Recently, baking soda has caught up in substance abuse circles as a home remedy to pass methamphetamine drug tests. Addicts claim that being an antacid, baking soda can “mask” drugs in the user’s blood and help this person pass a urine test.
However, baking soda cleanse is not a safe or reliable trick to help you pass a methamphetamine drug test, despite what some people may say. Here’s all you need to know about using baking soda to pass a urine test for substance use and the alternatives you can try instead.
What is a “baking soda bomb”?
The so-called baking soda bombs consist of water, bleach, and sodium bicarbonate powder and are often used by prison inmates to pass a supervised drug test. This potentially lethal concoction appeared initially in South Dakota around 2017 and is popular amongst methamphetamine users, though it doesn’t always work.
Bicarbonate of soda (HCO3) is a white powder commonly used as a leavening agent for baking bread. It also works as anything from mouthwash and laxative to a cure for muscle soreness and sometimes an inhibitor of fungal growth.
Taking half a teaspoon (about 2 grams) of baking soda as an antacid every two hours with 4 ounces of water often helps with indigestion since it alters the stomach acid’s pH levels. However, a chemical reaction from massive baking soda ingestion can cause severe damage to your stomach.
The maximum bicarbonate loading dose for athletes with body weight over 170 lbs is about 1.5 tablespoons of soda taken 2 hours before the competition to prevent muscle fatigue.
As a remedy to help pass a drug test, some people on Reddit recommend taking two-three tablespoons 2 hours and 15 minutes in advance, while others suggest up to five tablespoons of the powder with 24 ounces of water.
Does baking soda method work for all drugs?
No, baking soda antacid can only work for methamphetamine or amphetamine, which stay in the user’s blood for 2-5 days. Also, baking soda with water won’t work for a saliva drug test, blood plasma drug test, or hair follicle test.
Methamphetamine is less acidic than blood, and the same applies to alkaline baking soda. So, when your kidneys are busy removing soda to restore body’s electrolyte balance, smaller amount of crank circulating in your blood will be excreted through urine.
A couple tablespoons of soda powder can prevent a positive urine methamphetamine test by changing blood pH levels and making it less acidic. However, baking soda flush won’t work for opioids or weed drug test.
Marijuana contains a THC-COOH acidic substance (THC metabolite). Its concentration in urine is only increased by drinking baking soda, which will raise the chances of you getting a positive drug test.
Will water and baking soda help me pass a drug test?
It might, but not without causing more severe problems like upset stomach, cramps, and diarrhea. Baking soda disguises residue of methamphetamine in the user’s urine. Being an antacid, soda makes blood more alkaline, which in turn feeds the urinary system.
Baking soda decreases the renal elimination of methamphetamine, resulting in fewer drug metabolites in the urine, helping the user pass a drug test.
Keep in mind that if you’re preparing a baking soda concoction at home, you might end up taking excessive amounts, causing a failed test for methamphetamine in urine, electrolyte imbalances, vomiting, sepsis, and possibly a stomach rupture as an adverse effect.
Drinking baking soda dangers
A mild dosage might not be life-threatening, but a baking soda overdose can put you at risk of intoxication and cause a severe electrolyte imbalance. It starts with stomach pain, diarrhea and turns fatal in some cases.
According to the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, subject with a history of chronic baking soda exposures can experience side effects like:
- hypernatremia (high sodium levels in the blood)
- hypertension
- gastric rupture (tearing of stomach wall)
- hyporeninemia (renal insufficiency)
- hypokalemia (low potassium levels in the blood)
- hypochloremia (low chloride ion levels)
- intravascular volume depletion, etc.
A case study published in Emergency Medicine: Open Access noted that severe metabolic alkalosis from ingesting baking soda might lead to respiratory failure, ischemic stroke, and even death.
Missouri Poison Control Center describes an incident in their blog when one man willingly consumed five tablespoons of baking soda, hoping he could pass a drug test for cannabis in the urine. The large doses of sodium bicarbonate this person ingested caused a medical emergency. Luckily, the patient was timely hospitalized and received surgery.
Instructions for baking soda “detox”
As you now know, baking soda is not a detoxification method but merely a methamphetamine masking trick. Here’s how you can prepare a baking soda remedy at home to help you pass a drug test.
Warning: you’re taking this baking soda concoction entirely at your own risk. Make sure to not overdose on it, or the consequences can be lethal. Adding bleach to the mixture can be even more dangerous.
All you need is baking soda, water, and a tablespoon to measure the ingredients. Please note that the ingredient proportions and their effects depend on the user’s age, habits, metabolism, and the amount of meth consumed.
Reddit instructions to beat drug tests:
- Pour a glass of H2O and add 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda to it.
- Mix the solution and drink it at least 3 hours before the test.
- This will create a pH imbalance in your body. The ideal value is between 4.5 to 8.0. Drink as much water as you can until the test.
- Don’t use the bathroom until you’re full. Make sure you pee at least twice before taking the test.
- The third time you pee should be for the test to produce a clean urine sample within 5 hours.
Should you rely on home remedies to detoxify meth?
We’d advise you against using the home remedies to pass drug screen. Advice from people on the internet forums is not reliable and might do you more harm than good. As such, the use of baking soda to pass a meth drug test has long been regarded a myth with no scientific evidence.
Instead, you should use over-the-counter products formulated by experts and tested in laboratories extensively to ensure the user’s safety.