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Drug Testing Methods - written by Undocumented

Thelazer

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 29, 2000
Messages
4,893
Drug Testing Methods: By Undocumented

Originally posted by: Undocumented on 13 November 2000 01:53 PM

Bluelight Drug Testing FAQ
I am writing this FAQ as it is something that has affected or will affect all of us Blueligher's at one point or another. An effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information within, including the 'how to pass' information. Hopefully this will clear up some questions. As with anything scientific and especially anything drug related, new methods and processes are being made all the time, which may make some of this information obsolete. Your milage may vary. Thanks for pissing away your time here!

This is not the place to discuss the legality and morality of drug testing, believe me when I say I have some strong views about it! This is purely for informational purposes.

Credit where credit is due, much of this information comes from www.erowid.com and from my own personal experience.
Feel free to point out any glaring errors or omissions or suggest additions.

Basic Information

Types of tests
Blood test
- Rarely used.
- Most accurate method of testing.
- Most expensive and intrusive method.

Hair Test
- Often does not show recent use.
- Shows regular use of many substances long after they are undetectable in blood or urine.
- Can tell when usage was started and stopped with may substances (but not all).
- Requires a cut of hair about the diameter of a pencil and about 1.5 inches long.
- Least intrusive test method.
- More expensive than urine testing but becoming more common.

Urine Testing
- Cheapest test method.
- Can detect usage of various drugs within the past 1-4 weeks (depending on the substance).
- Easiest to fake or alter for a negative result.

What drugs do they look for?
The standard drug test tests for:
  • Cannabis and relatives.
  • Opiates
  • Amphetamines
  • Cocaine
  • Phencyclidine (PCP)

Additional tests for the following can be ordered:
  • Barbituates
  • Ethanol
  • Methadone
  • Methaqualone (ludes)
  • Propoxyphene (Darvon compounds)
  • Benzodiazepines (Valium, Serax, Rohypnol)
  • According to erowid, most testing companies do offer 3-4 of these in their expanded tests.

These substances can be tested for by request (at a cost of course) by some testing companies:
  • LSD
  • Hallucinogens (Psilocybin, Mescaline)
  • Inhalants (Toulene, Xylene, Benzene)
  • Additionally, MDxx metabolites can be tested for by some companies, but is rarely done. Don't think you are off the hook, because MDxx is chemically related to amphetamines and will test positive as such. The tester will think they have a speed head instead of someone using MDxx, but that doesn't matter much when it comes to parents or employers. As far as the length MDxx compounds stay detectable, they are roughly equivalent to amphetamines, as stated.

Tests performed and 'positive' levels
There are two main tests performed: the immunoassay, and the GC-MS test (Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry). Other tests such as Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) are used but they are relatively rare. Typically, an immunoassay is first used on a sample. If the substances they are looking for are above a certain level, a GC-MS is called for. If those substances are above another level on the GC-MS, you have a positive test for that substance. The levels are changed from time to time. The level guidelines are published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMSHA). There are employers that do not follow the SAMSHA guidelines however. I recently found out that the company I work for tests for cannabis metabolites at the 20 ng/ml level (which is supposedly military standard) as opposed to the 50 ng/ml guideline.

Immunoassay levels needed to get a GC-MS test
Amphetamines: 1000 ng/ml
Cannabis: 50 ng/ml
Cocaine: 300 ng/ml
Opiates: 300 ng/ml
PCP: 25 ng/ml

GC-MS levels needed for a 'positive' test
Amphetamines: 500 ng/ml
Cannabis: 15 ng/ml
Cocaine: 150 ng/ml
Opiates: 300 ng/ml
PCP: 25 ng/ml

Detection Periods
Please remember that detection periods are largely variable, dependent on your individual metabolism, diet, and body chemistry.

Urine
Amphetamines: 3-5 days
Barbituates: 2-12 days
Benzodiazepines: 1-42 days
Cannabis (single use): 1-3 days
Cannabis (regular use): 12-60 days
Cocaine: 4-5 days
Codeine/Morphine: 2-4 days
Heroin: 1-4 days
PCP: 2-10 days

Hair
Amphetamines: Up to 90 days
Barbituates: N/A
Benzodiazepines: N/A
Cannabis (single use): up to 90 days
Cannabis (regular use): 90 days+
Cocaine: Up to 90 days
Codeine/Morphine: Up to 90 days
Heroin: Up to 90 days
PCP: Up to 90 days

How to Increase Your Chances of Passing

First off don't waste your money on any products which claim to do the job for you. Instead follow the following regime:
Stop smoking as soon as you know you have to do a test...and no relapses or odd tokes; the more time you have the better your chances. For arguments sake lets say you have two weeks.

Exercise as much as possible...this increases your metabolic rate.
Then quit the exercise up to a week before and start eating big...lots of carbohydrates.
On the day of the test take four aspirins and drink up to eight glasses of water.
Also drink a diuretic but not caffeine or alcohol...try herbal tea or cranberry juice.
Urinate a least twice before your 'test' pee.
Take the urine sample from 'mid-stream' the beginning and end of the stream contain high levels of metabolites.

If you chose to use someone else's urine, be aware that the urine needs to be between 91 and 97 degrees. When you piss in the cup and bring it out, it is poured into a sample jar with a strip thermometer on the side. If it is outside of this range, the urine will be discarded, you will look suspect, and you will need to test again at some point, most likely under greater scrutiny. In addition, you may be required to change into a gown, or be observed while urinating. That said, lets move into 'scrubbing' your own urine.

If at all possible, start flooding your body with water and diuretics 2-3 days before the test. Typical diuretics include coffee, tea, cranberry juice, and beer. Drink as much as possible without giving yourself water intoxication. The intent is to lower the levels of the drugs below the accepted positive levels. This causes at least three problems though.

Urine samples can be discarded if the color is too clear, labs can also test for creatine content and specific gravity. Drinking excessive fluids washes out the color, and lowers the creatine content and specific gravity of the sample.

Fortunately, specific gravity is (supposedly) rarely tested for, and the other problems are relatively easy to remedy. For the color issue, take 2-3 B complex vitamins the night before, and the morning of the test. For creatine, you can either get a supplement or eat a big hocking steak or burger the night before.

Fortunately, I have always had at least a weeks notice before a piss test, and the only drug I have been concerned with was pot. Cannibanoids however have the longest staying power in the body because they are fat soluble (IE they are stored in your fatty cells). Also fortunately for me, I have a relatively fast metabolism and low percentage of body fat.

Flooding myself with water, diuretics, and using the b-complex/steak tips above have prevented me from failing any drug tests, even though being the dumbass that I am I smoked up regularly as close as 2-4 days before the tests. I even passed one during a physical to get in the Navy (no I never enlisted)!

A Few More Hints Before We Go
Don't say anything stupid at the testing office. The nurse or whoever monitors/performs the test has ample space to put down notes of any behavior they consider suspect.

You may be monitored.

Never give your first piss of the day. Metabolites can build up during sleep.

The water in the bathroom will be turned off and the toilet water colored blue to keep you from diluting the urine yourself.

If it is a hair test, good luck. You could shave every hair off your body and claim to be a professional swimmer.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, feel free to post them.

Good luck on your test.

[Edit: Added a correction to the heroin information. -C22]
[ 14 November 2002: Message edited by: Catch-22 ]

[Edit: deleted original heroin info, left correct answer in, instead of link that Catch-22 posted - Simon]

[Edit]
Heroin Information

Topic: The Validity of Erowid or bluelight's drug test FAQ
Started by AciD KaT in Other Drugs

Originally Posted by Catch-22:
First, remember that for drug testing any quantitative period of time is only a guideline. There are no absolute truths because our bodies are different. To answer your question, Erowid states 1-4 days. That is said right here:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/opiates/opiates_testing.shtml

If you follow the links and click "standard drug test" and then click "opiates" you will arrive at this site:
http://www.healthy.net/clinic/lab/labtest/007.asp
That site says 1-2 days for heroin:

Cutoff and Detection Post Dose
The detection limit of the initial screen is 300 ng/ml, with a sensitivity of 20 ng/ml. This is sufficient to detect heroin use for approximately 24-48 hours post dose and codeine for somewhat longer. Positives are confirmed on GC/MS at a cutoff level of 300 ng/ml.
Then, in a different FAQ that I did about MDMA drug testing, I came across this figure:
drugtesting.gif

That table says 2-3 days for opiates.
Okay, so what do we have here? Erowid says 1-4 days for heroin, one company that manufactures NIDA-5 drug tests says 1-2 days for heroin and another company that manufactures NIDA-5 drug tests says 2-3 days for opiates. I think it means that the answer is something like 1-3 days. I like a decent error margin, so if I did heroin I would be waiting at least 4 days before I went near a NIDA-5 urine test.

Therefore, "8 hours" is not an appropriate piece of information to have in a Bluelight FAQ. It will be replaced. Right now there are people reviewing the FAQs and any specific information without citations will be removed. I have already found a few other problems with our existing FAQs. This is not to insult the people that wrote them, but Bluelight should make it clear what is known and what is merely an estimate.

[ 04 February 2003: Message edited by: forgotten ]
[ 21 February 2003: Message edited by: Simon ]
 
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