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False-positive urine opiate screening associated with fluoroquinolone use
Jennifer L Zacher1, Donna M Givone
1PharmD Student, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Objective:
To review the literature regarding false-positive urine opiate screens associated with the use of fluoroquinolones.
Data Sources:
Literature was identified using MEDLINE (1966-February 2004), EMBASE, and all EBM Reviews with the terms quinolones, substance abuse detection, opiates, cross-reactions, false-positive reactions, and each fluoroquinolone. Article references were also reviewed.
Data Synthesis:
Various settings utilize the practice of screening for drugs of abuse, such as opiates. These screening procedures can impact aspects of one's life, such as employment; therefore, accuracy is of the utmost importance. Two clinical trials were evaluated which showed that certain fluoroquinolone antibiotics cross-react with some of the commonly used urine opiate screening immunoassays. This suggests the importance of verifying positive results in instances where one's livelihood can be affected.
Conclusions:
Fluoroquinolones can cause false-positive urine opiate screens. Clinicians should be aware of this potential interaction and may need to verify positive results.