People can be tested for many different types of drugs. Many employers require drug screenings for up to 13 unique drugs in their newly hired employees’ systems. They do this mainly to ensure safety and productivity in the workplace. Facilities that may require drug tests include hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, schools, and universities. If your company falls into one of these categories, learning more about the many drug testing methods and the types of drugs you can test for can make choosing a drug screening kit easier. Check out this guide to the different kinds of drug tests and how they work to gain a better understanding of the process.
Types of drug tests
There’s more than one way to detect traces of drugs and other substances in a person’s system. The most common way is a urine test. Other ways include saliva, blood, hair, and perspiration testing. Each method of screening exhibits different strengths, and different kinds are better for different purposes. Learn more about how each type works below.
Urine testing
Urine testing is the leading choice in drug tests. It’s a painless test that’s easy for the average person to compete, and it yields fast results. The person being tested urinates into a sterile cup, which is then panel tested. Urine is one of the most accurate ways to test for drugs in the body because it’s the main excretory route for substances.
Saliva testing
Saliva testing is also a common type of drug screening. It’s less invasive than urine tests, but it’s still accurate. One caveat of saliva testing is that it cannot detect drugs that have been in the system for a long time. This method is better for testing for very resent drug use—it should be used within 10 hours of drug use for accuracy.
Blood testing
Blood testing is the most expensive and invasive of all types of drug screening methods. However, it’s also the most accurate. It yields results almost instantly, and it’s the type of drug test most likely to give exactly accurate results. However, due to its invasiveness and high costs, employers don’t commonly perform blood tests on new employees.
Hair testing
Hair testing is a very uncommon type of drug screening. Hair testing relies on the idea that a substance will filter from the blood vessels of the scalp and through the hair to keep a long-term log of past drug use. However, hair testing doesn’t show current or recent drug use; it’s instead better for testing for use within the past month.
Perspiration testing
Perspiration testing is another uncommon form of drug screening. It’s a longer-term test that takes two weeks to show results. The person being tested must wear a sweat patch on their skin for 14 days. The patch will detect any drugs they take during the time it’s affixed to their skin. This method is typically only used to monitor people on probation and in child custody cases.
Types of drugs that are tested for
Just as multiple different kinds of drug tests can be administered, there are many different drugs that can be tested for. Learning more about each drug that may appear on a panel drug test can help you understand which ones you want to test for and which drug screening kit is best for your needs. Check out our breakdown of each type of drug below.
Marijuana
Most standard drug tests will test for marijuana usage. This includes marijuana, hashish, and extracts, including THC oil and wax. This means that most drug tests can detect multiple forms of ingestion, including smoking, edibles, and other methods of consumption.
Cocaine
Almost all drug test methods test for cocaine and drugs that contain any form of cocaine. This includes crack cocaine and freebase cocaine.
Opioids
There are many forms of opioids, and most types of drug screenings test for a wide range of them. Some forms of opioids are legal and prescribed; a person should disclose use of these opioids to an administrator before taking a drug screening test. Otherwise, the kinds of opioids typically tested for include smoked opium, morphine, heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and codeine.
Benzodiazepines
These are another common type of drug that’s regularly tested for. Also known as benzos, these drugs are tested for in the forms of diazepam (better known as Valium), alprazolam (better known as Xanax), and lorazepam (better known as Ativan). These are all drugs that are available legally with a prescription, so people should disclose this information to the tester beforehand.
Amphetamines
Most drug tests also test for amphetamines. The most commonly detected types of amphetamine are methamphetamine (better known as meth), amphetamine sulfate, (commonly known as speed), and the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications Ritalin and Adderall. These ADHD medications are commonly prescribed—anyone undergoing a drug test should disclose use of these drugs to testers at the time of testing.
Barbiturates
Barbiturates are also among the drugs that employers commonly test for. A few types of barbiturates leave similar residues that standard drug tests can pick up; these types include amobarbital, phenobarbitol, penobarbitiol, and secobarbital.
Other drugs
Standard 10-panel drug tests as well as more advanced drug screenings can also test for and pick up a few other types of drugs. Individual drugs such as phencyclidine (better known as PCP), methadone, methaqualone (better known as Quaaludes), and propoxyshene are commonly tested for. These drugs don’t belong to any of the aforementioned categories, so they typically have their own panels on typical drug tests such as the 10-panel urine test, which is the most commonly administered type of test.
More advanced panels can screen for even more types of drugs. If your company or facility needs a reliable form of drug panel screening for any reason, check out American Screening Corporation’s wide selection of drug screening kits, which are designed to fit your needs. We have drug screening cups, panel tests, and more to choose from. Browse our vast selection today, or contact us for information, product recommendations, and more.
