Opiate Drug Test: An Overview of Testing for Opioids

Opiates and opioids are powerful drugs that many misuse due to their addictive qualities. However, this can have various adverse effects on individuals and those around them. Hence, organisations conduct opiate drug tests as part of routine drug screening to identify misuse. Different types of tests can detect the presence of drugs in the biological specimen, like oral fluid, blood, hair, and urine drug screening. Initial screening works using immunoassay technology, but there are also more advanced techniques available.

Substance abuse disorders are a prevalent issue that affects the overall safety of the community. Various organisations conduct drug screening tests to identify individuals suffering from this issue and provide interventions. The drug testing process is crucial for preventing accidents and maintaining safety in workplaces and on the road. This article will present information on opioid tests, how they work, and the different testing methods.

What Is an Opiate Drug Test?

An opiate drug test is a process of detecting if someone has used any form of the substance. This includes heroin, morphine, codeine, or other prescription painkillers, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. It can also detect opioids, which are a class of synthetic drugs that are not derived from the poppy plant itself.

Healthcare providers primarily use opioid medication for the treatment of pain. However, many tend to abuse it regardless of its negative effects. Hence, organisations must conduct routine drug screening tests to identify substance abuse. Medical professionals typically use opioid tests to ensure opioid adherence with chronic pain patients. This is crucial since opioid misuse in patients can cause severe health complications.

Meanwhile, workplace drug testing programs include blanket, reasonable suspicion, and random drug testing. This allows employers to effectively deter substance abuse and maintain workplace safety. Lastly, law enforcement officers also conduct this test to identify illicit drug use, especially after suspected drug driving. They do this using blood or urine drug screening.

Negative Effects of Opioids

Although opioids are valid treatment options for chronic pain, there are also several negative effects. These are some of them:

• Some of the mild effects include drowsiness, nausea, and constipation.
• It can also cause several withdrawal symptoms after a few weeks of consuming the prescription drug. These include headaches, insomnia, and muscle cramps.
• Natural opioids and synthetic opioids can also quickly cause dependence, leading to substance abuse and opioid use disorder.
• A more severe side effect is respiratory depression, which can be fatal for chronic pain patients with asthma.
• Opioid substance abuse also increases the risks of overdose and heart disease.

How Do Opiate Drug Tests Work?

Opiate drug tests work by detecting the presence of opioids in the body samples of the donor. They do this by analysing samples for specific markers in the body. When a person consumes an opiate or opioid, it is broken down in the body and metabolised into various metabolites that can be detected in blood, saliva, hair, and urine specimens.

For initial screening, laboratories or testing kits use immunoassay technology to trace the various metabolites in the sample. Immunoassays for drug testing work using antibodies specific to certain drugs or their metabolites. If the initial screening test is positive, the laboratory conducts confirmatory testing using more advanced techniques. Such techniques include gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Another more advanced option is liquid-chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). These can clear up false-positive or false-negative results.

Even in the same class of drugs, the different types break down at differing times. For example, heroin breaks down to half-life after two minutes. Meanwhile, morphine and codeine can take about three hours. However, several individual factors also affect drug metabolism, such as age, interactions with other medications, and length of use.

Types of Opioids Detected

There are various types of opiates and opioids that the drug testing process can identify. Some examples of opiates include heroin, morphine, and codeine. Morphine is a powerful painkiller that can provide relief for moderate to severe pain. In contrast, codeine is a weaker form that people use for mild to moderate aches. Meanwhile, heroin is a highly addictive drug made from poppy seeds.

Opioids include fentanyl, methadone, and oxycodone. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid meant for severe pain like cancer pain. On the other hand, methadone is also an analgesic painkiller, but it is also used for treating opioid use disorders.

Opiate Drug Testing Methods

There are several methods that organisations can use for opiate drug testing. Firstly, drug abuse urine tests are a popular method of tracing opiates. It uses urine samples, which have a detection window of one to two days, to identify use. A key advantage of urine testing is the availability of drug testing kits, which can provide results within minutes.

Oral fluid testing is another common method of tracing abused drugs. This is ideal for tracing recent use because of its shorter detection window. The collection technique is simple and does not require special facilities or equipment. Similar to urine testing, there are also kits for this testing method.

For tracing long-term use or acquiring a substance use history, many use hair follicle testing. This is due to the significantly long detection window compared to the other forms of testing. Lastly, blood testing is the most accurate method of tracing substance use. This is why it is often used for confirmatory testing.

Benefits of Drug Testing Kits

Drug testing kits offer numerous benefits in screening for opiates. Firstly, it is more cost-effective and convenient than laboratory tests. By removing the need to go to a specialised facility for an opioid test, organisations can save on costs on both the price of the test and time spent during testing.

Moreover, drug screening tests using kits are easier and produce results within minutes. These can quickly identify individuals participating in illicit drug use, helping individuals and organisations make informed decisions. Lastly, kits can also have multiple drug panels to simultaneously detect other abused drugs, like amphetamine and tricyclic antidepressants.

Conclusion

An opiate drug test is a method of detecting the presence of drugs in the system of an individual. Specifically, it traces the misuse of prescription and illegal drugs that fall under the opiate or opioid drug class. Many organisations conduct this to trace substance abuse and prevent accidents from happening. During initial screening, the tests work by using immunoassay technologies. In cases of a positive result, they use advanced techniques such as GC-MS and LC-MS-MS to confirm the result.

There are several methods of testing that organisations can use. Some examples are oral fluid, blood, hair, and urine tests. These have different detection periods and other advantages, which is why choosing the ideal test is crucial. For initial screening, the popular methods are urine and oral fluid tests. One reason for this is the availability of testing kits, which can trace opiate use within minutes. Those interested in using testing kits may view the selection here at Breathalysers Australia.