With A Better BRAIN comes a Better LIFE

While a urine drug screen can detect if you've used drugs in the last 2-4 days, a hair drug test can detect and report drug use in the past 70- 90 days.

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.

How accurate is the test?

The collection and testing of Hair follow a stringent set of standards to increase accuracy. During testing, the collected Hair is washed and tested for environmental contamination that could affect the test results. Your results won't be affected if you wash your Hair, dye your Hair, or use styling products.

To guard against a false positive, laboratories conduct two tests. The first, called ELISA, can deliver a negative or positive result within 24 hours. The second, called LC/MS/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 LC/MS/MS also guards against false-positive results caused by foods like poppy seeds or hemp seeds.

What is a hair drug test?

A Hair sample drug testing (misunderstood as a hair follicle drug test) screens for illicit drug and prescription medication misuse. During this test, a small amount of Hair is removed from your head using scissors (about 1.5 in). The Hair sample is then sent to our certified laboratory and analyzed for signs of drug use during the last 70- 90 days preceding the test. Hair sample drug testing is typically used to test for:

  • Amphetamine
  • Methamphetamine
  • Barbiturates
  • Cocaine
  • Opioids (codeine, morphine, 6-acetyl morphine)
  • Oxycodone
  • Marijuana
  • PCP

Hair Drug Test vs. Urine Drug Test

The key distinction between a hair drug test and a urine drug test is the window of detection, providing a clear understanding of the differences between these two methods.

A urine drug test is used to test for the drug(s) used over the 3 days before the collection.

A Hair sample drug test is the only drug test that can detect repeated drug use up to 70-90 days before the test.

Why? Drugs in the bloodstream become a part of Hair cells as the Hair grows. The sweat and sebum (Sebum is an oily, waxy substance produced by your body's sebaceous glands) that make sebum). present on your scalp may also play a role in drug presence in existing strands of Hair.

Due to the Hair growth rate, drugs can't be detected in the Hair until five to seven days after use. In the case of a workplace accident, a hair drug test wouldn't be an appropriate test for detecting recent drug use, highlighting the need for caution and consideration when choosing a drug test.

If you have questions about drug testing, contact FRIEDEL CLINIC

Benefits