# Amtrak Pre-Screening Drug Test



## Dave

Hi there! I am in the pre-employment process for an onboard attendant job with Amtrak. I am just concerned about their obviously strict drug screening test. First off, I DO NOT take illegal drugs whatsoever. However, there are a few PRESCRIBED medications I take that may show up in the results as they have in the past for previous jobs I’ve held. For my previous jobs, my employers were okay with the false-positive results since I provided physical proof of my prescriptions and I was not penalized. I was wondering if the same applies to Amtrak. If someone could please let me know ASAP with further information/advice, that would be absolutely fantastic. Thank you all so much!


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## Dave

Edit: I looked at the U.S. Department of Transportation website and it says the FRA uses the 5 panel drug test. My prescribed medications do not fall under any of those 5 drug/substance types, so I believe I am okay. Sorry for the unessecary post!


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## flitcraft

Good luck with your application! Hope to see you onboard soon!


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## F900ElCapitan

I don’t know about Amtrak and their policies, but from my experience all I can say is disclose all your meds. The more honest you are up front gives any prospective employer more reason and ability to further investigate a false positive.


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## Acela150

Disclose each and every medication you take and you're fine.


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## bratkinson

Acela150 said:


> Disclose each and every medication you take and you're fine.


14 years ago, when I had to pass the CDL drivers physical, I brought the three prescriptions I was taking along with me to the physical.  That way, the person telling me to go pee in the bottle was able to write them down on the form.  I figured that when Fedex Ground got the results, they knew I was OK. 

Surprisingly, from what I've read and been told, these days, the number of applicants that fail the **** test is almost unbelievable...30-40% if I recall correctly (which is getting more difficult every day!)

PS:  Do NOT take any cough syrup or even eat something with poppy seeds on it for at least 24 hours before the test!  I'm told that those will sometimes 'show up' as drugs.  Even Listerine will fail an alcohol breathalizer!


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## Acela150

Actually with Mouthwash as long as you give it 10-15 minutes, you're fine. This was told to me by someone who was giving me a FRA Random a few years ago.


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## cpotisch

Are you sure that poppy seeds really show up? Because I’m pretty sure that there are no opioids or opiates in the seeds themself...


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## Ryan

Yes.


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## cpotisch

Ryan said:


> Yes.


Thank you! So is it just that it shows up as being an opiate, or is it that in large enough quantities, you could actually get a high from poppy seeds?


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## PVD

You see the chemical markers....The poppy seeds themselves are not the source of the opiates, but cross contamination from contact with other parts of the poppy plant in harvesting and processing is generally the cause.


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## NorthShore

So don't eat a Chicago hot dog for lunch before your test.


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