Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Differences in test levels urine, hair, saliva

Hi folks,
I am under the care of a physician and prescribed currently
Trintellix 10mg qhs
Vyvanse 50mg qam
Alprazolam 0.5mg prn
Zolpidem 10mg qhs prn
She changed the Vyvanse from Adderrall 20mg qam, 10mg afternoon as needed.
She changed to Trintellix first from Fetzima 40mg, then Bupropion xr 300mg.
Random screen at work read crazy high levels of amphetamines in urine, like <15,000 ng/ml. Saliva level was barely detected, hair after demanding some form of quantification came back negative for everything!
Took a battle and a half with multiple med changes and my name is cleared but I feel damage was done. I don't abuse anything, ever. Urine was done by Quest diagnostics. Asked the guy that takes the results to do more in depth testing but he essentially just swore I'm abusing medication on reports. He is not a MRO or even an M.D.. But a PA at Medac. When confronted he was rightly petrified due to liability.
My doctor changed Fetzima and then wellbutrin as she states they can throw off amphetamine levels in emit testing. Medac guy swore they used gcms to validate. So my doctor would run tests the same day I went to Medac. Levels never matched up though both labs use samsha guidelines supposedly.
What in the world?!
Help me here.
Most days I take niacin, b50 complex, vitamin c and probiotics. Occasionally ibu or naproxen.
NOTHING else ever, and never in excess of prescribed dosage. I tend to have leftovers at end of each month as I don't take ADHD meds every weekend.
Once my medication changed I read below cutoff at both labs thus "negative" but I've spent a fortune clearing my name and throwing out other prescriptions just to buy something else.
I'm angry and seething. I have a good career complete with student loan debt, I have 3 kids and this really messed with about 7 weeks of my life.
So why would urine read absurdly high, saliva no and hair negative? No hair dye, no bleach no nonsense. Natural dark red hair now chock full of more gray..
120 pounds
40 years old
5'6".
Help!
1 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
189897 tn?1441126518
COMMUNITY LEADER
Funny, after several thousand posts/answers on this forum, I thought I had seen everything.  And then you drop this on me :)

  Only some guesses here based on experience.
First, watch when you take the Vit. C.  I know that orange juice and other citric acid drinks can hinder the absorption of stem meds.  Not sure if a pill would do the same.

In regards to your question, my only thought is it just could be the timing.  Extended release meds do just that.  They release at different times of the day.  Possibly, you were unlucky enough to have been tested just shortly after a dose hit your system.  All those meds have the biggest hit first, and then less throughout the day.  So timing could be everything?

In terms of hair, no idea, outside of them being incompetent.  Here is a link on hair testing.  
   https://www.health-street.net/blog-drug-testing/hair-drug-testing-facts-and-myths/

  Hope this helps a bit.
Helpful - 1
2 Comments
This just links to a site to sell more tests. I certainly don't need to pay for more testing, with no chain of custody or proctor it is less than useless.
I am not sure what you were looking at.  The site has lots of information on drug testing - facts and myths about hair testing.  I included it due to your question about hair testing.  I certainly did not do it to promote their tests.  
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the ADHD Community

Top Children's Development Answerers
189897 tn?1441126518
San Pedro, CA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Fearing autism, many parents aren't vaccinating their kids. Can doctors reverse this dangerous trend?
Yummy eats that will keep your child healthy and happy
What to expect in your growing baby
Is the PS3 the new Prozac … or causing ADHD in your kid?
Autism expert Dr. Richard Graff weighs in on the vaccine-autism media scandal.
Could your home be a haven for toxins that can cause ADHD?