Experience with a Sulfonamide Diuretic in a Large Urine Drug Testing Program

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with selected ion monitoring is a common confirmation method for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) metabolites in urine. Department of Defense laboratories use this method for analysis of 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THCA) following ion exchange column purification and methylation. Furosemide, a common diuretic which is excreted into urine, will be isolated with THCA in the extraction procedure, will appear in the chromatographic window [retention time relative to 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolmethyl ether-9-carboxylic acid methyl ester (THCA-Me) of 1.13], and will exhibit the six ions monitored for THCA-Me and its trideuterated analog. The results indicate that methylated furosemide and other common diuretics can easily be distinguished from THCA-Me. They also allow one to explain in court the extraneous peaks in a chromatogram and to correct for the overutilization of derivatizing reagent.