
Nevertheless, the traditional definition is that opiates are derived from opium, and include opium, thebaine, morphine, and codeine. The term 'opiates' and 'opioids' often create confusion and sometimes the terms are even used interchangeably. The class of drugs we are interested in concerning methadone is 'opiates'. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) workplace drug testing guidelines recommend testing for '5 drugs of abuse' on urine screenings: I mentioned that methadone was less likely to produce false-positives than other drugs, and this is because methadone requires a specific test and generally isn't included on 'standard five-panel' urine drug screens. A false-positive test would likely result in some sort of disciplinary action, either from an employer or your doctor but hopefully, you have the option of undergoing a more accurate test. Unfortunately, if you did test positive on a urine drug screening, the damage has likely been done. If you feel you had a 'false-positive' result, these tests can make a definitive determination if a substance was actually present in a given sample. These tests specifically identify actual drug compounds and don't rely on antibody reactions. There are more accurate tests that can be utilized for confirmation of results, such as GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). 'cross-react'), producing a reaction that gets recorded as a positive result, but in actuality, is a 'false-positive'. Antibodies can occasionally react with the wrong substance (i.e. Unfortunately with immunoassay tests, 'false-positives' can result due to 'cross-reactivity'. When a reaction occurs, a 'positive' result is recorded. When a specified drug is present in a test urine sample, say methadone, an antibody binds to it, and this binding produces a reaction. Immunoassay tests are simple, they utilize antibodies to react to a specific drug compound. Most urine drug tests are immunoassay tests, specifically EIA (Enzyme Linked Immunoassay) test or CEDIA (Closed Enzyme Donor Immunoassay) tests. What Are Urine Immunoassay Drug Screenings?

In the same vein, methadone is unlikely to show up as a false-positive result but there are several documented cases of this happening too. In regard to methadone specifically, tests for it are less likely to produce 'false-positives' for other drugs, but it certainly can happen. Unfortunately, urine-based immunoassays are subject to false-positive results, meaning a substance that isn't actually present in a sample shows up as being there. Since they are easy to administer, are relatively inexpensive, allow for large-scale testing and provide rapid results, they are commonly used. Most urine-drug screenings are 'immunoassays', which rely on the reactions of antibodies to determine the presence of a particular drug compound in a sample. False-positive results on urine-drug screenings are, unfortunately, a fairly common event.
