Can Benadryl Cause A Positive Drug Test Result For Tramadol?

Answer

The most common type of urine drug screening utilized by employers and health care professionals is an immunoassay-based test, which uses antibodies to react to a specific drug compound (or metabolite). While these types of provide fast, and generally, accurate results, they are known to miss on occasion.

Specifically, the most common type of error with these tests are 'false-positives', which is when a drug compound that is not being tested for reacts with an antibody, producing a reaction, and thus gets recorded as a 'positive' result.

As it concerns Benadryl (diphenhydramine), it has been found in some studies to cause false-positive results on urine drug screenings for several different drugs, including:

• Opiates
• PCP
• Tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline)

Just how commonly false-positives occur when someone has taken Benadryl prior to a drug test isn't known, but it is always a good idea to disclose all of the medication you are taking prior to being tested so your doctor and tester are aware.

Benadryl Can Cause Problems With Some Drugs Tests

As mentioned, studies have singled out Benadryl (diphenhydramine) as being responsible for causing false-positives for several different drugs.

You asked about tramadol specifically, which is an opioid drug. I could not find any studies that have specifically noted Benadryl causing a false-positive for tramadol, but there is certainly plenty of evidence of it causing false-positives for other opioids.

For example, one study found that it can cause false-positives for the opioid drug, methadone:

Rapid urine drug screens using immunoassays based on the principle of competitive binding may show false-positive methadone results for patients who have ingested DPH [diphenhydramine].

Similarly, it has also been found to cause false-positives for other drugs, such as PCP (phencyclidine), a dissociative anesthetic:

False-positive urine screens for PCP are associated with tramadol and dextromethorphan and may also occur with diphenhydramine.

I do want to point out that tramadol isn't a drug that is screened for on most common drug screenings (such as the SAMHSA drug panel). The most common urine screens are 5-panel tests that look for:

• Amphetamines
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Opiates
• Phencyclidine (PCP)

'Opiates' refers to natural opiates, like morphine and codeine. Synthetic opioids, like hydrocodone, tramadol and oxycodone can certainly be tested for and may be included on whatever test you are taking, but I just want to point out that your standard drug test may not even be looking for those.

What To Do If You Believe You Got A False-Positive Result

As mentioned, you always want to let your doctor and your tester know about all the drugs you are taking.

At the very least, the testing agency will have a list of common drugs that cause false-positives, and if they know ahead of time, getting a false-positive result may be more easily exampled and give you an opportunity to take another test.

Additionally, there are more accurate, confirmatory drug tests available (such as gas chromatography mass spectrometry) that actual look for specific drug compounds, and don't rely on antibody reactions. These can be more expensive, but don't have problems with false-positives.

Final Words

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