DrugTestStrips Articles

Drug rehabilitation programs should are programmed considering the inter-relationship between the state of being of the addict.  The symptoms are considered.  In many cases, the symptoms are problematic and it becomes important for the MD to treat the problematic system and the underlying cause. (more…)

Evaluators are constantly working to achieve a high success rate in the drug rehabilitation and treatment programs. (more…)

If you are a parent who is worried about your kid doing drugs, it is important to justify your worry. Suspecting your kid doing drugs is different from misbelieve your kid doing drugs. It is your duty to see to that your child is not becoming a victim to drugs, but you do not want to wrong-do your duty towards the well-being of your kid. (more…)

The most important way for drugs out of our body is through the renal excretory mechanism. The drugs that are taken orally for systemic absorption and action undergo metabolism in liver or kidney and excreted mainly via urine. This forms the basis of urine drug testing methods in most of the 10 drug test panel, nida 12 panel drug test, drug test 5 panel nondot and several other drug multi panel screen test that are available in online drug testing companies.
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Amphetamine is a psychotomimetic drug that stimulates the central nervous system. It is commonly used to treat Attention-deficit hyperactive disorder and narcolepsy. The drug has the effects of psycho dependence and cause addiction with long-term use. Some of the street names of the drug are ups, wake-ups, bennies, pep pills, etc. amphetamine urine drug screen is commonly used as a primary testing method for amphetamines.

Abusive properties of amphetamine:

Amphetamine is a strong CNS stimulant that blocks the uptake of dopamine, stimulates the release of monoamines and produces effects of euphoria, accelerated respiration, feelings of pleasure, strength, motivation, decrease appetite, and increased wakefulness.

The effects of amphetamine is similar to that of cocaine, but the effect of amphetamine can last for longer hours when compared to cocaine effects which lasts only for less than an hour. The drug can be taken orally, intra-nasally when it is in powder form, intravenously when dissolved in water, and also can be smoked.

Short-term effects of amphetamine include dry mouth, dilated pupils, suppressed appetite, irregular or increased heart rate, increased respiration, increased talkativeness, enhanced power and strength, paranoia, cardiovascular failures, nausea, palpitations, etc.

When the drug is taken in its high doses than prescribed and the usage of it for a long term will have effects such as difficulty breathing, arrhythmias, ulcers, severe psychosis such as schizophrenia, behavioral disorders, skin disorders, seizures, coma, and even death.

Symptoms of withdrawal of amphetamine are excessive sleeping, anxiety, depression, agitation, and tiredness. The withdrawal symptoms are usually treated with placebo agents. The drugs amineptine and mirtazapine are also used to control the withdrawal symptoms, but they have their own limitations.

Drug testing for amphetamine can be done as a single panel test or it can be done as a part of four panel drug test, 10 panel drug screen or as one of the multiple panel tests.

Medical properties of amphetamine:

Initial use of the amphetamine was as inhalers to relieve nasal congestions, asthma, etc. A research has also showed that the drug can be used to treat migraine, muscular rigidity and spasm, dysmenorrhea, and hypotension. The most common use of the drug is to treat Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, obesity, and Parkinson’s disease.

There are primarily five types of drug testing methods. They are:

1. Urine Drug Testing: The main advantage of this test is that it is less expensive. This urine drug testing kit can be used even at home. This is a very effective method in case of longer and regular usage of drugs. The disadvantage of this method is that it cannot be used to check the current use of drugs and that there are lot of possibilities that the samples may be substituted or altered. Care should be taken while collecting the sample. In other words, it should be done under supervision.

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The 10 panel drug screen indulge in the rapid detection of 9- tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid(THC/ marijuana), cocaine and its metabolite, benzoylecgonine, PCP (Phencyclidine), Morphine and its related  metabolites derived from opium (opiates), Methamphetamines ,Methadone, Amphetamines, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines and Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA) in human urine which are above or below the  optimum concentrations levels established as standard minimum levels  by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and SAMHSA . This 10 panel screen aims at detecting 10 drugs at a time with the help of human urine samples and the standard cut off levels of concentrations.

The cut off levels are expressed in nanograms per milliliter solution. The cut off levels for various drug detection are as follows, D-Amphetamine 1,000 ng/ml , Barbiturates (BAR) Secobarbital, 300 ng/mL, Benzodiazepines (BZO),  Oxazepam 300 ng/mL, Cocaine (COC) Benzoylecgonine300 ng/mL, Methamphetamine (mAMP) D-Methamphetamine1,000 ng/mL, Morphine (MOP 300 or OPI 300) Morphine 300 ng/mL Methadone (MTD).  

This multi-Drug Screen Panel Test is an initial screening test for the presence of drug or drug metabolites at the time the test is performed. As the test requires the visual interpretation and to avoid false results, it is recommended that a person other than the test subject interprets test results. The test results are simple.  The urine of the subject is collected in a clean container preferably a glass container. The screen test kit has 10 absorbent wicks and it is advised not to touch or contaminate the same before use. Each wick is then is dipped in the urine sample for approximately 20-30 seconds or simple penetration and migration up the wicks take place.

The results are to be interpreted within 3 to 8 minutes as the intensity of the colour in the wick would change. For certain other technical reasons also the result is interpreted in 8 minutes. In case of a negative result, Colored lines adjacent to each target drug name and in the control (C) regions will appear. The intensity of colour near the line for the target drug may be thicker or thinner compared to the control line however any line, no matter how faint it is, this should be interpreted as a negative result.

The result development time may vary for each target drug and no result should be analyzed until 6-8 minutes have elapsed. For certain drugs, the test lines would appear within 3 minutes or less producing negative results. A very faint line on the test region would represent that the drug level is close to the cutoff level for the test.

Substance abuse testing is used by many individuals to help with a program of recovery. Because addictions are so very difficult to overcome, it can be very helpful to hold individuals accountable for their choices by providing drug abuse screening.

When dealing with abuse, site substance testing may be necessary. Sometimes on site testing is court ordered or required for a rehabilitation program. In this case, it is necessary to find transportation to the facility of testing and sometimes to wait in line to provide the urine sample. However, there are ways to do drug abuse testing with privacy using self contained kits that are accurate, easy to use, and inexpensive.
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Blood testing is not the most common form of drug screening. It is more likely to be used for employment screening or corporate drug testing. Because it is expensive and requires a blood sample, it is generally saved for serious employment concerns or health insurance screening.

The period of detection for blood testing is normally short, within hours. One of the main reasons blood testing proves difficult is because collecting samples for a blood drug screen requires a skilled person to take the sample. Not only does the sample collector need to be cautious about collecting blood for the sake of the individual being tested, but the collector must be cautious about infectious diseases that are blood borne.

When testing for blood drug, passing test criteria can be a concern. Drugs are metabolized differently for different people and so the guidelines for passing a blood drug test are not the same for each person. The strength of the drug used, the amount of drugs used, the frequency of drug use, the method of administering the drug, and the combination of drugs may affect how the body metabolizes the drugs within a person’s system and whether or not it will show up on a drug screen. Individual factors that can affect how long a drug remains in a person’s system include tolerance, sex, age, health, and metabolism.

If drugs have been used, they will show up in a drug test until they are metabolized by the body. Therefore, the only way to speed up their elimination is to speed up one’s metabolism. Some people may try to do this with exercise. Excessive exercise may be dangerous to the person.

There are ways to try to ‘cheat’ a drug test. However, with a blood test, it is difficult to tamper with the sample. A urine sample can be tampered with in an unsecure sampling environment, but there are adulterant tests that detect the ‘tricks’ used to tamper with the drug test.

Blood drug testing is generally used for very recent drug use. Urine testing shows drug use for a longer period of time, while blood testing is for a range of within approximately two hours of use. Urine testing is used often because of the ease of use and the accuracy of the results. For a less expensive drug test with greater accuracy and detecting a larger time frame of drug use, consider using a urine test such as a 2-Drug Test Card tests for methamphetamine (mAMP) and marijuana (THC). For only $2.25 a test for meth can be performed with privacy and an accuracy level of 95% to 98%. The test is FDA approved, using SAMSHA cut off limits. The test can be done with discretion in the privacy of the home.

Blood testing does provide a sample that is not likely to have been tampered with, but it is also a more expensive and an invasive technique. Many people prefer the convenience and accuracy of a urine drug test.