How to Pass a Drug Test With Home Remedies

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: December 9, 2022 References Approved

The most reliable home remedy for passing a drug test is to abstain and wait until the substance clears your system. However, if you need to take a urine test in the next couple of days, there are some different home remedies you can try. There are also a few home remedies you can try for special types of tests, such as blood, hair, and saliva tests. You might also try a few strategies to increase the odds of passing your test. Keep in mind that you may lose your job or face legal or other disciplinary action if you are caught tampering with a drug test, so it's best to avoid doing this.

Things You Should Know

Alcohol takes max 96 days to exit your system, marijuana takes 84 days, and cocaine/heroin take 96 hours. If you can, wait until you're clear of substances.
To pass a urine test, try taking a b-complex vitamin or, if you're being tested for marijuana, add Visine to your pee. This lowers THC!
If you're taking a saliva test, try using mouthwash beforehand. If you're getting a strand test, washing with clarifying shampoo can help.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Waiting for the Drugs to Clear Your System

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Delay the test for as long as possible. Depending on the substance and how much flexibility you have with your testing day, you might be able to wait to test until the drug is out of your system. Check to see what the typical window of detection is for the substance and wait as long as you are able. Some common detection windows include:^{[1]
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- Alcohol: 2 to 96 hours
- Amphetamines: 3 to 7 days
- Cocaine: 24 to 96 hours
- Marijuana: 2 to 84 days
- Heroin: 48 to 96 hours
- Opiates: 3 to 7 days
- PCP: 3 to 14 days
Want to know in advance if you’ll pass? Some companies sell home drug test kits that you can use. Keep in mind that you might get a different result depending on the time of day.^{[2]
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2
Drink lots of water in the days and weeks leading up to your test. Water helps to flush the substances from your system, but it still takes time. Plan to drink at least eight 8 fl oz (240 mL) glasses of water daily in the weeks leading up to your test to help your body naturally detoxify.^{[3]
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- Try carrying a water bottle with you during the day and refill it as needed.
- Drink extra water on hot days and when you are physically active.
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3
Stop using the substance as soon as you know about the test. If you have at least a few days warning, stopping right away may give your body enough time to clear the drugs from your system. Don’t continue to use in the days and weeks leading up to your test.^{[4]
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- If you are concerned about withdrawal symptoms, go to a hospital or call your doctor. You may require a supervised medical detox if you cannot go without the substance.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Passing an Upcoming Urine Test

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Urinate at home on the morning of the test. Your first morning urine will contain the highest concentration of a substance since it has had a chance to build up overnight. Do not go to the testing facility without urinating first! Urinate before you leave the house.^{[5]
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- For example, if your test is at 9:00 am, get up at 7:00 am and urinate right away.
2
Drink at least 24 fl oz (710 mL) of water in the 2 hours before your test. Drinking lots of fluid before a urine test is also known as “washing” and it’s one of the most common techniques for passing a urine test when you don’t have much time to prepare yourself. Start drinking water the morning of your test or at least 2 hours before your test to increase your fluid output and dilute the substances in your urine.^{[6]
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- For example, if your drug test is scheduled for 11:00 am, wake up by start drinking water by 9:00 am.
3
Take a B-complex vitamin to color your urine. When you start drinking extra water, your urine will become pale, and this can be a giveaway to the drug testers that you have been drinking an excessive amount of water to dilute your urine. To disguise this fact, take a B-complex vitamin when you start drinking water. This will make your urine look darker and reduce the chances that you’ll be suspected of “washing.”^{[7]
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- For example, if you start drinking water at 9:00 am, take a B-complex vitamin at the same time.
- You can purchase a bottle of B-complex vitamins at a grocery or drug store.
Tip: If you don’t have time to run out and buy B-complex vitamins, you can also take a multivitamin. These contain B vitamins so it should have a similar effect.
4
Try taking an over-the-counter diuretic to boost your fluid output. Taking an over-the-counter diuretic a couple of hours before your test might help to dilute your urine by increasing your fluid output. Diuretic pills are available in most drug and grocery stores.^{[8]
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- Don’t exceed the recommended dosage! Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
- Coffee, tea, and cranberry juice also have mild diuretic effects if you don’t want to go out and buy diuretic pills.
5
Add Visine to your urine if you’re being tested for marijuana. Although it’s not foolproof, one study showed that adding a few drops of Visine to urine helped to lower its THC concentration. If you are able to produce your sample in a private room, then you could add a few drops of Visine to the urine after you produce your sample.^{[9]
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- Make sure that you are not being monitored if you try this! Getting caught tampering with your sample may result in an automatic fail, and depending on where you live, you could find yourself in legal trouble as well.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Passing Other Types of Drug Tests

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Avoid using for at least 4 hours leading up to a saliva or blood test. These tests are more sensitive than a urine test, but they are also meant to reflect current impairment. Blood and saliva tests are most often administered when you are suspected of using on the job or if you were involved in a car accident.^{[10]
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- Keep in mind that there is very little you can do in the event that you have to go for a blood test right away.
2
Eat, drink water, and use mouthwash before taking a saliva test. The more saliva you can generate before a mouth swab test, the better! Eat a meal or a snack, drink a few cups of water, and swish with mouthwash or more water if you don’t have mouthwash on hand. This will help to get the THC out of your saliva so it won’t show up on a mouth swab test.^{[11]
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Tip: In a pinch, simply chewing a stick of gum may even be helpful for purging the THC from your saliva.
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Shampoo with anti-dandruff or clarifying shampoo before a hair test. These types of shampoos may help to reduce the amount of detectable drugs on your hair follicles. If you have some warning before the test, pick up a bottle of anti-dandruff or clarifying shampoo and wash your hair with it 2 to 3 times on the day of your test.^{[12]
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- Keep in mind that this is not foolproof. Hair follicle tests are meant to show whether you have been using substances over the last few months. If you have, then you might still fail a hair follicle test using this strategy.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Increasing Your Odds of Success

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Check to see if the drug you’re using is detectable by the drug test. The 2 main types of drug tests are the 5-panel and 10-panel test. The 5-panel test checks for marijuana, cocaine, PCP, opiates, and amphetamines. The 10-panel test checks for everything on the 5-panel test plus benzodiazepines, oxycodone, methadone, barbiturates, and MDMA (aka ecstasy). If the drug you're using is not on the test, then you might be safe.^{[13]
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- Note that some employers may also test for alcohol if you are suspected of drinking on the job.
- There are also tests available for designer drugs, but these are not commonly administered.
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Tell the drug testers about any prescription drugs you are taking. If you are taking a prescription drug of any kind, let the drug testing facility know about it, especially if it falls under one of the drug categories they are testing for. You will likely have to provide proof of your prescription, such as a doctor’s note.^{[14]
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- For example, if you are getting a 5-panel test and you take a prescription amphetamine for ADD, then you would need to let the drug testing facility know this.
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Avoid eating foods with poppy seeds in them. Poppy seeds can cause false positives on drug tests since they come from the same plant that is used to make opiates. Avoid eating any foods with poppy seeds in them in the days and weeks leading up to your test. If the test was random and you have eaten something with poppy seeds in it, let the drug testing facility know. You may be able to retake the test if you get a false negative.^{[15]
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- Foods that may contain poppy seeds include certain types of bagels, muffins, rolls, and cakes.
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Steer clear of strategies that are unproven or unsafe. There are lots of home remedies for passing a drug test, but few of them actually work. There are several methods that are unproven and some are even dangerous, so don’t try these! Some things you will definitely want to avoid include:^{[16]
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- Taking goldenseal root.
- Adding bleach, ammonia, detergents, or vinegar to your urine
- Using synthetic urine.
- Drinking bleach or other household cleansers.
Warning: Never drink bleach or any other household cleaner! This is very dangerous and it can even be fatal!

Warnings

Don't try any remedy that requires you to consume something dangerous. Ingesting household cleaners is extremely dangerous and can even kill you.

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Attempting to cheat a drug test may be a crime with associated criminal/civil penalties, depending on where you live. Consult your local laws if you're unsure.

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Be aware that blood drug tests are usually only administered if your employer believes you are under the influence on the job. You will likely have to take the test right away to prove you are not under the influence, and you may lose your job whether you fail it or if you refuse to take it.^{[17]
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