Home remedies for passing drug tests sound good, but do they really work…? Well, it depends on the remedy you’re considering. Some are definitely effective to one degree or another, but some are only urban legends gone horribly, horribly wrong. Here’s some information to help you sift through all the myths about home remedies for passing drug tests.
Any discussion about how to pass a drug test should start with the basics, which is that THC metabolites are stored in your body’s fat cells. Over time your body just naturally cycles them out, and they get flushed out in your urine. Every time you smoke you’re putting more metabolites into your fat cells, but at the same time they’re always leaving your body when you pee. Remember this, because these basic facts help to explain how some of the most persistent myths about home remedies for passing drug tests got started in the first place.
Home Remedies for Passing Drug Tests That Actually Work (More or Less)
1. Water
No doubt you’ve heard about dilution for passing a urine drug test. It’s true that it will help you pass, but probably not the way you think it will. The information you’ll see being passed around about dilution is that you have to start drinking as much water as you can for days, or even weeks, before your drug test. WRONG. What you really have to do is drink as much water as you can during the few hours right before your test. By overloading your kidneys in a short time frame, you dilute your urine to the point where there aren’t enough THC metabolites in it to register on a test.
Dilution is the method by which commercial detox drinks work, but I included it here because it’s so easy to do the same thing at home. You just have to take some common supplements that make your urine appear to be undiluted. These are the same supplements that are in detox drinks, but they’re much cheaper (and usually more reliable) if you buy them yourself. Of all the home remedies for passing drug tests that are out there, dilution is by far the one that’s most likely to actually help you pass a drug test (assuming you’re getting a urine test, that is).
2. Diuretics
Diuretics by themselves are useless for passing a drug test. But when you combine them with dilution, then you’ve got a winning combo. In order to really get your urine clear of THC metabolites you’ve not only got to drink a lot of fluids, you’ve also got to pee a lot to flush them out of your system quickly. Diuretics aren’t necessarily a requirement for how to pass a drug test using dilution, but they can be a big help.
3. Cranberry Juice/Capsules
Cranberry is a mild diuretic, so it can be helpful for the same reason as any diuretic is. Somehow it’s reached a legendary status as the Big Daddy of home remedies for passing drug tests, but believe me – there’s nothing magical about cranberry juice. If the only thing you do to pass a urine test is take cranberry capsules or drink cranberry juice, it just ain’t gonna be enough. But – combined with dilution, cranberry can be very helpful.
4. Exercising
To get rid of fat you exercise, right? And since THC metabolites are stored in fat cells, losing weight (real weight, not just water weight from taking diuretics) helps you cut down on the amount of metabolites your body stores at any given time. The problem with this, though, is that it takes a long time to lose a significant amount of weight. If by some wild chance you have so much advance notice that you could work on losing weight in order to pass a drug test, why put yourself through all that stress? You could just quit smoking pot altogether for 4-8 weeks and you’d be clean anyway. But one really good argument for losing weight is that the less body fat you have, the less time it takes for THC metabolites to leave your system after you quit smoking.
Whatever you do, don’t go overboard with exercising in the week just prior to your test – losing weight at that time will work against you, since it means more metabolites are being flushed out of your system than you might want on your test day. However, if you already work out regularly then you don’t need to stop. Exercise won’t cause you to lose weight (and fat cells) if you’re already pretty fit to begin with.
Home Remedies for Passing Drug Tests That Definitely DON’T Work
1. Niacin
This myth seems to have started as a result of a book written in the ’70s by L. Ron Hubbard, called ‘Clear Body, Clear Mind’. In case you don’t recognize his name, L. Ron Hubbard was the founder of the controversial Church of Scientology. In his book, Hubbard (who didn’t have any medical or nutritional training, by the way) laid out a detoxification program that he claimed would help people get rid of all the toxins in their bodies, including prescription and non-prescription drugs, and pesticides. Niacin was one of the things he recommended. Somewhere along the line, someone trying to pass a drug test probably just thought Niacin = Detox, and the legend began.
Of all the home remedies for passing drug tests you’ll hear about, taking massive doses of niacin is by far the most dangerous. Our bodies only need about 15mg per day. People trying to pass drug tests commonly take 50-100 times the recommended daily dose, which can cause permanent damage to your liver. Just google ‘niacin poisoning’ to read about people who have ended up in emergency rooms from a niacin overdose.
If you’re thinking about using niacin to pass a drug test, here is the bottom line: small doses help to detox your liver – but since THC metabolites are stored in your fat cells, not your liver, that means niacin is absolutely useless for passing a drug test for marijuana.
2. Vinegar
The only thing vinegar does is change the PH of your urine, if you add it to your urine after you pee. I’m not too sure how this one got started. At any rate, it’s one more home remedy that’s totally useless for passing a drug test, since current testing methods routinely check for this adulterant.
3. Bleach
Another adulterant that labs routinely test for. Maybe this one got started when someone had the bright idea of ‘cleaning’ their urine. I’m going to guess that many years ago (before drug testing labs got savvy) someone passed their test this way, and even though modern test methods can detect common adulterants like this today, for some reason it’s a myth that just won’t die. Whatever you do, don’t be stupid enough to actually drink it. Miniscule amounts are safe for purifying drinking water in an emergency, but it’s easy to go overboard.
4. Phenylpropanolamine
Phenylpropanolamine was the active ingredient in an over-the-counter appetite suppressant called Dexatrim. You can’t get phenylpropanolamine without a prescription any longer, since it apparently made your heart beat erratically and increased your risk of stroke. The dangers aside, it isn’t any good for passing a drug test anyway. Vets use it today to help prevent incontinence in aging dogs. In other words, it’s used to help dogs stop peeing. The exact opposite of what you want if you’re going to flush THC from your urine. Another one of those home remedies for passing drug tests that are not only useless, but dangerous.
5. Goldenseal
Goldenseal was never effective for helping anyone pass a urine test for weed, however it was somewhat effective for helping people pass tests for other classes of drugs, like opiates. Which is why labs routinely test for it now, so don’t even go there.
6. Certo (Also Known As Sure Jell)
I saved the best for last: the ever-popular Certo Method For Passing a Drug Test. Certo and Sure Jell are brand names for pectin, which is a gelling agent made from plants and it’s used to make things like jam (so you can spread jam on your toast with a knife, instead of pouring it on like syrup). Pectin is technically a dietary fiber, and it passes through your intestines more or less intact (in other words, your body doesn’t absorb it).
The legend goes like this: Certo coats your stomach, which is somehow supposed to prevent THC metabolites from getting into your urine. This theory falls apart when you realize that metabolites are cycled out of your body through your kidneys, when you pee. Last I checked, your stomach isn’t in any way connected to your kidneys, so as far as home remedies to pass a drug test go, I give this one the award for being the silliest.
I can see why people get fooled into thinking this works, though. If you read on a forum where someone is giving instructions on how to pass a urine test this way, they ALWAYS include drinking lots of water along with the Certo / Sure-Jell. So if you pass, it’s because you diluted, not because you used Certo. And if you’re lucky enough to be tested in a lab that doesn’t perform authenticity tests for dilution, I can see why someone would think that Certo helped them pass their drug test. Problem is, most labs do check for dilution, so more people fail using this method than are actually helped by it.
There are definitely home remedies for passing drug tests that will help you, but the reality is that most of what you’ll hear about is based on rumors and myths passed around by people who either got lucky, or are just repeating something they heard. It is absolutely possible to pass a drug test, but you should gather all the information you can and use your common sense before deciding on which method to use.
March 17th, 2009 at 4:46 am
hallo heb een vraag. een kameraad van mij moet een urine test bij de dokter gaan laten afnemen. hij heeft me toen vertelt dat hij in het weekend speed genomen had. wel niet meer dan 1gram op het het weekend. nu was mijn vraag hoelang dat dat in zijn urine kan blijven zitten ? of is er een middel om het sneller uit de urine te laten verdwijnen ? alvast bedankt
March 31st, 2009 at 11:31 pm
as far as the sur gel goes, my friend passes everytime, but your are prolly right about the stomach and kidneys. I dont have an explanation, it just works…with water of course!
April 11th, 2009 at 5:17 am
I have often heard of people using sure gell who say it works. Then, I have heard it does not work. I think I’m going to drink plenty of water the day of ( I also haven’t smoked in about 2 weeks, and weigh about 130lbs.) and take a b-complex vitamin that morning so the urine won’t apear to be as diluted. Has anyone have any information on taking b-complex vitamins for this reason?
June 26th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
my sis passes everytime with sure gel
August 17th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I tried almost everything in the book to pass a drug test besides not using. I thought that water was the strongest of all things to get tHC out your system. With every thing you buy the main ingredient is water. So with that being said thank you for confirming my beliefs. I take my test tomorrow wish me luck!!!!!
August 19th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
im prolly jus gonna fail
August 20th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
yea.. cranberry juice prolly works tha best.. and vinegar HAS always worked fer me.. and im on probation have to take drug tests every month and i havent failed a single one in my entire life and I think its due to tha fact that im like addicted to vinegar chips (: but yea idk u may be rite, maybe im just lucky lol. but yea cranberry juice definatly works because cranberry juice is wut cleans out ur system wen u have urinary track infections and shit. but yea. thanx fer reminding me bout tha cranberry juice cuz i have court in a couple days, and wus stressin cuz i cudnt find any vinegar! but alls good now. gotta hope fer tha best tho!
August 25th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
i take a test tomorrw for a job… i was also on paper most of the time i was in high school and i remember going to the meetings stoned and passing. water is all i use and it works better than u think. plus it free
August 31st, 2009 at 11:05 pm
water does it all the time i’m on parole an beat the 4 panel cards if u don’t want to worry about failing an still want to get high then fuck with shrooms. the only way they can test for that is spinal tap. an last i checked those are highly illegal even if u did give them permission.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:07 am
i passed a military urine test with nothing but water,, just drink plenty of water the day before and the day of,, piss clear at least twice before the test to make sure.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:03 am
The Niacin Flush does work. i got 2 diferant jobs with it.. i can see ya it maybe dangerous as hell.. but ya alot alot of water is a must. i heard enough niacin changes something in the blood. hence johndess w.e its spelled… i just wanted to add that… thx….
September 16th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
what is sure gel that helps you pass drug test? I have a brother who has to take a drug test tomorrow,(unexspected)He smoked a joint four days ago, what can he do? PLEASE HELP!!!
September 17th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
The only way to properly pass a urinalysis is with proper dilution, and the proper amount of time between smoking and the test. I say smoking, because a urinalysis pretty much only tests for THC. Most drugs move through your system rather quickly (exception, hair follicle). THC is a fat solvable drug and sticks in your system. So if you are looking for concrete answers, you won’t find them. Passing a urinalysis depends on recent usage, amount of usage, frequency of usage, diet, body weight, and metabolism. Quiet simply, your your own lab rat and your results might and will differ from anyone else.
Dilution seems to be the most reliable and recommended method. I recommend water consumption over pouring water into your pee. There is numerous reasons, such as a monitor while peeing. Also, most tap water contains chlorine or chloramine which could result as a containmenate. Humans pass chlorine through their system.
Your body is 75% water, and fat is mostly water. Exercise helps, diuretics will help, niacin will not, sure gel will not (dismiss me, but there is plenty of evidence to support me). A high protein diet will help, and never let your first piss of the day be the one into the testing cup, as toxins accumulate in the kidneys overnight.
I have passed a urinalysis smoking only 4 days before the test. Therefore, I say if you smoked 3 days previous to a urinalysis, there isn’t much hope.
My test was a simple test for a job to work at Walmart. Now, if you sample is too dilute, they may fail you. The only advice I can offer is if they ask you “how well are you feeling today” say you are not feeling well. Don’t ask me why, perhaps if you aren’t feeling well they can accept a dilute sample (and I was in fact not feeling well cause I had drank so much fluid I was vomiting from a flush system).
Ultimately, there are no promises. Good luck to you all.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
well i hav to tak a drug test in 8 days for probation and i weight 118 and im drinking plenty of water and working out (SWEATING) and also takin cranberry pills would i passs
October 6th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
you should, i have on tomorrow, and i’ll tell you what, everyone has their own opinions, i failed a piss test for pot and pills, i was “honest” and told the woman that yes i smoked pot and i dont do it at work, i do it at home, before i go to sleep to help me loose weight. the pills? oops, maybe my arthritis meds caused a false negative, tell them mobic. works like a charm.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I’ve passed using certo and a gallon of water. One hour before testing second piss. We get tested for accidents at work so you never know when. I’m getting paranoid so I’m taking cranberry pills , niacin, and alot of water and green tea I also take vitamin c to keep the piss yellow. And I’m extra careful when I drive equipment. But ya never know when a co worker will wreck into you causing both of you to get tested whoever invented piss tests sux. I also had a friend that drank the gallon of water with certo, puked it all up because she only weighs a hundred pounds took the test and still passed after puking
October 12th, 2009 at 10:19 am
i have a drug test in 2 days i hadent smoked for 2 weeks i took one hit on saturday will i pass it?
October 12th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
my husband has a urine test at a clinic tomorrow i am pretty sure they do lab test he bought a complete body cleanse from gnc and did that over the weekend he also did the sure gel and took an at home drug test and passed . my question is how much different is an at home drug test to a lab test? and he has not smoked in 4 days
October 12th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
David, it depends on what kind of drug test it is. If it’s a saliva test, then you’ll pass with no problem. If it’s a urine test, hard to tell. Depends on how much you smoked *before* two weeks ago. Go buy a home test kit and just test yourself, it’s the only way to know for sure.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Ana,
There’s no difference between a home test and a lab test when it comes to testing THC metabolite levels. But the big difference between them is that a lab test will also test urine gravity and creatinine levels. That’s how they determine whether or not you diluted.
I seriously doubt that the body cleanse from GNC did anything to help your husband pass the home test. And if he passed with sure gel, I’m guessing that he also drank a lot of water with it. Just make sure he drinks the same amount of water before his real test and he should test negative again with no problem (even if he doesn’t take the sure gel).
October 13th, 2009 at 9:17 am
im 17, ive smoked marijuana every day pretty much since i was 7. i’ve been on probation for almost 8 years. i have NEVER failed a piss test. I get random piss tests twice a month and pass even tho i smoke everyday. im 6′2 160lbs. The only thing i’ve ever done is keep alot of fluids in my system and when i get a call i have to come in i drink a lot of water, piss TWICE before i go and then drink a large coke with lots of ice on the way and when i piss its clean.
October 18th, 2009 at 3:34 am
fizreabilitacia.ru Да уж Пока это у нас не очень сильно развито, так что придётся подождать.
October 20th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
hey i smoke like 5 blunts a day, about 4 grams. i live in cali so you know its some heat with a high thc concentration. i’ve been smoking for months, usually dont go a day withought smoking. for example my friend got sent to a rehab in malibu and pissed the highest amount of thc ever recorded there… lol. so we smoke a lot. do i have any chance??? please help! i might take the test in 2 hours
October 21st, 2009 at 1:28 pm
I have a urine drug test friday for a doctor. I last smoked tuesday. My boyfriend told me to put on a ton of clothes and go workout, sweat it out. And of course drink a lot more water, take cranberry pills and drink V8 juice. Because the test is not even 2 days away he also told me to use surejell right before i go in just to be safe. With all of this chaos do you think im goin to pass??.
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:05 am
Hey Dee, I sent ya an email yesterday, give me a shout when ya get a chance to read them…
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Hi! I am prescribed to suboxone and have been on it for a year. I smoke pot about 4 times a day. I am getting a urine test on Monday and was wondering if there is anything to do to block the pot but still have the suboxone present?
Please help!
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:00 am
Hallow! I am currently going throught the court system for a DWI and have been peranoid about being tested for drugs. The only drug I enjoy reg is pot and lots of it. I have passed a home drug test after drinking a gal. of water a day cranberry pills, Emergen-C and Milk- Thisle. All are detoxifying agents. I also lost alot of weight and that was good too. I think the Emergen-C plays a great part in the process as it is filled with minerals and vitamins that naturally detox your system, milk thisle clenses your liver so basically it is all healthy and you feel better overall. A friend of mine has recommended to me to take AZO. It is for urinary infections. I looked it up online and am not sure if it would work as my healthy method works but I have to stop smoking a few weeks befor my test to make sure and that is not a good thing as that is one of my fav pasttime activitys. Has anyone ever passed with AZO and if so how many days did it take and how much is recommended to pass?
November 4th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Most of you are wrong the best way period and all are common ingredients you can get on your own cheaper than buying a cleanse drink are Creatine, vitamin -B, and water dilution. You drink as much water as you can in the hours leading up to the test and then about an hour and a half to 2 hours beforehand you take your vitamin -B and about 10 grams of regular creatine which you can get a decent size container of from GNC for about 10-15 bucks and will last you forever if this is all you use it for. Check all the drinks you can buy to pass drug tests they all have vitamin -B and Creatine. Will help pass test for anything even THC. I hope you use my method with great success.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I smoked Wednesday night and just got a job offer this morning(Thursday) but need to take a THC urine test by 4:30pm on Monday. I dont smoke all the time but I do about 3 times a week. I weigh 130lbs and my body fat percentage is 18%. My plan is to drink tons of water and gatorade and work out to sweat a lot. Do you think I have a chance of passing this test? any more advice on what to do? I’ve heard drinkin alot of water hours before the test is also good. I thought about going to GNC and buying a cleansing drink but I dont know if that is a waste of money. Im kind of broke but could get the money if absolutely necessary.
ADVICE PLEASE:) thank you!!
November 6th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Shopgirl16
Follow the info in the comment directly above your question from kfo it sounds pretty good. Let me know if it works.
Thanx
November 6th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Greetings
I am a little disapointed by the- One Response to “Passing a Drug Test- Your Best Option for Passing in a hurry,” only cuz I can’t read it. Please can someone tell me what language it is in so I can translate or better if someone knows what is said please post it. it would be your good deed of the day.I pasted it below Thank you
rasta george Says:
January 26th, 2009 at 10:06 am
zdravim vas.. Mam problem za dva dny bude test na thc na nasi skole a ja mel naposledy pred trema dnama… a musim se co nejrychlej zbavit THC aby mi ve skole nic nenamerili a nevim jak potreboval bych nejakou radu ja k obelhat test na THC
November 16th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I SMOKED WEED A COUPLE OF DAYS AGGO BUT ONLY A FEW HIT N B 4 THAT IT WAS LIKE A WEEK B 4 I SMOKED I USED TO SMOKE ALL DAY EVERY DAY IVE BEEN DRINKIN WATER N CRANBERRY GRAPE JUICE N SWEATING N ILL PROLLY GET PISS TESTED N A WEEK OR 2 WILL I PASS? ???????
November 17th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
if you quit now.