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What Causes False Positive Result For Methylphenidate And Tramadol While On Methadone?

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Posted on Mon, 11 Jan 2016
Question: will Methadone, taken for over a year @ 20 mg daily
, show up the same as Methylphen Er, taken @36mg daily, and Tramadol, 200 mg daily for 2 yrs, will they show up under 1 category or individually on an employment drug urine test?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Matt Wachsman (49 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
not a bit.

Detailed Answer:
First methylphen is an amphetamine and tramadol is it's own category and methadone is a narcotic. They don't do the same things; they are not chemically related; they do not cross react on urine screens.

Second, the better tests distinguish between particular drugs. Even similar drugs like oxycodone and hydrocodone show up quite differently in a good urine test (Gas chromatography-Mass Spec).

Each drug will show up as a totally different category on a urine drug screen (different test than GC-mS). They will show up differently on the confirmatory GC=MS test.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Dr. Matt Wachsman (24 minutes later)
So the methadone will probably show up on the urine screen test results as being present in my system? Will it show up as Methadone or just as a narcotic? And what do you mean by,"they do not cross react on urine screens"? How long does it take for methadone to leave your system if taken for over a year at 20 mgs a day? Thank you for your time and answering so quickly. Very much appreciated, but still a bit confused as to if and how the methadone will affect the out come of the drug screen?!?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Matt Wachsman (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
methadone is a long acting narcotic.

Detailed Answer:
it shows up on the narcotic screens. The screen is generally for "narcotics" most are detectable and very likely methadone. The screen is just for the category. The better test is specific for which ones, how much, and their breakdown products (which indicates a little bit how long taking. For example, one of my suboxone patients had 1000+ on suboxone and a zero on the breakdown products. He likley was selling most of his script but took one just before the test).

While methadone doesn't accumulate and stick the way that marijuana does (it doesn't matter if 2 years or 2 weeks, methadone hits a maximal accumulation that doesn't keep going up), it does hang around longer than short acting narcotics. I might be detectable for a little over a week after stopping because it is long acting. BUT 20 mg is relatively small so that is an upper limit and in some people it might be just 1 week detectable at that low dose.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Matt Wachsman

Addiction Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1985

Answered : 4214 Questions

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What Causes False Positive Result For Methylphenidate And Tramadol While On Methadone?

Brief Answer: not a bit. Detailed Answer: First methylphen is an amphetamine and tramadol is it's own category and methadone is a narcotic. They don't do the same things; they are not chemically related; they do not cross react on urine screens. Second, the better tests distinguish between particular drugs. Even similar drugs like oxycodone and hydrocodone show up quite differently in a good urine test (Gas chromatography-Mass Spec). Each drug will show up as a totally different category on a urine drug screen (different test than GC-mS). They will show up differently on the confirmatory GC=MS test.