Here’s a closer look at what these tests involve, how accurate they are, the best time to take an at-home drug test, and what you can hope to learn from the results. It is important that test results are confirmed prior to any sanctions against an employee being made. Some products claim they can help you pass a drug test, but there’s no proof any of them work. If you know that you’re going to be asked to take a toxicology test, your best bet is not to use drugs.

Research has shown that people who use fentanyl test strips often make changes that can keep them safer. In one study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 70% of participants said they would change their behavior if they knew the drugs they used contained fentanyl. When you use an illegal drug, there’s no guarantee that it contains what the dealer or person who gave it to you says it does. The only way to know if a drug has been contaminated with it is to test it.

In a healthcare setting, drug tests may include urine, hair, saliva, or blood samples. However, at-home drug tests are typically urine or saliva because, in some cases, they can show results instantly or within just a few minutes. 10-panel drug tests can effectively test for 10 substances within their own window of detection. These detection times vary with each drug and personal factors, such as individual metabolism.

The tests measure byproducts in the body that come from breaking down the drug, so they cannot detect how much of the drug is circulating in the body. There are some tests that use other substances, such as blood or hair, to test for the drugs. These may be more accurate in some cases, but the process is more complicated. The screening can detect a range of substances, including cannabis, nicotine, barbiturates, and opioids such as heroin and methadone.

1. This could be because its level wasn’t sufficient enough to be detected or that the substance use didn’t happen during the detection window.
2. A doctor or trained technician usually performs a urine drug screening.
3. For more information on workplace drug screening, please visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) Division of Workplace Programs website.
4. Checking with your healthcare provider is key in helping to prevent drug interactions.

If illegal substances are present in your saliva, the test strip’s components will react with the drug — or common components of the drug — and change colors. These tests are an alternative to going in person to a laboratory or other healthcare organization to test for the presence of drugs. False negatives are well described when testing for opioids and benzodiazepines. As a result, this screen would not detect synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and methadone, or other opioids that are structurally dissimilar such as buprenorphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. Similarly, the benzodiazepine screen tests for a metabolite, oxazepam. It would be expected to test negative for benzodiazepines such as lorazepam, clonazepam, and alprazolam as these are not metabolized to oxazepam.

For most other drugs, metabolites will be detectable for a longer time than the main drug. The emergency and referral resources listed above are available to individuals located in the United States and are not operated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). NIDA is a biomedical research organization and does not provide personalized medical advice, treatment, counseling, or legal consultation. Information provided by NIDA is not a substitute for professional medical care or legal consultation. Some of these may lead to a false positive, so the staff should know about them ahead of time.

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Other research from Brown University showed that half of test strip users found fentanyl in their drug supply. Of those who detected fentanyl, more than 40% decided to use a smaller amount of the drugs or to go more slowly to reduce their risk of overdosing. A similar percentage chose to use their drugs with other people (instead of alone) so someone would be around to call 911 or give them naloxone (Narcan), if needed, alcohol and rage what you need to know to reverse an opioid overdose. Both types of tests can create a false negative, which is when the test reports a negative result even if there is drug use. As a general rule, your insurance policy won’t cover at-home drug tests unless a healthcare professional writes a letter of medical necessity. This letter explains why you need to purchase drug tests either on a one-time or routine basis for a medical reason.

Ordering a test through a doctor’s office or lab itself is the most direct way. However, there are also some kits a person can buy and send to the lab themselves. A 10-panel drug test will look for 10 of the most common drugs that a person may be abusing. This selection usually includes five common prescription medications and five illicit street drugs. Many states have recently changed their laws to remove drug checking tools from the “drug paraphernalia” definition in an effort to combat the overdose crisis. Recent reforms to drug paraphernalia laws show a positive trend of state governments acknowledging drug checking tools as an important public health intervention.

This process can be completed in a variety of settings and with a variety of techniques. However, drug testing should always be used with history/physical and psychosocial assessment. A drug test involves testing a biological sample, such as urine or hair, for the presence of a legal or illegal drug.

Related Medical Tests

Substances like cocaine, morphine, or heroin can be present up to 36 hours after taking them. One of the longest windows of time where these drugs can be detectable is in hair for up to 90 days. Some at-home drug tests will identify a single substance, and some tests can even detect around 14 or more substances at one time.

Optional features of at-home drug tests

Any result below the cutoff number is a negative screen and any number above the cutoff number is a positive screen. Depending of the reason for the drug test, the sample is often sent out for testing so that a formal report can be generated. There are several scenarios where a urine drug test might be necessary. For example, marijuana will typically cause you to test positive within 1 to 3 hours after use and then for up to 7 days afterward. The FDA evaluates these tests based on their accuracy as well as how easy the package insert instructions are to follow.

Analyzing the results

It can also depend on whether someone is a chronic or occasional user of the drug. Look for information on your state or local health department’s website or ask your healthcare provider for treatment and referral services available in your area. Many medicines can have an interaction with alcohol, like wine, beer or spirits. This might interfere with your successful treatment or cause dangerous side effects. Mixing drugs like opioid pain medicines, sleeping pills or anxiety treatments with alcohol can be unsafe or even deadly. Always check to see if your medicines interact with alcohol before you combine the two.

A urine drug screen can quickly, effectively detect some illegal and prescription drugs. Doctors, sports officials, and employers may request this type of test for various reasons. The test is often used for employment screening, but it also is useful in other scenarios. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions medication for the treatment of alcohol use disorder about drug testing or concerns about substance use disorder. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

The drug test screens for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound in cannabis (marijuana), although it may also pick up other compounds like cannabidiol (CBD). Testing positive after using CBD will depend on whether the product contains THC, and some do. This article will explore more about the test itself, the specific drugs it detects, how the test works, and what to expect when you take the test. If you test positive for a legal drug prescribed by your doctor, your employer can’t penalize you, unless the drug is affecting your ability to perform your job. Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.