Recently subjected to a fingernail drug test..positive for thc. Have been sober >10 mo.?

Involved in a custody issue: ex is adamant , so is testing lab test is MOST accurate. I have passed 2 random UA's (July and Aug, '05) and two hair follicle tests, Feb Dec '05 and Feb '06.I have worked hard to restore my life and have no idea why this test was positive. Repeated a hair test today and will repeat the nail, but am concerned about another false positive. Any ideas about ingestion or use of something that may have affected the testing. Please help!

Recently subjected to a fingernail drug test..positive for thc. Have been sober %26gt;10 mo.?

Congratulations on being sober for 10 months. It's really difficult to change your life and takes a lot of courage and discipline.

I think that the answer given by Bauercvhs is pretty right on. From what I've read, the standard fingernail test will evaluate use from 3-6 months past (i.e., not what's going on now). The tip of your fingernail is the oldest section. The newest part of your fingernail is near the cuticle. Assuming the test was taken from the tip of your fingernail, and if your nails are longer or grow slowly, it's possible this test reflects the THC in your system from several months ago.

As Bauercvhs suggested, for your follow-up test, if the sample will be taken from the fingernail tip, be sure your nails are clipped close. If the sample is a scraping, perhaps they can take it from the cuticle or close to the cuticle.

If you're being tested regularly as part of the custody case, you should familiarize yourself with the tests. If you have an attorney and can afford an expert to refute the testing method, that would be ideal. It really depends on what they're testing for -- recent use or previous use.

For recent use, the fingernail test is probably inappropriate. See the link in Resource(s), below. It's a PDF file and you'll need the free Acrobat Reader software to read the file. If you don't have the Acrobat Reader, you can download it from www.adobe.com.

I couldn't find any information about false positives being caused by food, drink, or other ingested items. It could be lab contamination -- even reputable labs can miss on minute contamination. Is it possible to get a statement from the lab on their standard contamination levels for THC? How do they eliminate for cross-contamination of samples? The test result was positive but was it a strong or weak positive?

It could be slow metabolising of THC. Note that THC metabolises very slowly and can take 25-30 days to be clear. So if you stopped 10 months ago, THC may still have existed in your system 9 months ago. Theoretically, you should not be testing positive at this point, but it's possible.

Good luck with your next tests and best wishes for turning your life around and staying clean.

Recently subjected to a fingernail drug test..positive for thc. Have been sober %26gt;10 mo.?

Maybe you got high but was so wasted you forgot... or you should just make sure not to hang with the wrong people where there could be leftover substance

Recently subjected to a fingernail drug test..positive for thc. Have been sober %26gt;10 mo.?

Could she be setting you up. Think about how easy it could be.

Recently subjected to a fingernail drug test..positive for thc. Have been sober %26gt;10 mo.?

Wow, that sucks. Great job staying sober. It's not easy, but when kids are on the line it changes everything.

According to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_%28ana...

"Nails grow at an average rate of 0.1 mm/day (1 cm every 100 days) [1]. Fingernails require 3 to 6 months to regrow completely. Toenails require 12 to 18 months. actual growth rate is dependent upon age, season, exercise level, and hereditary factors."

So are they taking toenails or fingernails?

Are they clipping off the ends or scraping the surface?

-If they clipping off the ends I would suggest clipping them back as far as possible before the test.

I would be skeptical about a false positive on the marijuana test. Any chance you live with pot smokers? Do you have traces under your fingernails?

Recently subjected to a fingernail drug test..positive for thc. Have been sober %26gt;10 mo.?

It could be something you ate or drank. A burger from McDonald's with poppy seeds will test positive for marijuana. So will some aspirin products. Cough medicines contain alcohol. Good luck on staying sober..........