Do have an important interview coming up? Or maybe you’re an athlete and have a crucial match lined up.Whatever the case, you may require a drug test – usually a urine sample to detect the presence of any illicit drugs in your system.
Afraid you’ll not pass? Let us help you out!
Today we’ll be talking about how you can pass a drug test with water. Yes; plain and simple, water. And we’ll also tell you how much water you need to drink to avoid mistakes that might risk your sample getting rejected.
But before going into the complicated stuff, let’s begin by understanding the basic idea.
How to Pass a Drug Test with Water
So basically, all you need to do is to drink a lot of water before the urine drug test.
What will that do you might ask?
Simple: the more water you drink, the more you’ll urinate, and the more drug metabolites you’ll flush out from your system. This will eventually lower their concentration to levels that are detectable in a drug test (50 ng/ml).
Also, water dilutes your urine considerably, and also helps lower the concentrations of potential metabolites.
Sounds easy right?
Now, there’s no exact amount defined to drink, because it depends on the body mass and metabolism, which are different for everyone.
If you’re looking for something approximate, about half a gallon to a full gallon of water will be enough to dilute the urine to successfully pass a drug test.
But the general rule of thumb is the same for everyone: keep gulping water until you’ll have a clear pee for drug test.
How to Consume Water Safely
Now we know you might be jumping with joy thinking how easy this remedy is, but be warned: there are some risks of consuming too much water too quickly!
Overconsumption can lead to over-hydration, which is an imbalance of fluids in the body. This happens when you consume or retain more fluid than your kidneys can effectively remove. [1]
This can cause nausea and vomiting, headaches, muscle cramps, and even disorientation. [2]
Now, over-hydration causes water levels to build up in the body which leads to something known as ‘water intoxication’ – the quantity of sodium (salt) and other electrolytes in the body becomes too diluted.
Hyponatremia, a state in which sodium levels become seriously low, is the foremost concern of over-hydration.
And if your electrolyte levels become way too low too quickly, it can also be fatal.
It is rare, but it can happen!
But don’t worry just yet; there are expert guidelines available.
Your kidneys can remove 20 to 28 liters of water per day, but they cannot excrete more than 0.8 to 1.0 liters per hour.
So, a safe amount of water to consume would be about 0.8L per hour.
And another thing: start at least 3-4 hours before the drug test.
So now that you know that simply gulping gallons of water isn’t the way to go, let me tell you the safe and effective way of diluting your urine to pass a drug test.
How to Avoid Diluted Results
Now, besides having a lighter color as compared to normal urine, testers determine if the urine sample is diluted by looking at certain specific parameters called ‘validity checks’.
These include urine creatinine and specific gravity. [3]
And drinking too much water will lower creatinine levels and the specific gravity of urine.
Normal creatinine levels are between 20-400 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). A urine sample with creatinine levels of >2 mg/dL or <20 mg/dL is considered diluted.
Specific gravity determines the concentration of urine – it compares water content to the number of substances in the urine. Regular urine has a specific gravity between 1.002 and 1.030. Urine with a specific gravity between 1.001 and 1.003 is considered diluted.
What’s the solution? Consume additional supplements to restore color, creatinine levels, and specific gravity.
Here are some basic guidelines:
- Take 10 grams of creatine ethyl supplement three hours before the drug test to help restore creatinine levels.
- Take 200 milligrams of vitamin B three hours before your drug test. This will help restore the color and specific gravity of urine.
- Add an electrolyte solution to your water. Or replace plain water with an electrolyte solution altogether. This will also help restore specific gravity.
Does Adding Baking Soda to Water Before a Urine Drug Test Help?
Here’s some interesting information.
If you’re into baking, you’re bound to be familiar with baking soda, chemically known as sodium bicarbonate. It is a white crystalline powder and is naturally alkaline (or basic).
Now, you might have heard of adding baking soda to water before going for a drug test.
What good will that do, you ask?
Well, let’s look into what researchers have to say.
Study No: 1
So, the purpose of the study was to assess the effects of bicarbonate doping on the urine pH after intensive exercise.
In random order, sixty-five university students were given a 500 mL bottle of water, flavor crystals, and either a placebo or sodium bicarbonate, in the dosage of 0.3 g/kg body weight.
After an hour of running for 800 meters, urine specimens were obtained and analyzed.
The results showed that ingesting sodium bicarbonate made the urine more alkaline [4].
Study No: 2
This study explored the effect of sodium bicarbonate, and other alkaline substances, on the excretion of drugs from the body.
When talking about amphetamines, the study showed that substances that alkalinize urine reduce their renal elimination. [5]
So what does this mean?
Ingesting sodium bicarbonate, or any substance that raises the pH of urine can help meth users since the drug won’t be excreted in the urine in large concentrations and probably won’t be detectable in a drug test!
But, this tip is specifically for meth users and may not benefit cannabis users for passing a drug test.
To Conclude
So for all of you looking to pass a drug test by diluting your urine, make sure to consume water safely, and also don’t forget to restore your creatinine levels and specific gravity to avoid getting a suspicious result.