What do these tests do? These tests indicate if one or more prescription or illegal drugs are present in urine. These tests detect the presence of drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine, amphetamines, PCP, benzodiazepine, barbiturates, methadone, tricyclic antidepressants, ecstasy, and oxycodone.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Accu-Tell.

The testing is done in two steps. First, you do a quick at-home test. Second, if the test suggests that drugs may be present, you send the sample to a laboratory for additional testing.

What are drugs of abuse? Drugs of abuse are illegal or prescription medicines (for example, Oxycodone or Valium) that are taken for a non-medical purpose. Non-medical purposes for a prescription drug include taking the medication for longer than your doctor prescribed it for or for a purpose other than what the doctor prescribed it for. Medications are not drugs of abuse if they are taken according to your doctor’s instructions.

What type of test are these? They are qualitative tests -- you find out if a particular drug may be in the urine, but not how much is present.

When should you do these tests? You should use these tests when you think someone might be abusing prescription or illegal drugs. If you are worried about a specific drug, make sure to check the label to confirm that this test is designed to detect the drug you are looking for.

How accurate are these tests? The at-home testing part of this test is fairly sensitive to the presence of drugs in the urine. This means that if drugs are present, you will usually get a preliminary (or presumptive) positive test result. If you get a preliminary positive result, you should send the urine sample to the laboratory for a second test.

It is very important to send the urine sample to the laboratory to confirm a positive at-home result because certain foods, food supplements, beverages, or medicines can affect the results of at-home tests. Laboratory tests are the most reliable way to confirm drugs of abuse.

Many things can affect the accuracy of these tests, including (but not limited to):

• the way you did the test
• the way you stored the test or urine
• what the person ate or drank before taking the test
• any other prescription or over-the-counter drugs the person may have taken before the test

Note that a result showing the presence of an amphetamine should be considered carefully, even when this result is confirmed in the laboratory testing. Some over-the-counter medications will produce the same test results as illegally-abused amphetamines.

Does a positive test mean that you found drugs of abuse? No. Take no serious actions until you get the laboratory's result. Remember that many factors may cause a false positive result in the home test.

Remember that a positive test for a prescription drug does not mean that a person is abusing the drug, because there is no way for the test to indicate acceptable levels compared to abusive levels of prescribed drugs.

If the test results are negative, can you be sure that the person you tested did not abuse drugs? No. No drug test of this type is 100% accurate. There are several factors that can make the test results negative even though the person is abusing drugs. First, you may have tested for the wrong drugs. Or, you may not have tested the urine when it contained drugs. It takes time for drugs to appear in the urine after a person takes them, and they do not stay in the urine indefinitely; you may have collected the urine too late or too soon. It is also possible that the chemicals in the test went bad because they were stored incorrectly or they passed their expiration date.

If you get a negative test result, but still suspect that someone is abusing drugs, you can test again at a later time. Talk to your doctor if you need more help deciding what steps to take next.

How soon after a person takes drugs, will they show up in a drug test? And how long after a person takes drugs, will they continue to show up in a drug test? The drug clearance rate tells how soon a person may have a positive test after taking a particular drug. It also tells how long the person may continue to test positive after the last time he or she took the drug. Clearance rates for common drugs of abuse are given below. These are only guidelines, however, and the times can vary significantly from these estimates based on how long the person has been taking the drug, the amount of drug they use, or the person's metabolism.

How do you do a drugs of abuse test?

These tests usually contain a sample collection cup, the drug test (it may be test strips, a test card, a test cassette, or other method for testing the urine), and an instruction leaflet or booklet. It is very important that the person doing the test reads and understands the instructions first, before even collecting the sample. This is important because with most test kits, the result must be visually read within a certain number of minutes after the test is started.

You collect urine in the sample collection cup and test it according to the instructions. If the test indicates the preliminary presence of one or more drugs, the sample should be sent to a laboratory where a more specific chemical test will be used order to obtain a final result. Some home use kits have a shipping container and pre-addressed mailer in them. If you have questions about using these tests, or the results that you are getting, you should contact your healthcare provider.

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For more information, please visit Drug Of Abuse Tests.

Drug Use Screening Tests

What are drug use screening tests?

Drug use screening tests are questionnaires you answer about your drug use. Drugs are chemical substances that can change how your body and mind work. They include prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, tobacco, and illegal drugs.

Drug use can cause problems in your work, relationships, and health. Drug use can include taking illegal drugs or misusing prescription or over-the-counter medicines. Misusing medicines means that you are taking them for a nonmedical reason, such as to get high. It can include taking more than your prescribed dose or taking someone else's medicine. It can also mean taking medicine in a different way than you are supposed to, such as crushing and snorting tablets.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a treatable, chronic mental disorder. The disorder may affect your brain and behavior. Symptoms of SUD include a pattern of using drugs or alcohol, even if it causes a problem in your life. The most severe form of SUD is addiction. If you have an addiction, you may continue to use the substance even though you know it can cause you harm. A drug use screening test can help your health care provider check for a substance use disorder, and if you have one, make an effective treatment plan for you.

Commonly used drugs include:

• Marijuana.
• Prescription opioid pain relievers, which include oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and codeine.
• Club drugs, which are drugs that are most often used by young adults at bars, concerts, nightclubs, and parties. Some types include:
  • Methamphetamines, which are stimulant drugs.
  • Hallucinogens, which are drugs that cause hallucinations (seeing, hearing, and/or feeling things that are not real). They include LSD and Ecstasy (MDMA).
• Cocaine, another type of stimulant drug.
• Heroin, an illegal opioid.

Substance use can also refer to the misuse of other substances, including alcohol and inhalants. Inhalants contain substances that people inhale (breathe in) to get high. They are often products easily bought and can be found in the home or workplace, such as paint thinner and certain types of glue.

Other names: Drug Abuse Screen Test (DAST); DAST-10; Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use (TAPS), substance abuse screening; Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT); Cut down Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener (CAGE) tool; Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble (CRAFFT) Screening Tool

What are they used for?

Drug use screening tests are used to check your risk of drug use or misuse and determine the best treatment for you. Some tests can also show if you are at low, moderate, or high risk for complications from drug use.

Why do I need a drug use screening test?

You may need a screening test if you have symptoms or behaviors that may be a sign that you are at risk for a substance use disorder. These include:

• An urgent need to take the drug on a daily or regular basis.
• Hiding your drug use from others.
• Making excuses to take the drug.
• Continuing to take the drug even if it causes problems in your personal relationships, work, school, and/or health.
• Building up a tolerance to the drug. That means you need more and more of the drug to feel its effects.

Many people who use or misuse drugs don't know or want to admit they have a problem. If your family, friends, or co-workers express concerns about your drug use, talk to your provider about getting a screening. Your provider may also recommend a screening if they notice signs and symptoms of a substance use disorder.

What happens during a drug use screening test?

Your primary care provider or a mental health provider may do a drug use screening. A mental health provider is a health care professional who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental health problems. Some mental health providers specialize in treating substance use disorders.

There are different types of drug use screening tests. Most of these questionnaires are also available online for self-testing. Each includes questions about your drug use and how it affects your life. The most commonly used drug use screening tests include:

• Drug Abuse Screen Test (DAST, also known as DAST-10). This test contains 10 yes or no questions about how much and how often you take drugs. It also asks if the drugs are causing problems in your life and health. The answers are scored on a point system. A score of 8 or more may indicate that you have a problem with drug use.
• Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use (TAPS). This test has two parts. The first section asks questions about your tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use in the past year. If you answer yes to using any of these substances, you will have additional questions in the second part. Your score will determine a risk level per substance.
• Cut-down Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener (CAGE). This test is often used to check for alcohol misuse, but it is also used for drug use. But it's no longer recommended because there are better tests available. The test contains the following yes or no questions:
  • Have you ever felt the need to cut-down on your drug use?
  • Do you ever feel annoyed when people criticize your drug use?
  • Have you ever felt embarrassed or guilty about your drug use?
  • Eye-opener: Have you ever used drugs first thing in the morning?
  Two or more "yes" answers may indicate signs of a substance use disorder.
• Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble (CRAFFT). This test is designed for teens and includes yes or no questions about drug and alcohol use, such as:
  • Have you ever ridden in a car driven by someone (including yourself) who was high or had been using alcohol or drugs?
  • Do you ever use alcohol or drugs to relax, feel better about yourself, or fit in?
  • Do you ever use alcohol/drugs while you are alone?
  • Do you ever forget things you did while using alcohol or drugs?
  • Do your family or friends ever tell you that you should cut down on your drinking or drug use?
  • Have you gotten into trouble while you were using alcohol or drugs?
  Two or more "yes" answers to these questions may indicate signs of a substance use disorder.

These questionnaires may be used along with an approach called Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). SBIRT helps to identify, reduce, and prevent risky substance use and find the best treatment. It focuses on helping you understand how substance use may affect your life, so you can make positive changes. If your test shows you have or are at risk for a serious drug use problem, a long-term treatment plan may be recommended.

Other screening tools may be available for specific groups, such as adolescents or pregnant women.

Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?

You don't need any special preparations for a drug use screening test.

Are there any risks to the test?

There is no risk in taking a questionnaire.

What do the results mean?

Results may show whether you have a substance use disorder and the severity of the problem. The results can help your provider develop a treatment plan that is right for you.

Is there anything else I need to know about drug use screening tests?

Treatment for drug use depends on the type of drug and the severity of your substance use disorder. Treatment options may include:

• Brief or long-term counseling from a mental health provider who specializes in treating drug use.
• Support groups. There are different approaches and formats to drug use support groups. Talk with your provider to find a group and approach that's right for you.
• Medicine. Certain medicines can help establish normal brain function and decrease cravings for the drug. This may help prevent a relapse or return to the use of the drug. Medicines can also make it safer to handle the unpleasant and sometimes dangerous symptoms of withdrawal (symptoms that can happen when you cut back or stop taking drugs).
• Residential treatment programs. If you have a more serious drug problem, you may be helped by a stay in a facility that specializes in treating drug use. These facilities offer a range of treatment services. Stays can last anywhere from one month to a year, depending on your condition.

References

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The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

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