Why are toxicology tests done?
This test may be done to:
- Find out if a drug overdose may be causing life-threatening symptoms, unconsciousness, or strange behavior. This test will be done right away in this situation. A toxicology test can also be done up to 3-4 days after a possible overdose.
- Check for drug use in the workplace. Testing is common for people who work in public safety, such as bus drivers or child care workers. Some jobs require a toxicology screen as part of the hiring process.
- Check for drug use in people going through a drug treatment program.
- Look for the use of drugs that enhance athletic ability.
- Check for the presence of a date rape drug.
How are toxicology tests done?
Blood test
A health professional uses a needle to take a blood sample, usually from the arm.
Clean-catch midstream urine collection
You may be asked to collect a clean-catch midstream urine sample for testing.
- Wash your hands before you collect the urine.
- If the collection cup has a lid, remove the lid and set it down with the inner surface up.
- Clean the area around your penis or vagina.
- Start to urinate into the toilet or urinal.
- After the urine has flowed for several seconds, place the collection cup in the stream. Collect about 2 ounces (a quarter cup) of this "midstream" urine without stopping the flow of urine.
- Don't touch the rim of the cup to your genital area.
- Finish urinating into the toilet or urinal.
- Carefully replace the lid on the cup.
- Wash your hands.
If you are being tested for drug use, a trained person of the same sex may watch you give the sample. This is to make sure that you are providing your own urine and that you have not added anything to the sample. The temperature of the urine may also be tested to make sure that it is fresh.
Saliva test
The person who collects the sample will either:
- Swab the inside of your cheek, or
- Ask you to spit into a tube.
How do you prepare for a toxicology test?
Many medicines can change the results of this test. So give your doctor a list of all the medicines you have taken in the past 4 days. Be sure to include any prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and natural health products.
What do the results of toxicology tests (tox screens) mean?
Most tox screens are qualitative tests. This means they only find out if drugs are present in the body, not the exact level or quantity. Follow-up quantitative testing is often done to find the level of a drug in the body and to confirm the results of the first test.
Normal: | No unexpected drugs are found in the sample. |
|---|---|
| Levels of prescription or nonprescription medicines found in the sample are within the effective (therapeutic) range. | |
Abnormal: | Unexpected drugs are found in the sample. |
| Levels of prescription or nonprescription medicines found in the sample are:
|
High values
High levels may be caused by a drug overdose, either by accident or on purpose. A drug overdose may be caused by one large dose of medicine or long-term overuse of a medicine.
Interactions between medicines also can cause problems, especially when you start to take a new medicine. A high level may mean that you are not taking your medicine correctly or that your body is not processing the medicine as it should.
Low values
Low levels of prescription or over-the-counter medicines may tell your doctor you are not in an effective (therapeutic) range.
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