Drug Testing Information

A Urine Drug Test, also known as a Urinalysis Test, is typically a 5-panel test which is most commonly used by private employers and also for court mandated drug testing.

A Urine Drug Screening typically begins with an employer asking their employee or new hire to report to a medical clinic for testing. Once at the clinic, the person will be asked to urinate into a cup, which will be collected by the tester. The tester will sometimes ask the person to empty their pockets before entering the rest room to urinate. The tester will also typically ask the person not to flush the toilet when they are finished urinating into the cup. This is to protect the drug testing process and to help ensure that the person being tested has not cheated or used adulterants which they may flush evidence of afterwards. After the cup is collected by the tester, it will tested for temperature to make sure it is at 98 degrees. The tester will usually ask the person being tested to present identification, either before or after the test. This is to make sure the person taking the test matches with the person on the drug testing form filled out by the employer. After the urine is tested for temperature, the cup is placed into a container or vile which is sealed, and it is then sent off to a medical lab, such as Labcorp, to be tested.

Once the urine specimen reaches the lab to be tested, it is tested once using a 5-panel test (the 5-panel test is most common, though other types may be used depending on the lab or the orders from the employer). If the urine does not test positive for any drug metabolites, the employer will be notified that the person being tested did not test positive and passed the drug test successfully. If the urine does test positive however, then the urine will be retested with a confirmation test. Once confirmed, the employer will be notified that the person being tested failed the drug test, sometimes the employee or new hire as well.

Adulterants

Adulterants are any products, chemicals, or substances which are used to compromise a drug test's accuracy. An adulteration test is sometimes performed by a lab to look for any adulterants. Examples of adulterants would be vinegar, bleach, or other household products people sometimes use in an attempt to pass a drug test they would normally fail. Adulteration tests also sometimes look for metabolites of products found in drug-related stores, also known as "Head Shops". Some of these products include creatinine based drinks, also known as detox drinks.

At-Home Drug Tests

At-Home Drug tests can be used by parents to detect drugs in their child's system. At Home Drug Testing Kits can be purchased in many pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS, as well as online. The accuracy of Home Drug Test Kits is believed to be less accurate than lab tests, because they are not as sensitive as the 5 panel drug tests performed by labs. This allows a greater chance for the person being tested to "cheat" the drug test, or use adulterants to pass a drug test, even when they may have drugs still in their system. Employers sometimes use Home Drug Testing Kits for random drug tests to surprise their employees or possibly because it is a cheaper method than lab testing.

Detection Time Frames For Urinalysis (According to Labcorp)