Question
Can HIV meds interfere with a drugs test?
1 July 2010. Related: All topics, Drug interactions, Other tests, Recreational drugs, Supplements and herbs.
Apologies for asking what may be a silly question, I am wondering if being HIV positive and having being treated for Chlamydia a short time ago could affect the outcome of a urine drug test?
The reason for asking is that I been tested in the work place and returned a positive result for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the thing being I have not used or touched marijuana.
Any assistance you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Being HIV positive and having being treated for chlamydia will not affect your drug test. However, there is a drug called Marinol (dronabinol) which contains THC. Marinol includes the active ingredient in marijuana and is sometimes prescribed to HIV positive people to increase appetite and stimulate weight gain. If you have been taking any medications to increase your appetite then you should check the label and report this to your employer as the cause for the positive result.
When the HIV drug efavirenz (Sustiva) was first introduced there were several reports that it resulted in false-positive results with some marijuana tests. If you are using efavirenz (or Atripla which contains efavirenz) there may be a chance this could happen, though I haven’t heard of this being a problem for a long time.
The SPC leaflet (Specific Product Characteristics) for efavirenz documents this as a problem with only one make of test:Â “False positive test results have only been observed with the CEDIA DAU Multi-Level THC assay, which is used for screening, and have not been observed with other cannabinoid assays tested including tests used for confirmation of positive results.”
There are tests which can be done which can measure the levels of THC in your blood. The concentrations of THC can then be used to distinguish active from passive use or prescription from illicit use. If your positive result is due to passive use (being around someone else who smokes marijuana) or prescriptive use you could ask your workplace to carry out this test.
I hope you manage to sort it out.
Best wishes.
Hi Ryan,
There have been reports of some false positive results when people are taking different kinds of meds. Elvitegravir, the main drug in Genvoya, probably isn’t a problem here. So can you ask for a different, more reliable test?
Also, have you spoken to the clinic about any interaction between hydroxyzine and Genvoya? On the HIV drug interactions website it says there could be minor side effects because of increased levels of hydroxyzine.
i take genvoya for hiv and hydroxyz for sleep can this cause a positve thc reading i have a job interview where they are going to test me and i just took a test and it came back positive and im sure im clean
Hi Vlademir,
Please see the above post.
I am to undergo a drug test. My status have been undetected for 2.5yrs. I take Efavirenz/Lamivudine/Tenofovir one-a-day. Will this show up on a drug test?
Hi Anbitious,
The ARVs that you’re taking aren’t known to cause false positives when undergoing a drugs test. Therefore, you should be OK.
I am to undergo a drug test. My status have been undetected for 2.5yrs. I take Efavirenz/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir one-a-day. Will this show up on a drug test?
Hi Joe,
ARV’s don’t cause false positive results. However, it is possible that the test was a false positive. If you think the test is wrong you’ll need to do another test.
I was on travada which is HIV medication,because I had unprotected sex,I drink this medication for 30 days.the following month I had break of condon ,which I then took another HIV medication for 30 days.the following next month I had test which the result came positive. My question is could it be ,the HIV medication cause false positive result or wat?
Hi Beauty,
Please see the above post. Also what meds are you taking?
am on ARV treatment and I don’t want to disclose it to anyone , now my question is can they find it when testing my urine for cannabis test?