Buy Hair Follicle Drug Test
Your workplace may request a hair test to screen for illicit drug use before hire or randomly during employment. Some research also indicates that hair drug testing can be useful for monitoring drug use in at-risk individuals when used alongside self-reporting.
buy hair follicle drug test
If you have very little or no hair on your head, the collector might use body hair for the test instead. The collector will place the hair in foil and then in a secure envelope to be mailed for overnight testing.
A negative result can be determined within 24 hours of hair removal. A test called ELISA is used as a screening test. This test determines if the hair sample is negative for drug use.
A positive drug test is confirmed after 72 hours. All nonnegative tests undergo a second test, called gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). It confirms a positive test result. This test also identifies the specific drugs used.
The collection and testing of hair for this test follows a very specific set of standards to increase accuracy. During testing, the collected hair is washed and tested for environmental contamination that could change the results of the test.
The second, called GC/MS, is a widely accepted method for confirming a positive result. This second test can also test for specific drugs and can detect as many as 17 different drugs. The GC/MS also guards against false-positive results caused by foods like poppy seeds or hemp seeds.
Certain medications may influence the results of the test. If a doctor has prescribed an opioid painkiller and you use them as directed, these drugs will show up on your test. In this case, your employer will likely request you provide documentation of prescriptions.
This is possible because drugs present in the bloodstream actually become a part of hair cells as the hair grows. The sweat and sebum present on your scalp may also play a role in drug presence in existing strands of hair.
In this article, we discuss how hair follicle drug tests work, how to use a home kit, and what the results mean. We also cover the accuracy and cost of testing, whether people without hair can still provide a sample, and how hair follicle tests compare to traditional urine-based drug tests.
Some companies require potential employees to take a drug test as part of their application process, particularly for jobs that carry a high risk of injury. Employers may also carry out random drug testing for current employees, or they may request drug tests following serious accidents or incidents.
In the United States, drug testing laws vary from state to state. Some states prohibit employers from drug testing their employees on a random basis. In these states, an employer must provide evidence that supports their decision to test a particular employee.
If the ELISA test produces a positive result for a particular substance, a technician will retest the hair sample using confirmatory chromatographic testing, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), to help rule out false positives.
A negative result means that the laboratory did not detect the presence of any drug metabolites in the hair sample, or after having a positive ELISA screening, the laboratory was unable to confirm the results with GC-MS.
If the hair sample is contaminated or something goes wrong during testing, the laboratory may declare the result to be inconclusive. In these cases, a person may need to provide a new hair sample to the laboratory.
Hair follicle drug tests can determine whether a person has been using certain substances within the past 3 months. However, these tests cannot pinpoint the exact date of drug use because hair growth rates can vary widely among different people.
Some drug testing kits are available for a flat fee that includes laboratory testing and all shipping costs. For other kits, a person pays a basic price for the actual kit and an additional amount depending on which drugs the laboratory tests for.
It is also easier for a person to tamper with a urine sample than with a hair sample, which may give hair follicle tests an advantage over urine tests when a person takes the test in a laboratory setting.
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.
HairConfirm is an at home hair drug test kit currently sold at all CVS Pharmacy locations. Its goal has been making hair drug testing simple and accessible to all and making the next home drug test a hair drug test. Building trust and accountability in your home is the best way to combat the current drug epidemic we are facing. Hair drug testing is simple and gives the most accurate, cheat-proof and longest results. Join us in the fight and pick up a kit at a CVS Pharmacy today.
The collector obtains a 100-milligram sample of hair (90 to 120 strands) cut at the scalp. The collector secures the hair sample in foil and completes chain of custody documentation in preparation for shipment to the testing laboratory. Since hair samples are obtained in full view of the collector, the process minimizes the likelihood of sample adulteration or specimen substitution. Labcorp offers hair specimen collections in many of our specimen collection sites located throughout the United States. Our extensive network offers your employees convenient access to a Labcorp collection site.
Labcorp offers initial screening tests performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with confirmation of presumptive positive screens by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS-MS) or liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS). Results for specimens that screen negative for all drugs are generally available within 48 to 72 hours after specimens are received at the laboratory. Results for confirmation testing of presumptive positive screens are usually available within an additional 72 hours.
Drug detection times vary depending on the dose, sensitivity of the testing method used, preparation and route of administration, duration of use (acute or chronic), the matrix that is analyzed, the molecule or metabolite that is looked for, the pH and concentration of the matrix (urine, oral fluid), and variations in metabolic and renal clearance.2 In general, the detection time is longest in hair, followed by urine and oral fluid.2 Drugs in hair may be detectable for approximately 90 days, whereas drugs in urine are generally detectable for one to seven days or longer in chronic users and in oral fluid from five to 48 hours.2
Urinalysis generally detects drug use for only the previous 2-3 days for most drugs, and saliva tests detect use for approximately 1 day. Psychemedics hair analysis can detect use over the previous few months.
The five drugs of abuse groups analyzed in a PDT -90 test include cocaine, opiates (including heroin metabolite 6-MAM, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and codeine), phencyclidine (PCP), amphetamines (including methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDMA-Ecstasy, MDEA-Eve, and MDA, and marijuana (carboxy-THC).
The PDT-90 kit uses a simple, in-home hair sample collection. The hair is tested for evidence of drug use, which occurred during the previous several months. The package provides instructions on how to collect a small hair sample.
The PDT-90 is one of the most effective home drug tests on the market; the same patented technology corporations rely nationwide on upon. Hair samples are cleansed to remove any external contaminants. As with any drug testing, cutoff levels are utilized to ensure that inadvertent or unintentional contact with drugs will not create a false-positive result.
Urinalysis can only see if drugs were used within the previous 2-3 day period, longer for chronic marijuana use. PDT-90 testing can check for drug use over several month periods. This makes it harder for one to evade detection. Ways of beating urine tests are widely known. Teens can tamper with the specimen, flush their systems with water, and even purchase clean urine to substitute for their own. However, the easiest way for them to beat a urine test is to abstain from use for 3 days. Also, PDT-90 testing should be less embarrassing since collection and handling are clean and easy.
The 5 Panel Hair Follicle test provides testing for common drugs of abuse with a longer detection period than other sample types. Hair drug testing can typically detect drugs for approximately the past 90 days. It may take up to 7-10 days after use for drugs to be detectable in hair. Because hair follicle testing looks for drug metabolites, external or second-hand exposure should not cause a false-positive result. However, to ensure the accuracy of your testing, it is still recommended to avoid any type of exposure to substances that may be detectable by a drug test. Please note that hair follicle testing may not be ideal for detecting casual or one-time drug use. This type of test is typically more appropriate for detecting chronic use. This test provides an initial screening with confirmatory testing on any positive results at no additional cost. In the event of a positive result, a numerical value will be provided for the level of any substance that are detected.
Hair follicle testing is typically ordered when someone needs a drug test with a longer detection period than urine or blood testing can provide. For post-accident testing or more recent use, a urine or blood test may be more appropriate. In some cases, a 5 Panel Urine Drug Test may be ordered along with a hair test for a more comprehensive screening. For more options, please see our drug testing category. 041b061a72