High concentrations of illicit stimulants and cutting agents cause false positives on fentanyl test strips.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The opioid epidemic has caused an increase in overdose deaths which can be attributed to fentanyl combined with various illicit substances. Drug checking programs have been started by many harm reduction groups to provide tools for users to determine the composition of their street drugs. Immunoassay fentanyl test strips (FTS) allow users to test drugs for fentanyl by either filling a baggie or cooker with water to dissolve the sample and test. The antibody used in FTS is very selective for fentanyl at high dilutions, a characteristic of the traditional use of urine testing. These street sample preparation methods can lead to mg/mL concentrations of several potential interferents. We tested whether these concentrated samples could cause false positive results on a FTS.

SUBMITTER: Lockwood TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7941948 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature