Energy Drinks and Drug Tests – Can They Make You Fail?

According to recent research, mixing energy drinks and drug tests isn’t a good idea.

Red Bull and Bang energy drinks have come under fire in recent years. The controversy at hand is the result of claims that consuming these and other brands, can result in users failing drug urine tests. At the same time, though, fact-checking websites like Snopes say that this is a myth.

Can Energy Drinks Make You Fail a Drug Test?

Is Snopes right? Is it safe to consume energy drinks before taking a drug test? In short, the answer is no.

The controversy surrounding energy drinks and drug tests became a hot topic in 2019, as the result of an Internet meme. Snopes has since debunked the authenticity of the meme itself. However, what they haven’t done is been frank about the actual science.

In 2017, attorney Scott Patterson of Georgia law firm Patterson Cozzo Law successfully defended a client who had tested positive for THC after consuming a Monster energy drink. Recent years have also seen several similar claims come to light.

• Growing anecdotal evidence suggests that riboflavin and some other common energy drink ingredients can cause people to take a drug test to test positive for THC.
• Monster Energy and other energy drink brands are alleged to add unlisted ingredients like ibuprofen to energy drinks, which can affect drug tests.
• Respected journals like Live Science have confirmed that energy drinks can result in users testing positive for drugs like cocaine.

Why Do Energy Drinks Test Positive for Drugs?

How some energy drinks can result in users testing positive for drugs isn’t fully understood. What we do know is that there are several ways that different foods and medications can result in false-positive drug test outcomes.

• It has been known since 1990, that Ibuprofen can result in false-positive test scores for cannabis and barbiturates.
• Dinking Tonic water and coca tea can result in people testing positive for drugs like cocaine.
• Some antibiotics and B vitamins can result in false-positive drug test scores.

Thankfully, confirmatory GC/MS (Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry) tests can determine conclusively whether drugs are present in a person’s system. The only problem is that employers and police won’t always arrange confirmatory tests without being legally mandated to do so.

How Can I Prevent a False-Positive Result?

The easiest way to prevent a false-positive drug test result if you consume energy drinks is to stop. However, if you consume energy drinks regularly, some ingredients might have built up in your system as a result.

Are you a Monster Energy drink junkie? If so, the best way to detox in time for a drug test is to use proven detoxification supplements like Toxin Rid (more info). These expedite the removal of toxins, with full-body cleanses taking just 1 to 10 days.