You’re staring at a lab report or a plastic cup with a bunch of three-letter abbreviations, and there it is: BAR. It’s not exactly common knowledge. Most people know what THC or COC stands for, but BAR sounds like something you’d find at a pub, not in a medical screening. If you’ve just seen this on a pre-employment screen or a court-ordered test, your heart might be racing a bit. Don't panic.
What is BAR on a drug test? Put simply, it stands for Barbiturates.
These aren't the "trendy" drugs of the week. In fact, they’re kinda old-school. They belong to a class of sedative-hypnotics that were huge in the mid-20th century before benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium mostly took over the market. But just because they aren’t the "go-to" prescription for every doctor anymore doesn't mean they've vanished. They are still very much in the medical rotation, and they are definitely on the radar of toxicology labs.
The Chemistry Behind the BAR Label
Barbiturates are central nervous system depressants. They work by enhancing the activity of GABA, a neurotransmitter that tells your brain to slow down. Think of it like a chemical "brake" for your nervous system. Doctors prescribe them for very specific things: seizure disorders, extreme insomnia, or sometimes as a pre-anesthesia sedative.
When a lab tests for "BAR," they aren't usually looking for one specific pill. They are looking for the metabolites of a whole family of drugs. This includes Phenobarbital (often used for epilepsy), Butalbital (frequently found in headache meds like Fioricet), and Secobarbital.
If you took a Fioricet for a killer migraine two days ago, "BAR" is exactly what’s going to light up on that immunoassay.
Why Do Employers Still Care About Barbiturates?
It feels a bit retro, right? Like testing for disco. But the reality is that barbiturates have a high potential for misuse and a very narrow "safety window." The difference between a dose that helps you sleep and a dose that stops your breathing is uncomfortably small. That's why they are Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act in the United States.
Safety-sensitive industries are the ones that really dig into the BAR category. If you’re operating a crane, driving a semi-truck, or performing surgery, having a depressant in your system that slows your reaction time is a massive liability.
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Even if you have a prescription, an employer might have concerns about your ability to perform tasks safely. However, a legal prescription usually protects you from "failing" in the eyes of the law, provided you disclosed it to the Medical Review Officer (MRO).
How Long Does BAR Stay In Your System?
This is where it gets tricky. Not all barbiturates are created equal. They are usually categorized by how long they last in your body.
Short-acting ones, like Pentobarbital, might only be detectable for a day or two. But then you have the long-acting heavyweights like Phenobarbital. This stuff has a half-life that can stretch up to 120 hours. Honestly, that's a long time. If you take a dose of Phenobarbital, it could potentially show up on a BAR urine screen for two to three weeks, depending on your metabolism and how often you take it.
Factors that change the window:
- Your Body Mass Index (BMI): Some of these compounds are lipophilic, meaning they like to hang out in fat cells.
- Hydration levels: Super diluted urine might trigger a "dilute" result, but it won't necessarily hide the BAR.
- Liver function: Since the liver breaks these down, a sluggish liver means the drug stays in your blood longer.
Common Medications That Cause a BAR Positive
You might be surprised by what triggers a positive. It isn't always a "downer" someone bought on a street corner.
Fioricet and Fiorinal are the big ones. These are combination drugs used for tension headaches. They contain Butalbital, along with caffeine and acetaminophen (Tylenol) or aspirin. People often forget that their headache medicine is technically a barbiturate. They take one on a Tuesday, get tested on a Thursday, and are shocked when the BAR line doesn't show up on the cup.
Then there is Donnatal. This is an old-school medication used for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It contains a small amount of Phenobarbital. It’s enough to trigger a BAR positive on many standard 10-panel or 12-panel drug tests.
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The Difference Between a Screen and a Confirmation
Most drug tests happen in two stages. First is the immunoassay. This is the quick-and-dirty version—the dip card or the rapid test. It’s designed to be sensitive. It’s looking for the shape of a molecule. Sometimes, it gets confused.
If your BAR result comes back "non-negative" (that's lab-speak for positive), it should always go to a second stage: GC/MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry).
The GC/MS is the "gold standard." It doesn't get confused. It breaks the sample down to the molecular level and identifies exactly what is there. If the initial screen flagged "BAR" because of some weird cross-reactivity with a different medication (though this is rare for barbiturates), the GC/MS will clear it up. It will show that the specific metabolite for a controlled barbiturate isn't actually present.
What to Do If You Test Positive for BAR
If you know you haven't touched a barbiturate, stay calm.
- Check your medicine cabinet. Look at everything you’ve taken in the last 14 days. Look for Butalbital or Phenobarbital on the labels.
- Gather your prescriptions. If you have a valid script for a medication containing a barbiturate, you’re generally in the clear. The Medical Review Officer (MRO) will call you. You provide the pharmacy details or the prescription number. Once they verify it, they usually report the result to your employer as "Negative."
- Request the confirmation test. Never accept a "preliminary" positive as the final word. Insist on the lab-based confirmation.
It's also worth noting that some NSAIDs (like Ibuprofen or Naproxen) have historically been rumored to cause false positives for various drugs, but barbiturates are fairly distinct chemically. False positives for BAR are less common than false positives for something like Amphetamines, which can be triggered by over-the-counter decongestants.
The Technical Reality of Modern Testing
Standard 5-panel tests—the kind often used by the Department of Transportation (DOT)—actually don't usually include BAR. They focus on THC, Cocaine, Opiates, PCP, and Amphetamines.
However, many private employers have moved to 10-panel or 12-panel tests. These "expanded" panels almost always include Barbiturates. If you see a code like "10-50" or "12-100" on your paperwork, there is a very high chance BAR is on that list. The "50" or "100" usually refers to the cutoff level in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).
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For barbiturates, the standard cutoff level for an initial screen is often 200 ng/mL or 300 ng/mL. If you have more than that in your system, the test is positive. If you have 150 ng/mL, the test is negative, even though the drug is technically there. These cutoffs exist to prevent people from failing due to incidental exposure or minute, irrelevant amounts.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Your Test
If you’re facing a drug test and are worried about the BAR indicator, here is how you handle it like a pro.
First, transparency is your best friend. If you are taking a medication like Fioricet for migraines, do not hide it. While you don't necessarily have to tell your boss your medical history, you must be ready to tell the medical professional at the testing site or the MRO.
Second, understand your rights. In many jurisdictions, you have the right to challenge a result or have a split sample tested at a different lab. If something feels wrong—like a positive result for a drug you've never even heard of—exercise that right.
Third, don't try to "flush" your system. Drinking three gallons of water right before a test usually results in a "Dilute" reading. Most employers treat a "Dilute" as a "Fail" or force you to retake the test immediately under direct observation (yes, someone watching). It’s better to have a clear explanation for a BAR positive than a suspicious-looking "clear" sample.
Finally, if you are using barbiturates without a prescription, recognize the risk. Beyond the drug test, these substances are physically addictive and have a withdrawal profile that can be genuinely dangerous—sometimes even fatal—without medical supervision. If you’re struggling with that, a drug test result might be the least of your worries, and reaching out for a medical detox is the smarter move.
The BAR label on a drug test isn't a mystery; it's just a specific net designed to catch a specific type of sedative. Knowing what's in your medicine cabinet is usually the key to making sure that net doesn't catch you by surprise.