The drug testing technologies encompass a gold standard test which is known as the 5 Panel Drug Test. If conducted in the right way, it delivers highly defensible results. This test is utilized to detect the presence of marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines etc. in saliva, blood, urine, etc.
The job sectors suffer greatly by employing drug-addicted employees. Such employees may encounter side-effects while working which may affect the company’s performance. Hence, employers often conduct a five-panel drug test to ascertain that their prospective employees are not addicted to any type of drugs.
Head to Health Street, if you wish to get a 5 Panel Drug Test done for your employees. All you need to do is register online and walk to a nearby Health Street Clinic to get the test done. You will soon receive the results on your device.
Different types of 5 Panel Drug Test
It costs $75. It checks the presence of the following:
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Codeine, morphine, Heroin
- Amphetamines
- Phencyclidine
5 Panel Plus Nicotine
A few employers need to check for nicotine in the body apart from 5 Panels. It costs $99. The employers feel threatened by nicotine. It checks the presence of the following-
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Codeine, morphine, Heroin
- Amphetamines
- Phencyclidine
- Nicotine, Tobacco, Cotinine
5 Panel Test for Alcohol
This option checks whether the person has consumed alcohol within 12 hours. It costs $99. It checks the presence of the following elements in the body:
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Codeine, morphine, Heroin
- Amphetamines
- Phencyclidine
- Urine Alcohol
5 Panel Drug Test without THC
It is a standard 5-panel test. The only problem is that it doesn’t screen for cannabinoids. The reason is that marijuana is considered legal in certain states. It costs $75. It checks the presence of the following elements:
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Codeine, morphine, Heroin
- Amphetamines
- Phencyclidine
However, it does not check the presence of the following elements:
- THC
- Marijuana
- Cannabinoids
5 Panel Plus EtG Alcohol
The purpose of it is to check the presence of alcohol or its metabolites. It costs $189.
5 Panel Plus Expanded Opiates
Expanded opiates such as oxycodone, hydrocodone are extensively abused. It is performed to screen for such narcotics. It also screens for Molly or Ecstasy, also known as MDMA. It costs $95 and screens for the following elements:
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Codeine, morphine, Heroin
- Amphetamines
- Phencyclidine
- MDMA, Molly, Ecstasy
- Hydrocodone, Oxycodone
The reputed clinics use advanced technology to review instant 5 Panel Drug Tests on a real-time basis. If the clinics get negative results for drug screening, a complete report, signed by an MRO takes an hour at the most. The confirmation of non-negative standards and rapid tests may take an extra 35 business days.
Steps of 5-panel Urine Drug test
Employees need to follow a few general steps before undergoing this test. The steps are as follows-
- Little or no prior warning-They are required to undergo such screenings at a short notice. The employees are chosen randomly and are made to undergo the test. Thus, they do not get the time to flush out the toxins out of their systems.
- Empty the pockets- They need to empty the pockets before undergoing this test. This step ensures that the samples have not been tampered with. Employees are required to keep all their wallets, purses, stoles and other luggage outside the lab.
- Monitor your sample via temperature sticks- A temperature stick is used for checking that the urine sample is stored at the correct temperature. If any anomaly is found, patients are notified that they have to submit another sample.
- Testing process- The five-panel test and its variations detect and ignore medically exempted positives. The clinics or laboratories only forward the true positives (which don’t have any medical exemption) to employers.
How accurate is a five-panel drug test?
Factors like metabolism, body fat percentage and how frequently the drug is consumed play an important role in the detection of the drug. Harder drugs, such as cocaine leave the system faster. On the other hand, softer ones, such as “marijuana” stay in the body for a long time.
Each drug is retained in the body for a fixed time. Similarly, every person’s body metabolizes and gets rid of the drug differently. Except for THC, the drug panel test may detect the presence of other drugs in a person’s urine which have been consumed within 5-7 days. Marijuana may last for a month, especially for heavy users.
Why do people get screened for mostly these five drugs during the five-panel drug test?
Most employers want people to get screened for five drugs, namely:
- Marijuana
- Cocaine
- Opiates
- Phencyclidine
- Amphetamines
The reasons are as follows
- Marijuana- Most of countries have labelled marijuana as illegal. Employers seek to screen for this narcotics in particular as it contributes the most to the employees’ inability to concentrate in the work.
- Cocaine- It has a stimulating effect. Many addicts claim that cocaine also acts as an antidepressant.
- Opiates- Patients who are on the road to recovery from a painful operation need opiates to keep the pain at bay. Morphine and heroin are two classic examples of opiates. They are prescribed as painkillers by the doctors. However, a large dose intaken regularly may make people addicted to it. Employers screen their employees for opiate addiction as the addicts may have reaction time problems while working.
- Phencyclidine- It helps people to exit their bodies and feel disconnected with the world. It is also commonly known as PCP and it causes hallucinations. Today, it is not popular as it used to be in the past. However, people might mix it with other drugs to enhance their drug-intake experience.
- Amphetamines- It helps to calm the nerves and in turn excites the brain. People who want their cocaine to have a sharp taste add amphetamines to it. It is generally prescribed to relieve pain but if intaken in large doses can prove to be extremely addictive.
Conclusion
Multiple organizations have made the 5-panel drug test mandatory. It is as important as getting checked for a criminal background or for your credit score. This test is the true test of character and may cost people their dream job. The parameters of the test are regularly updated to ensure a thorough check for all types of drugs.
