Q&A: Can taking sudafed make you test positive for methamphetamines?
July 26, 2010 - 1:14 pm
Question by emilymay8603: Can taking sudafed make you test positive for methamphetamines?
27y/o husband had a few strokes in March, he tested positive for methamphetamines, can that be due to him taking sudafed for a few weeks before the strokes?
He was diagnosed with APS, and that’s probably why he had the strokes.
He swears up and down it was positive because of the sudafed.
What do you think?
Best answer:
Answer by flame_21a
no
Add your own answer in the comments!
July 26th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
SUDAFED, THE NARCOTIC
Senior John Gerdes connects the link between the popular over-the-counter medication Sudafed to methamphetamines.
So exactly why do they keep the Sudafed behind the counter nowadays? The answer may surprise you.
Recreational drug users take it for its similar yet milder properties of amphetamine. Criminals use it for the illegal synthesis of methamphetamine in clandestine laboratories all across the country.
Straight ephedrine, found in a variety of sources such as Sudafed, other cold and allergy medications, diet pills, and other stimulants, is in the amphetamine family. It can cause heart attacks, seizures, agitation, palpitations and other health problems.
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed restrictions on ephedrine after it received more than 800 reports of harmful effects to people. Among those effects were coronary problems that could put patients at risk for heart attacks, strokes and death.
Hope this helps!
July 26th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
depends on what type of test system they used.
The gold standard is some form of chromatography (separates a complex mixture into individual components) followed by Mass Spectra (weight of the molecule and its fragmentation weights) and IR Spectra (molecular finger print).
Anything else is just guessing, sometimes a more educated guess than others.
July 26th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Hi,I had to reply to your question because back in 1996,I had to do random urines and I was clean.I could not believe it,the results came back that I tested positive for amphetamines.The only thing I took was over the counter medicine for my allergies.I dont remember if it was Sudafed or not. A lot of those have some of the same stuff in it.But yes,I did test positive.