Have you ever been in trouble due to a False positive? If yes, we can understand what you must have gone through. In this article, we will talk about Kratom False positive. The terms False-positive sounds very confusing for many. It means that when you go for a drug test, and the results show that your biological specimen contains a substance that you have not taken at all. Yeah, that is a possibility when less sensitive and less specific tests like Urine drug tests are used.
Sometimes, Kratom users complain that they have been tested false positive for Methadone or some opiate after taking Kratom. In this article, we will enlighten you about the various aspects of Kratom false positive, the strains that trigger a false positive, and how to avoid it.
What Can Cause A False Positive For Kratom?
Kratom consists of two alkaloids, Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, that act on the Opiate receptors present in the Central Nervous system to produce effects. The elimination half-life of Mitragynine is 0.83±0.35 hours, while 7-hydroxymitragine has an elimination half-life of only 50 minutes. The terminal half-life of these alkaloids is around 16-24 hours, which means the majority of the drug tests cannot detect these alkaloids. Then who do you get a false positive for Kratom?
This is something we have been pondering over for a couple of years, and just like other substances, we figured out, Kratom elimination from the system also depends on certain factors. For instance, it depends on the basal metabolism rate, the amount of adipose tissue present in your body, your physique, dietary habits, and, most of all, your liver and kidney’s status.
If you ever had a false positive for Kratom, though you have taken Kratom a few days back, that means one of the factors mentioned above came into play. If you have a slow basal metabolic rate and a large number of fat stores, the Kratom elimination half-life and terminal half-life will be prolonged.
Similarly, if you have been taking Kratom for over a year and just quit taking it for a couple of days and expect to appear clear on the drug test, then that might not be the case for you. Not to forget, even your genetics play a significant role in this domain.
What Strains Of Kratom Will Trigger A False Positive For Methadone?
Let’s accept one brutal truth. We are aware that many vendors do mix additives in Kratom to make it potent so that they gain more customers. That is true to most of the small vendors. So, if you get tested for drugs on your system, and it shows a positive for Methadone while you have just been taking Kratom, then maybe Methadone was present in that Kratom. However, if you are sure you had no additives in your Kratom strain, go for a confirmation test.
Or you could have a false positive for Methadone. Many users claim that such a thing has happened to them. This is possibly due to the antibodies present in specific tests that interact with Kratom alkaloids creating a false positive for Methadone. Usually, this occurs with the stronger strains of Kratom, which are more potent and have longer elimination half-life due to large amounts of Mitragynine in it. These strains include Maeng Da Kratom and extracts of other strains of Kratom.
If this happens to you, you should request a confirmation test because they are more sensitive and specific. These tests include gas chromatography. False positives also occur when you have been taking other medications like rifampin, verapamil, quinolones, quetiapine, and diphenhydramine, and by the interference of lactate and lactate dehydrogenase.
What Happens If Kratom Shows A False Positive?
If Kratom shows false positive on the SAMHSA-5 Drug test, then you can always request for a confirmation test. There are various types of drug testing, but we won’t go into the details of all those tests. Usually, there are preliminary ones and confirmatory ones. They take one of your biological specimens and check them against various antibodies. The test could either be urine tests, blood tests, hair tests, or even saliva tests.
Always remember that you have to stay calm. It could be any substance. You can order a confirmatory test like LC-MS and GC-MS based drug tests. These tests nullify the chance to get a false-positive result.
Before going for a drug test, always ensure that you are prepared. Do not use Kratom for 1-2 weeks before going for a drug test. Take a lot of detox drinks and pre-rid tablets to ensure that you remove all traces of Kratom from your body. Drink a lot of water to get rid of Kratom and its traces via urine. Do not take any other medication or substance to avoid any false-positive results.
How Likely Will Kratom Cause False Positive Drug Test?
It’s improbable that Kratom will cause a false positive drug test in many cases. The few instances where Kratom causes false positive are those where you have been taking other substances along with Kratom, like Benadryl and other OTC medications to enhance the effects of Kratom. Kratom shows false positives for fentanyl and Methadone rarely, so you should go for advanced testing if this occurs.
What Makes Kratom Test False Positive?
The drug testing is based on Enzyme-mediated immunoassays that use antibodies to specific opiates and Opiate like substances. If that Opiate is present in the specimen, the particular antibodies attach to the Opiate molecule and show a reaction. Sometimes, these antibodies react with Kratom molecule for an unknown reason and show false positive.
Drug testing methods like Gas chromatography that separates the various components in a sample and mass spectroscopy that use spectrographic patterns to compare with the standard are more reliable as they identify separate components in the sample.
False positives occur if you have been taking a particular medication or if you have taken Opiates.
How Likely Will Kratom Cause False Positive Drug Test 20 Panel?
Usually, the most cost-effective drug testing option in workplaces is the 5-panel test in which you are tested for opiates, cocaine, marijuana, amphetamines, and PCP. It is very unlikely that your specimen will be tested positive for Kratom if it undergoes this drug test. You might not even have a false positive.
On a 20-panel drug test, which tests cocaine, Marijuana (THC, cannabinoids), Phencyclidine (PCP – angel dust), Amphetamines (including methamphetamines), Basic Opiates (including heroin, morphine, and codeine), Benzodiazepines (including Valium, Xanax), Barbiturates, Methadone, Propoxyphene, Methaqualone (quaaludes), Expanded amphetamines MDMA/6 AM (Ecstasy, Molly), Expanded opiates (oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone), Meperidine (Demerol), Tramadol, Buprenorphine (Suboxone), Fentanyl, Ketamine, Naloxone (Narcan), Butorphanol, Meprobamate, Pentazocine, Nalbuphine, Naltrexone, there are chances that Kratom will most likely cause a false positive.
There are 20-panel drug tests that also screen for Kratom. As you can see, the list of substances for which screening is done, with that large number of antibodies in the immunoassay, Kratom will likely cause a false positive.
Conclusion
When it comes to drug testing, Kratom is an unpredictable avenue. The drug test results entirely depend on your luck, genetics, and what you consume. So, to be on the safe side, always avoid taking Kratom before going for a drug test. This way, if there any chance of getting a false positive, you avoid that. Remember that in many workplaces, they will test you only once and won’t let you go for confirmatory or advanced testing. Therefore, we suggest you not to take Kratom for at least 2-4 weeks before appearing for a drug test.