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Drug Testing
We are a group of health professionals specializing in lab testing for HIV, STDs, & various drug test options. This blog is operated and maintained as a service to the public. The purpose of this blog is to promote knowledge and understanding about the various questions and concerns associated with STD testing and drug testing. We welcome you to submit your question but please realize we cannot possibly respond to every question. As our blog grows you may find the answer to your question has already been addressed by another blog post.
This blog is sponsored by the staff at AMH Nationwide. It is intended for information purposes only and is not designed to take the place of your primary care physician or attorney. If you are experiencing a medical emergency you should contact your health care provider or the nearest emergency room.
I need a 15 panel hair test. My teenage daughter has been hanging out with a pretty bad crowd these last two years. Her grades have dropped and she always seems pretty spacey. She frequently buys tickets to big festivals with her favorite DJs. One of my coworkers says those places are full of drugs. I need the 15 panel hair test because I read her text messages last week and she mentioned something about “getting Special K” before their show in 3 weeks. Not very long ago her boyfriend’s mom called me because she suspected them abusing ecstasy. I’m not too familiar with “Special K” but my coworker said they are likely talking about ketamine. I’m not sure why she would take this or where she’s getting it from. Please let me know your opinion on this matter and if a 15 panel hair test is the right option.
Tami R., Washington DC
Answer:
Hi Tami,
From what you’ve shared it sounds like the 15 panel hair test is what you need. The 15 panel hair test includes both ecstasy and ketamine. Your coworker is correct, special k is a very popular code name for ketamine. Ketamine, MDMA (ecstasy), LSD and mushrooms are all popular hallucinogens. These are often used at festivals because they heighten sensation in user and can alter perceptions of time and space. Forms and colors can even take on a new importance for users. Overdose of these hallucinogens can lead to seizures, a coma or even death. It is very important to find out if your daughter is abusing these hallucinogens as overdose consequences can be dire. Please contact our office so that we can discuss location in the DC area.
I need a 12 panel hair follicle test for my wife who is a former runner. She participated in this really tough popular marathon called Rim Rock Run. The marathon took place in Grand Junction, Colorado. This marathon is tough because the trail continuously increases in elevation until the runners are at the highest point of about 6000 feet. We need the 12 panel hair follicle test because she began this marathon with a sprained knee and by the end she needed surgery. After the surgery the doctor prescribed 50 mg of Tramadol. This was not enough. My wife couldn’t sleep because of all the pain. She pleaded with her doctor to prescribe more but he didn’t. My wife started to take more than the recommended amount and once her prescription was out, she obtained it illegally. My wife began having seizures so we took her to the doctor and he said that some how the seizures were related to her Tramadol abuse. We fought very hard to break her of this addiction. All of this was two years ago but I found out from my daughter that she recently had a seizure. My wife says she hasn’t abused Tramadol since leaving rehab but I don’t believe her. Please help me I need to test so we can figure out if these seizures are related to abuse. Timothy W, Houston Texas
Answer:
Hi Timothy,
Here at AMH Nationwide we will be happy to help you with a 12 panel hair follicle test during this difficult time. Unfortunately, healthy individuals who become addicted to opioids after some kind of medical procedure is not uncommon. Tramadol is a synthetic pharmaceutical drug commonly prescribe by doctors for pain management because it has a lower risk for addiction and respiratory depression. It is actually sometimes used to treat opioid withdrawal. Tramadol is only about 10-25 percent as potent as morphine. Although tramadol is considered a weaker opioid, abuse or addiction can lead to fatal risks. Tramadol abuse has been linked to hypertension, serotonin syndrome, seizures and mania activation. Seizures usually occur within the first couple of hours of abuse. If your wife’s seizure was from tramadol abuse she likely ingested it right before. Abuser are 5 times more likely to experience these seizures. I recommend getting your wife tested as soon as possible. The quicker you can prove the cause of this seizure the safer. We recommend contacting a health professional right away as the seizures may not be due to tramadol abuse. Feel free to contact our office at anytime for more information on how to set up this test in the Houston area.
I need a 16 panel hair follicle test. Currently I have custody of my granddaughter and grandson. Their parents have been abusing fentanyl for years. Recently, my son and the mother have been swearing that they are ready to step up and regain custody. However, I’m very skeptical because neither of them have jobs. I’m not sure what they are doing with their time.
I saw on your site that the 16 panel hair follicle test includes both fentanyl and suboxone but do you guys have a fentanyl only test? These two are extremely manipulative which is why I don’t trust them to do a urine drug screen. My son came back positive for fentanyl a couple of months ago but he promised me that he hasn’t had any. I want to make sure he is following his treatment by making sure he isn’t abusing fentanyl, and he is taking his suboxone as prescribed. Please help me by providing whatever information you have.
Rita W, Naperville, IL
Answer:
Hi Rita,
I completely understand your concern for your grandchildren’s wellbeing. Our 16 panel hair follicle test does include both fentanyl and suboxone Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid. Fentanyl is very dangerous as it is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. Itcan be sniffed, taken orally as a tablet, injected or smoked. Fentanyl has been used as a replacement for heroin, used with heroin, and used to produce fake pharmaceutical tablets.
Your son could’ve very well been exposed to fentanyl second hand. Even small amounts of fentanyl can cause adverse affects because of its potency. Fentanyl can be absorbed through the body by contact with mucus membranes, inhalation and transdermal transmission (through the skin). First responders are often directed by the DEA or even directed to use gloves or to not disturb the fentanyl at all because of these hazardous risks. Although it is less likely because of his history with abuse, if your son was a group drug user and he is still hanging out with that group he could be getting exposed to the drug second hand that way. Please contact our office so that we can further assist you with this 16 panel hair follicle test and any other information on fentanyl.
I need to take an ETG hair test. The courts haven’t ordered me to take one yet but I am dealing with a child custody case. I want to make sure when I go to court there isn’t anything slowing the process up. My child hasn’t been home in 4 months. I have already taken a 14 panel hair test so the ETG hair test should be enough to prove I am drug and alcohol free. Will your test hold up in court? Also, they are accusing me of being a drug addict and an alcoholic. Do you have a test just for ethanol not ETG? I recently dyed my hair will that affect results?
Answer:
Hello Madison,
Here at AMH we assist a lot of parents in child custody cases. We understand that this can be a stressful time. We will do everything in our power to simplify this portion of your your fight for custody. The ETG hair test that we offer is a lab base test and it will hold up in court. We do not have an ethanol hair test. Ethanol is very volatile, so it cannot be used as an analyte. Ethanol itself does not incorporate into the hair shaft. Ethyl glucuronide is a metabolite of ethanol.
Although it most likely will not alter your results much, some studies suggest that bleaching and dying hair can reduce the portion of negative results in women. This is likely due to the damage that these cosmetic treatment cause to the follicle itself. For this test we will need about 2- 3 inches of head hair. The detection time for this test is about 3 months. Please contact our office so that we can discuss this matter further.
I need to take a 9 panel hair test. Last week I took a 9 panel urine test as a requirement for my nursing license after getting into some trouble. My drug test came back positive for heroin. I am a recovering heroin addict but I haven’t used heroin in 4 months. A 9 panel hair test will help me dispute this. I know this may be a stretch, but I did eat a bagel that had poppy seeds for breakfast the morning of my urine test. Somewhere I read that the poppy seeds from those bagels could cause false positives for opioids. After taking my hair test do you have some kind of document I can show the judge to help defend my claim?
Raylene G, Country Club Hills, IL
Answer:
Hi Raylene,
I can certainly help you with your question on a 9 panel hair test. This is actually a really good/common question. Poppy seeds are commonly used in bakery products and as toppings for desserts. Poppy seeds come from the seed pods of opium plants which means they can be contaminated with morphine from the opium milk. The concentration levels from the seeds themselves are very low. An individual would not typically feel the effects of the morphine.
Bad harvesting practices could increase the concentrations of morphine as well as other opium alkaloids like codeine. Unfortunately, this information will not help your claim. The 9 panel hair test uses GCMS technology that would be able to detect what specific opioid in your hair follicle. Heroin isn’t typically carried on poppy seeds. However, if its been 4 months since your last exposure a 3 month hair test may still work. I would recommend getting tested as soon as possible. Please call our office and we will be happy to assist.
I need a 12 panel hair test for a custody case. My husband is accusing me of abusing tramadol and I’m afraid this test might have racial bias. I had a back injury at work a year and a half ago and my doctor prescribed tramadol to help with pain. My husband is trying to use the 12 panel hair test to take my daughters from me.
According to my doctor I was suppose to stop using tramadol about 6 months ago. I understand that this hair test goes back 90 days. However I am an African American woman with thick natural hair. Will the results go back further because of my hair texture? I understand that tramadol is commonly abused because of how addictive it is. I only used it for about a month after I was told to stop. Please let me know if this is going to be racially bias so that I am not going into court blind.
Samantha Goodwin, Bakersfield, CA
Answer:
Hi Samantha,
I certainly understand your concern in taking this 12 panel hair test. The idea that hair with thicker texture would hold on to a substance longer is a logical argument but this is still a 90 day test. This potential racial bias has been brought up in court cases for nearly two decades.
Race though a strong sociological and psychological force, it usually has little to do with biological processes. Scientist have tested this idea in many different studies. Most of these studies have concluded that there is no significant difference in hair drug testing from one ethic group to another. Most claims that conclude otherwise have very weak evidence/support. If you haven’t used tramadol in six month then a 90 day hair test should result in a negative. However, everyone’s body metabolizes drugs differently independent of their ethic group. If you would like to know for certain please contact our office and we will be happy to discuss your particular situation in more detail.
My husband is a recovering heroin addict and we need to set an appointment for a 14 panel hair test. When he turned 30 about 6 months ago he finally fulfilled the age requirement for his trust. The only problem is to receive the full amount he must be drug free. My husband has been taking 5 panel urine tests every week for the last 4 months and every test has come back negative.
When he had to take his court ordered 14 panel hair test two weeks ago we were sure everything would come back negative. As we expected his test came back positive for opioids at much lower level then his last hair test. What we did not expect was a positive for fentanyl. My husband swears he has never used fentanyl in his life. He was hospitalized for pneumonia a couple of weeks ago, could they have given it to him? My husband doesn’t even have a way get fake prescriptions, we think that he might have been set up. Please help us fight this so that he can receive the money that he is owed. Do you think a blood test will hold up better in court?
Annette T, Fort Wayne, IN
Answer:
Hello Annette,
A 14 panel hair test would be the best test for disputing this result. A blood drug test and a 14 panel hair test are not comparable as a blood drug test have much shorter detection times. It is unlikely that your husband was given fentanyl while hospitalized for pneumonia. Fentanyl is synthetic pharmaceutical drug used to reduce severe pain. It is very similar to morphine and heroin but it is much more potent.
Fentanyl is often used to surpass other opioid tolerance levels. It increases the risk for overdose because of its potency. Fentanyl has been known to be mixed with street drugs like heroin and cocaine to increase their potency. Your husband may have been expose to it this way without his knowledge. If you would like more information on this topic please contact our office and we will be happy to discuss this in further detail.
I am a recovering alcoholic and I need to do an ETG hair follicle test. I had been clean for about a year and half when I had a relapse about two months ago. This relapse happened when I was out with friends and I drank enough to become slightly intoxicated. My second scheduled 6 month test coming up in about 2 weeks for my child custody case. I really don’t want to lose visitation rights because of this one mistake.
Online, I read that there are other options besides the ETG hair follicle test like ETG fingernail testing. Does the ETG fingernail test have a shorter detection time than the ETG hair follicle test?. Would it be less likely to show my slip up? The judge refuses to let me take a urine test but he might accept a fingernail test. Please help us make the best decision.
Chelsea Fransen, Columbus Ohio
Answer:
Hi Chelsea,
Based off the information that you’ve shared an ETG hair follicle test is going to be the best option for you. Although an ETG hair follicle test does have a detection time of 3 months. The fingernail ETG test tends to go back further than the ETG hair follicle test. Both tests are great for determining long term usage of alcoholbecause alcohol’s direct metabolite ethyl glucuronide collects in these keratinous matrices. Since fingernails tend to grow slower than hair, more ethyl glucuronide can accumulate in nails.
Also, keep in mind these tests are not ideal for detecting light usage so a one time exposure is less likely to show up. The only way to be certain there isn’t a presence of ethyl glucuronide in your hair and nails is to be tested. Contact our office at your earliest convenience and we will be happy to discus this in further detail with you.
My daughter is a high school student that received a DUI two years ago and has since been ordered to take an ETG hair test every 6 months. She has to ensure the courts she is no longer drinking because she is just a senior in high school. If my daughter gets a positive result on her ETG hair test she might have to go to a juvenile detention center. Recently, at a family gathering she admitted to having a beer with a few of her cousins. This incident was a couple of weeks to a month ago and her ETG hair test is in two days; will she have a positive result if this is her only exposure in the last year?
Also, because of what we have been through in the last couple of years we are kind of familiar with the science behind this test. I read somewhere that there were other biomarkers we could use to detect alcohol usage, like GGT and AST-GOT. Would these be better than an ETG in this case?.
Jefferson M Charlotte, NC
Answer:
Hi Jefferson,
We can definitely help explain some of this research you have found. The ETG hair test is going to be the best option for your situation. The other biomarkers that you mentioned, glutamyl transferase (GGT) and amino transferase(AST-GOT) are indirect biomarkers of alcohol. These indirect biomarkers are influenced by age gender and somatic pathologies.
The ETG hair test is preferred because this metabolite of alcohol reflects the presence of alcohol without bias. As whether or not this incident will show up, the short answer is there is no way to know for sure. While hair test aren’t ideal for testing for light usage everyone’s body metabolizes a substance differently. I would recommend being tested first so that we can speak in a more definite way once we have her results. We have a lot of options in the Charlotte area. Please contact our office directly and we will be happy to discuss options with you.
I need my granddaughter’s mother to take a 14 panel hair follicle test. For 10 years, her and my son have been on drugs. I am working with a lawyer to maintain custody and he says the 14 panel hair follicle test is vital to our case. My son and his girlfriend have abused Fentanyl, cocaine, tramadol and who knows what else. They are big time partiers so their drug catalog is pretty extensive. Recently his girlfriend, my granddaughter’s mother has been trying to regain custody. I don’t trust her because of her drug use and the violence that has been apart of her home in the past.
My lawyer and I are very concerned that she will do whatever possible to cheat this test. My lawyer said because of this fear it is mandatory that they do a hair drug test and that GC-MS technology is used. I don’t know much about the drug testing world and I would like your help. Will you please give me a little background on what GC-MS technology is and why it will help us? Also, why do you think my lawyer wants a hair test over urine?
Tanya G, Kansas City, Kansas
Answer:
Hi Tanya,
Your lawyer is correct, if you need to test for Fentanyl a 14 panel hair follicle test is the test you need. Hair test are preferred over urine test (especially in child custody cases) for a number of reasons. The most significant benefit of a hair test is it’s detection time. Urine and blood samples have a limited window for detection time whereas hair test are mostly only limited by the length of the donor’s hair. Your lawyer wants to make sure that the test uses GC-MS technology because it provides advantages in sensitivity and specificity. This is important especially in case like this because it prevent ambiguity.
Typically, GC-MS uses electron ionization but it can also use a positive and negative chemical ionization. These advantages make GC-MS technology essential for sensitive case like yours, especially when the threat of manipulation is a concern. I would love to discuss this case in more detail with you. Contact our office at anytime 877.731.6376
Forms and colors can even take on a new importance for users. Overdose of these hallucinogens can lead to seizures, a coma or even death. It is very important to find out if your daughter is abusing these hallucinogens as overdose consequences can be dire. Please contact our office so that we can discuss location in the DC area.
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