All You Need to know about Urine Drug Testing

A urine drug test, or usually known as a urine drug screen, is the most common method used in drug testing. The reason why is because the method is easy, quick, painless, and cost-effective to use. The urine test can be used for checking both prescription and illegal drugs.

Therefore, you might be getting prepared to have a urine test soon, and you’re wondering what happens in a urine drug test. Here’s everything you need to know about a urine drug test;

A urine drug test may be necessary under several scenarios, such as a primary care doctor can ask for a urine drug test if they have any suspicions that you might be having problems with a certain drug. Moreover, an emergency room doctor can also ask for the test if you get confused or your behavior gets strange.

Employers can ask their employees for a urine test before hiring or can take random tests for their workers at the workplace. Also, rehabilitation centers usually test their residents on almost a regular basis. Various sports can test athletes to encourage fair competition among the game and discourage drug abuse in the game.

Furthermore, several drugs can be detected with a urine drug test. Most of the drugs that can be detected include;

  • Alcohol
  • Cocainesynthetic urine test
  • Opioids
  • Marijuana
  • Amphetamines
  • Benzodiazepines
  • PCP
  • Methadone
  • Methamphetamines

Through a urine test, the level of alcohol in your body can be identified; however, alcohol testing is usually done via a blood or breath test. Moreover, a urine test can detect cotinine and nicotine upon breaking down nicotine.

The urine test works in a way that you’re requested to provide a sample of your urine to the lab technician or doctor who will carry out the test.

According to Epic Detox, two types of urine drug testing exist, which both require the sample. The most common type is an Immunoassay (AI) test, which is the quickest and the most cost-effective. However, this test may result in false-positive results – whereby it can show the presence of a drug when you haven’t used the drug.

Therefore, a second urine drug test type is used to confirm the results of the AI test and is called gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This is a more reliable method and can detect a plethora of drugs.

Depending on the reason for the test, some sites will provide instant results, while others can give them after a couple of days. Sometimes you can have a second test if the first test is positive to confirm the results.

Raino Weckstrom

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