when drug tested what shows up?

When a drug enters your body, your gastrointestinal tract absorbs and distributes it to the rest of your body. Your liver and other organs metabolize the drug (break it down). Metabolic processes cause the drug to turn into different chemicals, called metabolites. After a certain amount of time, the drug and/or its metabolites leave your body, mainly through your urine.

A drug test screens for certain drugs and/or their metabolites in a biological sample (such as urine or blood).

The metabolic processes happen at different speeds for different drugs. Because of this, each drug and its metabolites have a different timeframe in which a drug test can detect them.

For some drugs like amphetamines, the main (parent) drug will be detected in urine. For most other drugs, metabolites will be detectable for a longer time than the main drug.

A drug test may look for only one drug, but most drug tests often test for multiple drugs with one sample. Although the drugs included in a drug panel test vary based on the reason for the test, the most common panel used to evaluate people for illegal drug use detects the presence or absence of five substances:

Other commonly tested substances include:

Yes. Some kits can test urine samples in the privacy of your own home. Some kits may use breath, saliva or hair instead. The accuracy of these products is variable. They generally are less sensitive than the formal tests done in a laboratory. This means that a home test could be negative, but a laboratory test could be positive with the same sample.

The American Academy of Pediatrics cautions parents against drug testing their children at home. Research studies have shown that at-home testing doesn’t reduce drug use. At-home testing also comes with the potential for misinterpreting results, which may negatively affect the relationship between children and parents.

There’s nothing you need to do to prepare for a drug test.

Drug testing can be an emergency test, a scheduled test or it may be conducted randomly (for example, to meet ongoing employment requirements).

Depending on the circumstances, you may be asked to identify medications or supplements you’re taking.

Drug testing can be performed from small samples of your blood, hair, saliva, breath or, most commonly, your urine (pee).

For a urine sample, you’ll pee into a clean container provided to you. In some instances, you may need to provide your urine sample in the presence of a nurse or technician to make sure that the sample did indeed come from you.

For a blood sample, a phlebotomist will draw a small amount of blood from a vein in your arm or hand.

It requires a sample of your urine (pee). Urine drug tests are most commonly used to detect alcohol, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, opiates/opioids, cocaine and marijuana (THC). Blood drug testing: Healthcare providers mainly use this type of test in emergencies.

As the name suggests, a 10-panel drug tests will test the person for 10 different types of drugs. These are most of the drugs people commonly abuse, including both street and prescription drugs.

10-panel drug tests will test for marijuana and its resins, such as:

10-panel drug tests will also test for cocaine and other drugs containing cocaine, such as freebase or crack cocaine.

Opioids come in many different forms, from prescription pills to illegal drugs. Some of the most common include:

10-panel drug tests will also check for benzodiazepines, or benzos, which include common drugs, such as:

Doctors may prescribe these drugs for certain medical issues, but they also have a risk of abuse.

Amphetamines the test detects include:

Several barbiturates leave similar residues that the 10-panel drug test may pick up. These include: