If you or someone you love is dealing with substance use disorder, you might have seen cocaine detox kits sold on places like Amazon, Walmart, or some other retailer and wonder how effective they could be. Let’s cut to the chase — these tests, while incredibly popular, aren’t as effective as they claim and can be harmful to those living with SUD. Let’s take a deeper look into what these tests are, what they claim to do and the risks they pose.
What are cocaine detox kits?
A cocaine detox kit (broadly known as drug detox kits) promises to purge your body of any substances, helping you get a negative test result on a drug test. These types of kits are sold for other substances as well, the most popular ones being for THC and marijuana.
These kits can alter your test results in two main ways:
- In vivo adulteration is when you take a substance that will alter the chemical composition of a urine test.
- In vitro adulteration is when a substance is added to the urine sample that interacts with any trace amounts of the substances that might be in that sample.
While these substances might seem harmless, they pose serious legal troubles and health risks to those that use them.
What are the risks of using cocaine detox kits?
Using these cocaine detox kits can be dangerous for a variety of health and legal reasons.
As far as health risks are concerned, these products aren’t FDA-approved medications or treatments — so we can’t be certain about what ingredients are in these kits. Whenever someone uses one of these kits, they are exposing themselves to unknown substances that can have unintended interactions with whatever they are taking.
These medications are also not an adequate replacement for a formal drug withdrawal program. These programs have trained mental and healthcare professionals on staff to monitor you and ensure you complete the process effectively and safely.
On the other hand, trying to trick a drug test can have serious legal ramifications. If you’re found to be tampering with a court-ordered drug test, you may be charged with criminal charges (or additional ones if you’re already facing other charges) or even incur in a probation violation. Additionally, if you’re living in a drug-free facility like a sober living home, you could face sanctions or expulsion.
All in all, the risk to your body, mind and spirit is not worth it. If you find yourself searching for a DIY cocaine drug detox kit, you would be better off focusing your attention on finding a great inpatient facility that can help you safely withdraw from cocaine use and help get you on the path to recovery.