How long will drugs show in a urine test? This is an interesting question of this time. According to statistics, nearly 21.9% of the US population used drugs last year.

So, this is an important question for them to know the answer. More than How long will certain drug show within a urine test depends on several factors, as the body metabolizes drugs differently in everyone. There is no proper timeframe to tell as the urine drug tests may detect within hours or the traces are even detectable after months.

In this article, we will look at how long will drugs show in a urine test. Moreover, This article will further explain the different variables affecting the metabolism of drugs, urine drug testing methods, reliability, and how to evaluate the results.

How Long Will Drugs Show in a Urine Test?

When a person takes a drug, the body starts to metabolize the drug into smaller particles that could be easily excreted out. However, the time a body takes for metabolism varies, and it depends on several factors, such as:

• Individual’s body mass
• PH level of urine (Drug from which is tested)
• Kind of drug
• Dosage amount
• Metabolism of Urine donor
• Gender of donor
• The frequency at which the drug is consumed
• Hydration level

It’s not possible to tell a specific time a drug is metabolized or stays inside the body but many drugs may be detected within 2-3 days, although a few take 3-4 weeks (weed-containing drugs) or may be up to 60 days. It all depends upon the drug’s half-life which is the time limit a drug takes to reduce to half of its activity level.

How Long Will Drugs Show in Urine Test and the Kind of Drugs Which are Tested?

Urine test screening can detect several drugs even after half of it is metabolized, it can detect nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, and many other narcotic drugs. Alcohol could also be detected by breath test as recommended by legal authorities.

Some drugs are described along with the detectable time in the urine, including:

1. – Detectable within a few hours and can stay up to 12 hours
2. – Heroine ( 2 Days ), Morphine (2-3 days), Oxycodone (3-4 days)
3. – Detectable within 3 days and if taken in excess amounts then time may be extended up to 30 days
4. – Detectable within 48-72 hours
5. – Detectable within 72 hours for drugs temporarily taken, long-acting drugs may be extended to one month
6. – Detectable within the first few weeks of use
7. – Detectable within 8 days of use

Preparation Required to Undergo a Urine Drug Test

To undergo a urine test to detect drug concentration within the body requires some protocols. The donor urinates in a plastic vial and returns to the lab technician.

The temperature of urine which is to be evaluated must be 37^oC. It should be either immediately handed over to a technician or doctor or in case of any delay, seal the sample in a plastic container and put it in a refrigerator.

A person who is giving samples must be properly guided for proper sample collection. If the sample donor is taking any medication, he must inform the doctor beforehand, as some drugs may cause false results.

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Urine Drug Screening and Its Types

Urine drug tests are easy to run as it requires little amount of sample and give quick results. It is one of the preferred means to detect drug concentration within the human body.

These tests are required either in law enforcement or as a complaint of an employer.

Urine drug tests can be performed by two methods:

1. Immunoassay Testing: Tthis procedure is relatively quick and is conveniently done in clinics, hospitals. In this method, the test results could be available in minutes and require no specialized equipment for functioning. In labs and clinics, cups are available in which a strip is already installed so after the sample collection, results could be immediately acquired.
2. Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry: GC/MS method is much more sophisticated and accurate. But comparatively, IA testing is performed only in specific laboratories. These results are specific either positive or negative but this test also finds out the amount and time of drug consumption. The drawbacks of this test are that the equipment utilized for analysis is rather costly, trained personnel is required and it is time-consuming as it may take 2 weeks for the results.

Significance of Urine Drug Tests

• Urine drug tests are conveniently requested by employers as a pre-employment requisite.
• These tests may be useful as proof in law enforcement issues required by courts.
• Urine tests are great for generating toxicology reports to detect drug abuse.  

Reliability of Urine Drug Tests

Immunoassay testing effectively detect traces of drugs such as narcotic drugs (opioids), cannabis, Phencyclidine, and amphetamines but to detect synthetic drugs much more sophisticated testing protocols are required.

The cough syrups also contain a relative quantity of a few substance’s amount such as dextromethorphan which false-positive results in case of test detection but its a legal substance.

To make the tests reliable and to decrease the probability of false-positive results, cut-off levels of drug quantities are employed which gives the concept of a specific level at which if the amount exceeds, only then the tests will give positive results. The positive results of passive exposure to drugs are not detected by cut-off levels.

Gas chromatography and Immunoassay testing both methods are both prone to false results, however, negative results may be interpreted if the sample is diluted.

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How to Interpret Urine Drug Test Results?

Urine drug tests may take a few minutes, a day, or even a week depending on the kind of test. If the test gives a positive result, then the test must be run twice for authenticity. Test results are better interpreted by lab professionals and by doctors.

Bottom Line

Urine drug tests are effective to detect how long a drug stays within the body before being eliminated after the metabolism. Several factors influence the way a drug metabolizes, the traces may be detected after a day or if consumed in excess, it may stay for months.

Immunoassay and Gas chromatography/Mass spectrometry tests are utilized to perform urine tests, GC/MS proves to be more accurate but IA is most commonly used. The urine test proves to be quite a useful method to detect even minute traces present within a little amount of sample.

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FAQs

What is the window of detection for drugs in urine?

The window of detection is described as the period in which the urine tests which are performed interpret the number of drugs present within the urine. It varies, it may be 48-72 hours or maybe weeks.

Will a blood test show drugs?

Yes, the drugs may be detectable within hours in a blood test.

What can be detected in a urine test?

A urine test can detect diabetes, prediabetes, kidney stones, bladder disorder, sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections, etc.

What are the three tests that are used to detect drugs?

These tests include urine tests, saliva drug tests, sweat drug tests, blood tests, etc.

For more information, visit drugscorner.com