factor in the interpretation of nicotine testing in nonsmokers. Foods that contain nicotine include cauliflower, eggplants, potatoes, and tomatoes. An individual may consume enough of these foods to obtain 1 µg of nicotine, the amount comparable to that inhaled by a passive smoker. The method of absorption is different when eating than it is when inhaling, and the level of nicotine is lower when the nicotine-containing foods are cooked. ^9"

^{https://arupconsult.com/content/nicotine-metabolites}

"Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae), predominantly in tobacco, and in lower quantities in tomato, potato, eggplant (aubergine), and green pepper. Nicotine alkaloids are also found in the leaves of the coca plant."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/nicotine.htm#:~:text=Nicotine is an alkaloid found,leaves of the coca plant.

 

Edited October 12, 2020 by Banana Smurf

[browri]

Guess what the other name is for niacin? Nicotinic acid. Nicotinamide if it's the water-soluble form. If you're taking high levels of that, it is possible that perhaps you are building up some low levels of cotinine that make you appear as a passive smoker.

What I find disturbing is that your life insurance finds a urinalysis to be acceptable proof. A blood test should be done to properly quantify the amount of cotinine in the blood and sometimes the blood tests are more accurate than the urine tests. I had to get a cotinine test as well for my employer for health insurance to get a discounted premium and that was definitely a blood test. Although you could decline the blood work and go for a cotinine mouth swab.

[Blahblah]

2 hours ago, browri said:

Guess what the other name is for niacin? Nicotinic acid. Nicotinamide if it's the water-soluble form. If you're taking high levels of that, it is possible that perhaps you are building up some low levels of cotinine that make you appear as a passive smoker.

What I find disturbing is that your life insurance finds a urinalysis to be acceptable proof. A blood test should be done to properly quantify the amount of cotinine in the blood and sometimes the blood tests are more accurate than the urine tests. I had to get a cotinine test as well for my employer for health insurance to get a discounted premium and that was definitely a blood test. Although you could decline the blood work and go for a cotinine mouth swab.

 

Ah-ha Bingo... i had no idea that Niacin could cause this, I'd told my pdoc I was taking it.  I have since stopped it,  but I was taking high doses a couple weeks before the test. I was surprised because my husband's cotinine level was zero, so I figured it might be due to my meds, vitamins, or the metabolism of them.

Some case-studies & anecdotal evidence indicates that high-dose Niacin (only the kind that gives Flush effect) could be helpful for people with psychiatric disorders, circulatory issues, lowering cholesterol, and alcohol withdrawal syndromes...Apparently, cotinine is currently being studied as a treatment for various psychiatric disorders. I will discuss further with my doc though, to make sure it's still safe!

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852710/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287922529_Vitamin_B3_for_depression_Case_report_and_review_of_the_literature

https://www.isom.ca/wp-content/uploads/The-Treatment-of-Alcoholism-with-Vitamin-B3-29.3.pdf

https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/924.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinine

https://www.drugs.com/comments/niacin/for-depression.html

 

Edited October 12, 2020 by Blahblah