drug-test-answers.com » Saliva Drug Testing

Five Panel Saliva Test

drugtest — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 08:18:51 +0000

Saliva or Oral fluid test is one of the popular drug tests that are used to find out the instant use of illegal drugs. Saliva drug test is very donor friendly, non-invasive and easy to collect the specimen. Saliva drug testing is efficient at detecting very recent drug use. Also saliva test is harder to adulterate than the urine drug tests since the sample can be obtained under direct supervision. Results can be read in minutes and there is no need for a lab. Depending on the test, up to 8 (commonly 5 or 6 at a time) different drugs can be detected. This method is the best method for determining current use of drugs.

Five Panel Saliva Test

Five panel saliva test detects the five most common drugs (or drug classes) of abuse: Marijuana (THC), Cocaine, Opiates (all opium based drugs), Methamphetamine (and its derivatives), Benzodiazepines (BZD) by using the preferred lateral flow immunoassay technology for this method of test screening. At ten minutes results are visibly obtained and also the test requires no special training.

The sensitivity levels of various drugs for the saliva drug test are different. The sensitivity is measured as nanograms (ng) per milliliter (ml). The sensitivity level for Marijuana (THC) is 20ng/ml while for Cocaine (COC) and Opiates (OPI) it is 30ng/ml. The sensitivity level for Met Amphetamine (M-AMP) and Benzodiazepines (BZD) is 50 ng/ml.

Sensitivity detection levels for saliva are considerably lower than those for urine tests because the concentrations of detectable drug metabolites are significantly less in oral saliva.

Advantages of Five Panel Saliva Test

Saliva or oral fluid drug is the best method, currently to test the immediate use of the drugs. Sample collection is less hazardous, less embarrassing for the parties. There is no need for privacy during sample collection and also less prone to corruption by sample substitution or adulteration. As the test subject is present for the entire sample collection and testing process, the possibility of sample adulteration and/or substitution is eliminated. The test utilizes monoclonal antibodies to selectively detect elevated levels of specific drugs in human oral fluid, which is very effective in drug detection.

Drug Testing for Heroin

drugtest — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:16:59 +0000

Heroin is popular among high school and college grads. According to the Monitoring The Future study, 1.3% of the 8th grade students abused heroin in their past lifetime, and .8% in the past year, and .4% in the past month. The percentages were much higher in the 10th and 12th grads. These alarming numbers tells the need for active heroin drug testing at schools, colleges, and other places to deter the drug abuse.

Heroin drug test is usually conducted to identify the presence of its drug metabolites in a body. The presence of the drug can be monitored by different types of tests suitable to the convenience of test administration.

Urine Drug Testing:

Urine drug testing is the most common method used for drug detection. It is less expensive when compared to other tests. The cut off level for this is 300ng/mL. The detection period of the drug is 2-4 days. This test strip gives positive result if the drug in the urine specimen exceeds the cut off level and negative if it is below the cut off level.

Hair Drug Testing:

Hair drug testing is not the common method used for drug testing. It is expensive when compared to the Urine Drug Testing. This test can be used to detect substance use for a long period of time, but it cannot detect drug abuse within past one week. The cut off level for this test is 0.1ng/mL. It takes several months to detect the drug. This test gives positive result if the drug in the hair specimen exceeds cut off level and negative if it is below the cut off level.

Saliva Drug Testing:

Saliva drug testing test is also not the common method. This test can detect more recent use of the drug and it is very easy to administer but it is still more expensive than Urine Drug Testing. The cut off level for this test is 40ng/mL. It takes some weeks to detect the drug. This test gives positive result when the drug in the saliva specimen exceeds cut off level and negative if it is below the cut off level.

With increase in use of Heroin, concerns on health of abusers and effects on the society are growing. Parents should observe their children’s habits in order to reduce the usage of drugs. For tracing these two drugs one should select appropriate method of drug testing which gives accurate test results.