Do AZO pills work for passing a drug test?

Daniel Miller
By Daniel Miller

Ph.D Pharmacology, Drug Testing Specialist

Updated: 2022 May 11

If you are looking for a way to pass an upcoming marijuana drug test, the chances are that you have come across numerous remedies that promise 100% detox.

Depending on your urgency, you might even have used some and are probably wondering if they work. Azo cranberry pills are one such product.

Can Azo pills help you pass a drug test?

Before we understand if Azo can clean your system, we will briefly explain the metabolism and elimination of marijuana by your body and let you know exactly what a marijuana urine test looks for.

We will then go ahead and give you all the information that will help you to decide whether Azo is worth your effort.

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What is Azo

Azo pills are used to alleviate symptoms that come with urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTI refers to any infection that happens in the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.

Azo products are also used for general urinary tract health and are said to clear it of toxins and disease-causing bacteria.

We have given details of the two Azo products used for passing drug tests below.

Can Azo Cranberry Pills Help Pass a Drug Test?

cranberry azo pill drug test

The active ingredient is cranberry, a fruit produced by an evergreen shrub native to North America.

Its juice is used as an alternative medicine to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) and kidney stones.

It’s also used to alleviate fever and healing surgical openings made on the skin during redirection of urine away from the bladder.

Azo Cranberry is available as a juice or pills. A liter of the juice contains 7 mg of salicylic acid.

According to the research done by the Rowett Research Institute of Scotland, consumption of cranberry juice significantly increases the levels of salicylic acid in urine.

increased salicylate urine

This is comparable to taking aspirin tablets since the acid is its major metabolite.

Scientific research has shown that the ingestion of aspirin’s therapeutic doses may result in false negatives during drug testing.

Negative biases observed for other Emit d.a.u. assays after salicylate ingestion lead us to conclude that ingestion of therapeutic doses of aspirin may cause false-negative results for drug screens in urines by this technology.

When aspirin is metabolized, the resulting salts and esters are known as salicylates.

Urine samples that contain salicylates have been found to have reduced drug metabolite signals.

Azo cranberry is also used because it’s a diuretic.

These are medications, herbs, or fruits that increase the expulsion of water from your body.

Why it is not reliable

The negative results with aspirin use are not a guarantee.

Note that the acidic metabolites of aspirin, acetic acid, and salicylic acid may lower your urine pH below the normal average of 6.0.

This will show up in a urine test. The lab may also subject your specimen to a ferric chloride spot test, which will show the presence of salicylic acid.

You will also have to cross your fingers on the fact that this trick has been in the public domain for a decade or so, and the lab experts already know about the effect of aspirin on urine tests.

The other downside to this method is the clear dark orange color of the urine that comes with Azo products.

Phenazopyridine urine color

The normal color of urine is light yellow to amber. Such a urine sample may be rejected or subjected to further testing.

Even if you were to clear the urine color with a large water intake, will the following work in your favor?

Specific Gravity Test

The sample will be subjected to a Specific Gravity test. This is the measurement of the density of urine.

The acceptable values range between 1.010 and 1.040, which is always higher than water’s, which is 1.000. Levels below the cut-off will be an indication of dilution.

Creatinine Test

Creatinine is the compound produced by the breakdown of muscle tissue. It’s excreted primarily in the urine.

Levels range from 20-370mg/dl in males and 20-320mg/dl in females. Normal urine tests also check for its amount.

The increased water intake may tamper with this. Levels that are lower than this are sure to cause suspicion of dilution.

Azo Standard

Azo Standard

The active ingredient in the medication is phenazopyridine hydrochloride (Pyridium). It’s dispensed in the form of pills.

The medication is sold over the counter to relieve pain, burning, or the persistent need to urinate caused by urinary tract infections (UTIs).

The usual dosage is 200mg tablets taken 3 times daily for 2 days.

It’s sold under the brand name Azo-Standard. Ideally, you should take Azo pills alongside vitamin B12 and plenty of water to pass the test.

When you take an Azo Standard pill, about 40% is metabolized by the liver. The rest is excreted unchanged in the urine.

A dark orange color characterizes the urine.

The large water intake is supposed to rid your system of the metabolites, and if by any chance you manage to clear your urine off the orange color, the vitamin B12 should keep your urine color in check.

Why it is not reliable

The dark orange-colored urine acts as a red flag to the test experts who will easily identify pyridium use.

They will either reject the sample and ask for another or subject the sample to further investigation.

There is no way out here either; why? There is no scientific evidence to show that the active ingredient pyridium affects the results of drug testing.

The AZO standard also contains other inactive ingredients like carnauba wax and hypromellose and, as such, do not affect THC or its metabolites.

There is an off chance that dilution may have shifted things to your favor, but creatinine level and the specific gravity of urine as explained above will still come back to haunt you.