Urine drug testing
From IDWiki
Indications
- May be used as a baseline for patients being considered for trial of opioids for chronic pain
- Regular testing is done for patient on opioid agonist therapy to monitor for adherence, validate patient-reported use, and detect coingested substances like benzodiazepines that may affect safety
Immunoassays
- Immunoassays are cheap and fast, but are subject to cross-reactivity
- Window of detection for most metabolites is 1 to 3 days
- An initial 5-panel IA tests for amphetamines, cocaine, benzodiazepines (though not clonazepam), opiates, and methadone
- Validity is best when the urine temperature is 90 to 100ºF (within 4 minutes of voiding), urine pH 4.5 to 8, and urinary creatinine ≥20 mg/dL (if <5 mg/dL, it's not urine)