Dear Alice,
I, like many Americans, take Zoloft, 50mg a day.
My question is: Will this show up or alter in any way a pre-employment drug test for future jobs? Should I even mention that I am taking it to the screener?
Answer
Dear Reader,
You're correct that many people rely on sertraline hydrochloride (Zoloft) to help improve depressive symptoms. Sertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that helps increase the amount of serotonin in the brain, ultimately affecting mood and energy with the goal of reducing anxiety and depression. It's understandable to not want to disclose any health information, especially mental health information, to a future employer. Common drug tests are designed to detect alcohol and illicit drugs. Thus, the prescribed sertraline would most likely not appear on pre-employment drug tests. Read on for more information about typical pre-employment drug testing as well as privacy protection laws that are in place for employees nationwide.
If an employer chooses to enforce pre-employment drug testing, there are local, state, and federal laws to regulate this practice. Tests are commonly performed at certified laboratories by qualified technicians. They may collect hair, saliva, or sweat for analysis. However, urine samples are most commonly used. During a urine drug screen (UDS) the tests are designed to measure metabolites, or byproducts created when the body metabolizes a drug, that are specific to each substance. Each drug being assayed has a pre-determined level of metabolites at which the test would return a positive result. The majority of UDS tests are designed to detect:
- Ethanol (alcohol)
- Amphetamine
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Opiates
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
In addition to these main categories, employers may choose to run additional testing for barbiturates, benzodiazepines, hydrocodone, MDMA, methadone, methaqualone, or propoxyphene. Given proper test administration and recent advancements in technology, false positive tests are rare but not impossible. Of concern, there have been previous reports of false positive results regarding benzodiazepine detection in patients with active prescriptions for sertraline hydrochloride. The good news is that if this unfortunate circumstance happens to you, you may have the specimen tested by a second laboratory. Secondary testing is commonly performed using a different, more accurate method called gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (CG-MS). In the previous report of false positives associated with sertraline use, CG-MS confirmed that the test results were in fact false in all patients who weren't prescribed benzodiazepines. Given this research, hopefully future testing will improve and the incidence of false positives will continue to decrease over time, not only to ensure accuracy, but also for employers to avoid lawsuits from those wrongly accused of using illegal substances.
It's unnecessary to disclose that you take sertraline or similar medications to a future employer, drug test or not. Medical information is confidential and employers don't have the right to inquire about it unless you give them signed consent to release it. Furthermore, only one person or team from your future company would likely have access to this information and would be expected to abide by confidentiality protocols. Furthermore, if a false positive incident reveals your mental health history, rest assured that the Americans with Disabilities Act protects individuals with mental health disorders and other conditions to ensure that they're allowed to continue working.
Here’s to testing negative and thinking positive!
Health resources
Originally Published
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Informative links: other Q&As
Summary of informative links
Related Q&As:
Depression, bulimia, and Zoloft
The reader should follow up with their therapist to talk about any medications they were prescribed. Basic information regarding what Zoloft does to the body is given. As for the reader’s issue with bulimia, they should bring this up with their therapist to determine its causality (possible depression?).
Tested positive for cocaine, but never touched the stuff
The reader could have faced a very unlikely false positive or consumed cocaine if it was laced through other products. The nature of how drug tests work is explained. Likewise, what a false positive means and how it happens is broken down. A few possible scenarios where the reader may have consumed cocaine are suggested. Nonetheless, the reader may want to consider getting professionally tested.
Grapefruit juice and drug interactions
Grapefruit juice can have adverse effects with certain medications as it can inhibit certain enzymes from breaking down. The process of how this happens is then explained in detail. This issue can increase and decrease levels of certain drugs, leading to increased side effects or ineffectiveness. A few possible medications that may be affected are listed.
Adderall: health risks when combined with alcohol?
People may consume alcohol with Adderall to mask the depressive effects that alcohol causes. A few short-term and long-term effects of consuming the two together are listed. The reader is advised to not consume Adderall if it is not prescribed, as there are consequences. Likewise, a few reflection questions are asked to the reader if they find they are using Adderall to focus on school work.
Is it okay to drink alcohol while on Zoloft?
Light to moderate amounts of alcohol may not have any serious effects. Usually, the amount of alcohol consumed feels amplified (1 drink feels like 2). Alcohol could affect Zoloft’s ability to do what it is meant to do. Given the side effects, the reader is suggested to examine the side effects they face while on alcohol, so they are not surprised in the future. A healthcare provider can help clarify any side effects.
Definitions:
Benzodiazepines - a class of drugs that lead to a calming, tranquilizing feeling. A familiar name of this drug is Xanax.
Source 1:
SUMMARY
This source talks about the possibility of Sertraline (Zoloft) in causing a false-positive drug test for benzodiazepines. False-positive tests are harmful as they can prevent proper diagnosis and treatment. Likewise, while false positives are rare, they are not impossible.
The study is summarized as follows:
For two years, drug tests were conducted and 522 came back positive for benzodiazepines
160 ended up being false
Of the 160, 98 were associated with individuals who had an active Sertraline prescription. This is 26.5% of the participants.
The study calls for more research to be done in this area with other medications. Given the large testing sample the study worked off of, it holds its results to be reflective of the issue with false-positive results.
Source 2:
SUMMARY
This source provides information on drug testing. Drug tests are important to ensure the safety of one’s self and others at the workplace. Test types can range from urine, hair, saliva, or sweat. Usually, urine samples are the most common for both federal and at-home testing.
Tests commonly capture five types of drugs:
Amphetamines
Cocaine
Marijuana
Opiates
PCP
Additional categories like benzodiazepines, methadone, and more can also come up on these tests. At the workplace, these tests are usually done randomly to maximize effectiveness. A few circumstances for their use are listed.
Given that a positive result comes up, there is the possibility that it could be a false positive. For this reason, employers are encouraged to allow a second screening to be conducted.
Source 3:
SUMMARY
This source dives into the point of segregation of individuals with disabilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with mental health disorders or other conditions are legally protected. This protects individuals who are concerned that their condition may prohibit them from being allowed to work.
OVERALL CONCLUSIONS:
Because Zoloft is the brand name, we need to change the response to include the generic name, sertraline hydrochloride. With the first mentioning, we can include a parenthesis with (Zoloft) to let the reader know it is the same thing. This is for style requirements.
Looking at the previous response, it seems that information is thrown out without care. I think we should scratch the response, while keeping the same ideas, to better articulate our research.
For the first paragraph, we should start by reassuring the reader’s concern to be valid. Given the stigmatization of depression, we want to be supportive. Using source 2, we can introduce a few reasons why drug tests may be used.
In a new paragraph, we can talk about the nature of these drug tests. Using source 2 once again, we can talk about the different kinds of drug tests, with urine sampling being the most common one. After, we can list the possible drugs that these tests can detect. Finally, we can introduce the fact that although false positives are rare, they can happen.
Now, to address the reader’s concern with sertraline (Zoloft). Using source 1, we can run through this study using the source summary. The main detail is that rarely, sertraline caused a positive test result for benzodiazepines (we can define this here too). Back to source 2, we can reassure the reader that positive tests receive a second test to be sure the results are accurate.
Next, we can run through the Americans With Disabilities Act. Briefly explaining this, the reader can be reassured that they should not be worried about their condition “coming up positive”. Likewise, we would want to draw from the third paragraph of the previous response, as it is still accurate with current research.
To close, the information in the last paragraph in the previous response should be kept, but we should change up the tone to be more positive and supportive of the reader.
Notes on research:
Information on drug tests was not hard to find, given their use on a federal level. However, finding fact-based studies on the influence of Zoloft on drug tests was limited. Thankfully, one peer review was found on this topic. After researching once more, there is no additional information to add. Two of the sources we use are the most up-to-date compared to alternative research.
Scheduled for review
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