Simple Guide on How to Pass a Urine Drug Test With Baking Soda

Daniel Miller avatar
Daniel Miller, Ph.D, Drug Testing Specialist

Last updated on Jan 13, 2024

Baking soda and vinegar have two things in common. First, you likely have them in your kitchen.

Second, both of them are thought to help in cheating urinary drug tests. I’ve already written about the use of vinegar in beating marijuana urine tests.

Today’s article will be about baking soda, how it is used to game the test, and why it may or may not work.

How to Pass a Urine Drug Test With Baking Soda: Step-by-Step Instructions

The internet community has several ways of doing this. While they are thought to lead to the same results, they differ slightly regarding the amount of soda ingested.

The method that I have outlined below is the most common.

how to pass a urine drug test with baking soda - infographics

Why People Think it Will Help

According to the sources that propagate this theory, when baking soda is ingested, it absorbs toxins (including metabolites of the weed, methamphetamine, etc.) from the blood system into the stomach.

It then induces an urge to vomit where the user vomits most of the toxins.

Drinking more water after that helps prevent further dehydration and flushing out all the remaining toxins through the urinary system.

Does it work?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: The belief that baking soda does help with passing marijuana drug tests is just gaining momentum.

This method is most common with meth users, and it has been found to work for this purpose.

The ability to fool a meth urine drug test with baking soda stems from 2 facts.

First, when ingested, sodium bicarbonate – the active ingredient in soda- is known to increase urine pH, thereby making it more alkaline.

Second, methamphetamine is easily excreted into acidic urine than in alkaline urine. This means that there will be fewer metabolites in the urine at the test time, thereby increasing the probability of passing.

urine pH effect on methamphetamine excretion

But this only happens with methamphetamine. And this is because meth is a base as opposed to THC-COOH, which is acidic.

This means that since urine is slightly acidic, renal elimination of meth is easy and flawless.

But this changes drastically when the urine is alkalinized in that almost zero meth will be excreted via this route.

This is what makes baking soda a viable option for beating a meth urine drug test.

But are THC and THC metabolites affected by this change in pH in the same manner?

No, they aren’t. Although there aren’t many scientific studies around this topic yet, basic knowledge of how THC and its metabolites behave in different pH levels is enough to tell whether changes in pH levels of urine will affect the concentration of these metabolites in urine or not.

Understanding pH and its effect on solubility and movement of ions across membranes

pH refers to the concentration of hydrogen ions in a given solution of 1 to 14, where 7 denotes a neutral solution.

The lower values 1-6 show that the solution is acidic (the lower the number, the higher the acidity), while the higher values mean that the solution is more alkaline.

The pH of a solution determines the ionization state of the molecules in it, and they can be positively or negatively charged.

For instance, a base molecule can be neutral at higher pH levels and +vely charged at lower pH levels.

On the other hand, an acidic molecule can be neutral at lower pH levels and – very charged at higher pH levels.

The pKa level of a given molecule refers to a measure of acid strength. Smaller pKa values indicate that the molecule is more acidic.

The converse is true. The pKa level also shows a pH state where 50% of the molecules are ions, and the rest are unionized.

A change in the pH level affects the molecules’ pKa level, thereby interfering with their solubility and ability to go across cell membranes.

Urine pH works on this principle when eliminating toxins, including drugs and drug metabolites, through a process known as ion trapping.

Let’s dig deeper here.

Ion Trapping and its role in drug excretion in urine

Just as this name suggests, ion trapping is an interesting process that enables urine to trap the ions of target toxins for excretion.

The process of ion trapping takes place in the renal tubules.

ion-trapping

It’s in these tubules that the plasma that has just been filtered by the kidneys passes through as it is converted into urine.

As the plasma moves along the tubules, some of its molecules may be reabsorbed back into the blood by penetrating through the cell membrane that makes these tubules’ walls.

However, keep in mind that whether the molecules will be reabsorbed depends on whether they are ionized or non-ionized.

Most non-ionized molecules easily diffuse across the membranes credit to their high lipid solubility.

On the other hand, Ionized molecules cannot diffuse back across the cellular membranes and are, therefore, successfully trapped and ready for excretion as urine.

Worth noting, only toxins from weak acids and bases are amenable for ion trapping.

Ion Trapping does not affect the excretion of THC and its metabolites.

Ingesting baking soda does indeed increase the pH level of urine.

The major limitation when dealing with THC and its metabolites is that the increase in urine pH has a minimal effect on these toxins’ ionization state.

For instance, assuming that you have successfully upped your urine’s pH level from 6 to 8, the ionization of THC (with a pKa of 10.6) will increase from 0% to 0.3%.

This increase isn’t enough to have a significant ion trapping effect.

THC-COOH (11-hydroxy-THC), the main active metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol, has a pKa of 9.3.

The predicted change in urine pH will change its ionization from 0.1% to 4.8%.

Although this is still not high enough to warrant a significant ion trapping effect, it has been found to increase this metabolite’s excretion by around 10% in some people, especially those with lower hepatic clearance.

THC-COO-glucuronide with a pKa of around 3.2 is quite interesting in that its ionization moves from 99.8% to 100%.

In theory, this change seems promising and means that it can be easily reabsorbed back into the blood, thereby allowing you a window to collect some clean urine.

Unfortunately, this glucuronide molecule is relatively large.

Its molecular weight of 565g/mol means that it’s way too large to be taken back through the membranes.

Bottom line

Baking soda might help pass meth urine drug tests, but it won’t offer a lot of help in marijuana tests.

The slightly higher ionization change of the THC-COOH metabolite might boost the detoxification process, especially if you have a slow hepatic clearance.

However, it won’t offer much help to most people.

Even if you are among the few who might benefit from it, the rate of detoxification will still be prolonged.

Importantly, the presence of THC-COO-glucuronide in the urine (which is actually what labs look for) means that you’ll need to look for an alternative method in case you are scheduled for a test within short notice.

The fact that you are altering your urine pH is another big reason not to rely on this method.

This is one of the first urine components that virtually all labs look for immediately after handing over the specimen.

They will automatically disqualify your specimen without further testing for specific drugs if your urine’s pH is outside the normal range.

So, which is the most reliable method of cheating a test?

If you are a frequent visitor and reader of the articles on this site, you must have realized that dilution is my most recommendable way of cheating urinary drug tests.

The key benefits of this method are its high success rate and minimal side effects.

Of course, similar to any other method, dilution can also attract unwanted attention from the lab experts if it’s not done in the right way.

The most proven and best way to pass a drug test on short notice is to use proven detoxification products: https://greenfleets.org/.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Pass A Drug Test For Meth With Baking Soda

Add half a teaspoon of baking soda in eight ounces of water every two hours. Start early in the morning and drink the mixture for about six hours before the test.

Which Works Better For Drug Test Certo Or Baking Soda

Supposedly Сerto absorbs the toxins from entering the urine, whereas baking soda makes your body more alkaline, which can show false negative on some drug tests. There is no evidence which method works better.

What Is The Time Duration Needed To Pass An At Home Drug Test With Baking Soda

Assuming you need to take a urine test, you will need to start taking the baking soda at least six hours before the test. That will give you a five-hour window in which your drug test will be negative.

How Long Before A Drug Test For Meth Do You Take The Baking Soda

It will help if you take baking soda six hours before taking the drug test.

100% Success Rate for Passing Drug Tests!

Clear Choice Sub-Solution is the perfect solution for passing a drug test. It contains a clean synthetic urine that is biocide free and completely undetectable.

It also comes with their patented heat activator formula that raises the urine’s temperature to normal body temperature within seconds, so you don’t need to worry about having to heat it up yourself.

Furthermore, the standard size container makes it easy to conceal, and it is unisex, so it can be used by both male and female users.

Disclamer
The information on this website about detox products and synthetic urines is for educational purposes only. We do not endorse or condone their illegal use. Always consider the laws in your area and the potential legal consequences. Consult with a healthcare professional before using any products. Your responsibility and well-being are paramount.