Retesting is not always the only option when it comes to urine drug testing. Sometimes you only get one chance to get it right.  In court cases, probation testing and custody cases it can be up to the judges discretion whether or not you get a second chance to provide a good, clean, usable sample.  Dilution is not always a good alternative to try to fool the tester.

By diluting your sample you are reducing the concentration of the drug metabolites in your sample.  This is what is referred to as internal dilution.  By overloading your system with fluids you are lowering the levels of creatinine in your urine sample.  External dilution is when water is added to the urine sample after it has left the donor’s body and is watered down in the collection cup.

This is not to be confused with adulteration whereby the sample is altered after it has left your body by adding chemicals or other substances to the sample to influence the outcome of the drug test. Some people who are required to take certain medications, like those in pain management think that by adding the medication to the sample this will somehow alter the level of the medications found in the sample.  This is not a good idea.  Some people will sell their medication and not take the prescribed amount.  When you add the pure medication to the sample the testers will be aware that you tried to alter the sample.  The drug test for this situation is designed to reveal the level of drug metabolites in your system.  The metabolite is produced after your body has processed the drug.  By adding the drug to the sample after it is in the collection cup you are putting in the pure drug and no metabolites will be found just high concentrations of the prescribed medicine and this will set off a red flag for the testing facility to report a bad sample. This is an entirely different process and there are steps the labs will take to determine if a sample has been tampered with.

(To Be Continued)