4 Questions to Ask About Drug Screening

Drug screening involves tracking the use of drugs through the analysis of a biological sample taken from an individual, which may be urine, hair, blood, or another type of sample. This is done to identify the presence of legal or illegal drugs.

Drug screening is often ordered under a variety of circumstances, commonly related to employment. Employers may request a drug screening before hiring an applicant or may conduct random drug testing, drug testing based on observed signs and symptoms of potential drug use, or following an accident at work.

Beyond the workplace, drug screening may be employed in the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder.

Drug testing can also be performed under medical circumstances to help determine symptoms or in cases of emergency where poisoning or overdose may be suspected.

A wide range of drugs can be detected in a drug screening, and the substances that can be identified vary depending on the type of test used and the sensitivity of the testing methods.

Common drugs that are screened for include legal substances such as alcohol, tobacco, prescription medications, and over-the-counter medications, as well as illegal drugs.

The most common panel used to check for drugs involves testing for amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, PCP, and other substances such as alcohol, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and morphine. Drug screenings are a valuable and comprehensive fashion to detect a wide range of drug use, addressing both legal and illegal substances.

Drug screening results are typically highly accurate, but the accuracy rate can vary according to the drug being tested for and the sample that is used. Urine is the most common sample used to conduct a drug test, and while at-home drug testing services are available, they are typically far less accurate than those performed in a laboratory setting, such as at Northeast Primary Care.

At Northeast Primary Care, tests will be more sensitive to the presence of drugs in the sample, providing patients with the highest degree of accuracy possible for drug testing. Patients will provide the sample to the healthcare provider, which will then be sent to a laboratory for analysis. Drug testing results will most likely be reported as either positive or negative, and positive tests typically need to be confirmed through additional testing to improve the overall accuracy associated with drug tests by minimizing risks of false positive results.

How long drugs can be detected in a drug screening varies depending on several different factors. The drug in question will influence how long it stays in the individual’s system and can be detected in a drug screening. The method of analysis, the individual’s body mass, hydration level, and how long ago the drug use occurred also influence detection time.

For example, some drugs such as alcohol can only be detected for a short period, typically between seven to 12 hours. Others, such as heroin, morphine, and amphetamines, may be detectable for several days, while long-acting benzodiazepines can be detected for up to 30 days after use.

Typically, blood tests and saliva tests may detect drug use in the shortest window, while the most common form of drug testing, which is urine tests, are capable of detecting them for a longer period. Hair tests may detect drugs over a much longer duration as the substances remain in hair strands as the hair grows over an extended timeframe.

Drug screening is available at Northeast Primary Care. We encourage everyone to visit us online to learn more about our services and for directions to our clinic! You should also check out our special offers that will help you spend less and feel better! We serve patients from Mineola NY, Melville NY, Westbury NY, Floral Park NY, Uniondale NY, Hicksville NY, Wyandanch NY, South Huntington NY, and the surrounding areas!