False-Positive LSD Testing in Urine Samples from Intensive Care Patients
J. Röhrich, Siegfried Zörntlein, Johannes Lotz, Jürgen Becker, Thomas Kern, Ch. Rittner
Journal of Analytical Toxicology September 1, 1998 DOI: 10.1093/jat/22.5.393 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Intensive care unit patients |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Urine Ambroxol Intensive care unit Chromatography Drug Urinary system Pharmacology |
| Citations | 25 |
| Key findings | Ambroxol cross-reacts with the CEDIA DAU LSD assay, causing false-positive results for LSD in urine samples. |
Abstract
Unexpected positive results for lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were found in urine samples from 12 patients in an intensive care unit in a routine screening using the CEDIA DAU assay. None of these test results could be confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, but all samples contained the mucolytic drug ambroxol. Further studies demonstrated that ambroxol exhibits a significant cross-reactivity in the CEDIA DAU LSD assay. Therefore, positive LSD results obtained with the CEDIA DAU assay have to be critically evaluated, particularly during the cold season, when infections of the respiratory tract often result in more frequent use of mucolytic medications.