Wednesday, May 1, 2024

How Long Can Drugs Be Detected in Hair Follicle Test? vs Urine Test

drug test using hair follicles

Drug testing purposes for employers include pre-employment, random selection, post-accident and reasonable suspicion. Testing purposes for individuals can include court ordered, probation, child custody or for any other personal reason. Typically, THC is detectable for up to 72 hours after use in saliva tests. Blood tests typically only detect recent cannabis use that has occurred within the last two to 12 hours. In cases of heavy use, it’s been detected up to 30 days after the last use.

California Drug Testing Locations

Urine drug tests, on the other hand, have a shorter detection period, typically a few days to a week. Blood tests are more invasive, but they’re also more resistant to manipulation and can provide an accurate snapshot of current substance use. At-home collection kits allow users to collect hair samples and mail them to a laboratory for analysis.

drug test using hair follicles

Understanding your results

For those interested in understanding more about the specifics or considering undergoing this type of testing, reliable information and resources can be found by exploring DOT drug testing near me. This resource outlines the process and can guide those curious about the steps involved in hair follicle drug testing. But it’s not just the common culprits like marijuana or cocaine that can be detected.

How accurate is the test?

The results of hair follicle drug tests may be reported as positive or negative. Positive test results indicate that a drug or its metabolite was detected in the sample of hair submitted for testing. The cost of hair follicle drug testing depends on where a sample is collected, the type of hair follicle drug test ordered, and who is paying for testing. Patient costs may be covered by an individual’s health insurance or the organization requiring a drug test. In other cases, patients may choose to pay out-of-pocket for laboratory-based or at-home collection kits. How long drugs remain detectable in hair is called the window of detection.

drug test using hair follicles

People currently taking prescription medications should share this information with their employer or test administrator. Hair follicle tests can detect the presence of some prescription medications, which can lead to a false-positive result. It is usually ordered as a part of the hiring process or anytime during your employment. There are at-home testing kits that are available without a prescription. While laboratory hair follicle tests are reliable, even if the hair was bleached or heavily treated, there are certain limitations to this testing option that should be noted. Hair follicle drug testing can be used to screen for illicit drug use, and can also detect legal prescription medication use.

Ask a Laboratory Scientist

The rate of overdose deaths involving opioid prescriptions decreased steadily after 2014 to 2.8 deaths per 100,000 persons, in 2017. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2017, there were approximately 2,199 overdose deaths that were related to opioids in California. This puts the death rate at 5.3 deaths per 100,000 persons, which is actually significantly lower than the national average during the same time which was 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons. In areas where cannabis remains prohibited, oral fluid is likely the method for roadside testing. We'll redirect you to MyDocBill.com, the website of Quest’s billing services provider. Here, Quest patients have secure access to pay their bill, update insurance, edit their profile and view their account history.

However, only 10 to 15 percent of your strands are in this dormant phase, so the risk is minimal. The hair follicle drug test, when using the standard 1.5 inches of hair, can detect previous drug use up to 3 months. If a longer piece of hair is selected, the drug test results can go back much further (in fact, years further) to detect drug use. Hair follicle drug testing, with its blend of biology, chemistry, and a touch of detective work, offers a compelling glimpse into an individual’s personal narrative. As science advances, who knows what other secrets our follicles might reveal? For now, they stand as a testament to the intricate relationship between our bodies and the substances we consume, wrapped up in each strand of hair.

If an initial screening yields non-negative results, then they will undergo additional Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) confirmation testing. This allows individuals that may be legitimately taking prescription medication a chance to provide authorized proof to our doctors. As long as the individual takes the medication in accordance with the prescribed dosage, then the final report will list the result as a “negative”. There are several types of hair drug test panels available, depending on the substances you want to test for. The most common tests ordered are 5-panel and 12-panel tests; however, you can find comprehensive testing for any and all combinations of drug and alcohol use.

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Hair Follicle Drug Testing ,

The length of the detection window varies based on a number of factors, including the amount and frequency of drug use or misuse and the rate at which the drug is metabolized in the body. Some drugs continue to enter new hair growth for months after a person’s last drug exposure. Hair follicle drug tests are much more difficult to cheat than urine drug tests since a sample taken is done so directly by a trained collector. Obviously, if someone has no body or head hair, then the hair follicle test cannot be performed. With the urine drug test, the applicant or employee might refrain from drug use for five or more days and avoid the detection of illegal drugs in the urine. So in reality, pre-employment drug testing using hair tests would be more effective in preventing the hiring of a substance abuser.

Drug testing can screen for the use of illegal drugs, as well as the misuse of prescription medications, over-the-counter medicines, and legal substances including alcohol and tobacco. Hair drug testing has also become popular for workplace drug testing for potential hires. Although more expensive than urine drug testing, it may be more effective, long term, to do the more expensive test than to hire a substance abuser. The hair drug test can detect drugs going back approximately 7 to 90 days; this drug test is also difficult to cheat, adulterate or substitute.

Another myth is that shaving your head or body hair will lead to a negative result in a hair follicle drug test. Hair follicle tests can still be conducted with body hair or shorter hair samples. Shaving does not eliminate the presence of drug metabolites in the body. A pre-employment hair follicle test can contribute additional data to the background check process. Because hair drug testing has a broad detection range, it can provide a more detailed snapshot of a candidate’s substance use patterns than other drug tests.

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We recommend that you watch the technician perform the test and ask them to cut off and discard the length beyond the first 1.5 inches. This request ensures that the 1.5 inches equate to approximately three months of history. Your questions will be answered by a laboratory scientist as part of a voluntary service provided by one of our partners, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

The test can detect metabolites of drugs, which are substances made from the breakdown of drugs. Hair follicle testing involves an up to two-step testing process to reduce the risk of false positive results. Hair follicle tests can provide a much larger window of detection than urine tests.

A hair drug test is the only drug test that can detect repeated drug use up to 90 days prior to the test. One of the most common myths is that bleaching your hair will remove drug metabolites and help you pass the test. However, the reality is – hair bleaching does not effectively remove drug metabolites embedded inside the hair shaft. It may alter the appearance of the hair but does not eliminate the presence of metabolites, and laboratories are equipped to detect such attempts.

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