Opiates relax the muscles, which is part of the reason that the medicine has the ability to reduce pain. However, if someone is abusing opiates, the muscles can become too relaxed, and the nerves will be damaged. This can cause involuntary shaking and tremors, particularly in the legs. However, arm and hand shaking is common in opiate addicts as well. Depending on how long a person has been using opiates, this symptom could be impossible to reverse.

Too much opium in the system can keep the body too awake and alert when it should be at rest. This is the reason that many opiate addicts are insomniacs. Addicts may sleep soundly throughout the day and have trouble sleeping at night. Or, they may sleep for a few hours at night, then wake up in the middle of the night without being able to fall asleep again. This can lead to irritability, depression and anxiety. Insomnia also contributes to fatigue, which will make the addict less able to function at work or school.

Concerning changes in appearance are often a give away. Red, bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, extreme weight loss or gain, and a swollen face are signs that a person is abusing opiate drugs. If you notice that a loved one has developed one or more of these symptoms, it may be time to seek drug counseling. Opium, in large amounts, can throw the body’s natural defense systems out of whack, and the body may exhibit this by putting on additional weight, developing vision problems or retaining water.

A surge in energy that is seemingly unwarranted and confusing to everyone around the opiate addict is a common addiction symptom. Also, people who are usually friendly and outgoing may begin to act more bashful or reclusive when they have been abusing opium. Marked fatigue and an inability to muster up the energy to do normal tasks like bathing, cooking or driving could be an indication of opiate abuse as well.

If a friend or loved one has been acting erratically, contact a counselor or doctor to discuss intervention options. Often home drug testing can be an effective way to determine if drug abuse is occurring while maintaining privacy for the person in question.

The saliva drug test is able to detect drug use immediately following ingestion of the substance. The main drawback is that there is a short time frame of when this test is able to detect drugs. The main benefit is it can give you results before the drug has broken down into the body. A hair drug test offers a testing window of around three months. Out of all at-home tests available the hair drug test provides the longest history of drugs in the system. The sweat drug test is conducted by applying a patch to the subject that is worn for a week long period. Another benefit is sweat tests are very difficult to tamper with.

When performing drug tests, some people might want to remain anonymous, and are at times discouraged to send drug test to laboratories. To overcome these concerns a home drug testing kit is the perfect solution. The test can be performed in the comfort of the home or workplace. Home drug testing kits are also useful for parents suspecting or wanting to prevent their children from substance abuse.

Here is a list of some of the advantages of using home drug testing kits:

• Time efficient:  A home drug testing kit eliminates delays in time and stress, since the test and results are instant.  When sending the test to a laboratory, it can take days to receive results.
• Cost efficient: It provides quality screening without having to pay laboratory-testing fees.
• Simplicity: Home drug testing is extremely easy to administer. No training or other equipment is needed.
• Accuracy: The results are 99% accurate- creating a very small margin of error.
• Easy to read. Prevents a misreading of the test with the easy to read visual display.

Another bonus of home drug testing kits are that they can be used in a variety of different places including:

• Random drug screening for employees or pre-employment
• Halfway homes and drug rehab programs
• “Drug free” schools and workplaces
• Insurance exams
• Routine medical exams

On average it takes between 2-3 days for the human body to breakdown and rid itself of opiates once they are ingested; meaning a person can only show positive on a urine drug test if they used in the last 72 hours give or take (the true time of how long opiates will stay in your body depend on a large list of individualized factors). The detox time or the length of time it takes Opiates to be expelled from your system is faster since they tend to be water soluble, in contrast to the fat soluble THC which can leave traces in your urine up to 30 days since last use. Opiates are classified as drugs that are derived from (or based on) the resin excreted by the Opium poppy; which includes Morphine, Opium, and Heroin, Vicodin, Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Percocet (NOTE: the last 3 substances will only appear in opi drug tests when high doses have been consumed. If you are concerned about Oxycontin abuse, please use an OXY drug test which will detect much lower metabolite concentrations in the urine stream.)

However what does OPI drug tests screen for? Opiate drug testing analyzes a person’s urine for a variety of Opiates and sometimes drugs that have “opiate-like” effects. Usually when a person is subjected to this form of testing they are looking for the big three listed above; Morphine, Opium, and Heroin. Unfortunately over the years the testing palette has expanded to include Oxycodin, Oxycodone, Paracetamol , Tylenol 3, Morcap, Codafen, and Roxanol. It’s important to remember that previously testing of “legal” drugs was unheard of, but with the rising number of people abusing prescription drugs employers aren’t taking any chances.

So you may be asking how is this test conducted and how does it works. To test a person for Benzodiazepines they are usually ordered to submit a sample of their urine. Why urine? Well inside urine there is an untold amount of specific metabolites, which are the essentially the leftovers after the body breaks down a drug. By analyzing the urine for certain metabolites, a testing strip can identify whether or not a person has consumed the substance based on chemical residue. In a BZO drug test they are looking for a certain major one called oxazepam. If found in urine oxazepam provides irrefutable evidence of use. Benzodiazepines stay in the body longer than most prescription pills since the drug directly effects the muscles, and this result in BZO drug testing which can detect use up to ten days after the last time the pills have been taken.

Benzodiazepines are located in many prescription drugs including Xanax, Valium, and Lunesta; most of which have a high rate of addition. If you should screen positive on a complete drug test and cannot provide evidence of a legal prescription, consequences could be severe depending upon you place of business. Ensure that you have documentation of a legal prescription and be aware when a pill is habit forming.

Cocaine, also known as benzoylmethylecgonine, is a nervous system stimulant derived from the Coca plant typically grown in the mountains of South America. Cocaine is one of the most iconic and prevalent drugs in America second only to marijuana. Many assume that the drug peaked in the 1980s but cocaine is still an issue in today’s society. Usually the substance takes on the appearance of a white, crystalline powder but it can also be “cooked” into less pure forms of “crack cocaine” where it takes the appearance of a small rock or pebble. Cocaine is a water soluble drug that stays in the body for a relatively short time usually between 1-3 days, as opposed to the 2-3 weeks it takes for more fat soluble chemicals like THC.

A Cocaine drug test is most common among those serving probation or on parole, but is often conducted in major corporations and other high-paying jobs as well as being widely available in home drug testing kits. Like other drugs, Cocaine can be detected by examining the waste processes of the body; namely the saliva, hair, and most commonly the urine. Any substance of abuse exam will also screen for all cocaine derivatives such as crack or primo bowls (cocaine sprinkled on marijuana). If a person has ingested any form of benzoylmethylecgonine then it will appear in urine, hair or oral saliva drug tests.

Barbiturates and other similar depressants have a relatively high rate of addiction and dependence, second only to narcotic and opiate pain killers. Testing for these drugs is not as common as marijuana drug tests and is normally given when a business or parent suspects a specific addiction may be taking place. In the past, Barbiturate drug testing for these legally prescribed pills would have gone unnoticed, but with increased abuse and addiction comes more innovating screenings. To be tested a person must submit a urine sample, this sample is then analyzed by either a lab technician or a simple test strip if using a home drug testing kit.  The test targets specific Barbiturate (BAR) leftovers, called metabolites. These metabolites are what remain after a consumed drug is broken down and excreted by the body. Each drug has a different process for being broken down and thus has a different metabolite.

Names of medications that contain Barbiturates are pentobarbital and Phenobarbital. If you are subject to a Barbiturate drug test and then screen positive be prepared for the consequences. Without a legal prescription you can be subject to a variety of punishments and or rejections. On average Barbiturates stay in the body and urine stream between 4-10 days. Blood work and hair drug testing can detect the presence of barbiturate abuse for a longer period of time; 14 and 30 days respectively.

Complete drug testing kits first require that a sample is taken from the waste processes of your body; meaning the hair, saliva, or most commonly the urine. From there researchers or test strips (depending upon your screening method) analyze the content of specific metabolites inside of it. Metabolites are the leftover chemical residue found in body after a drug is consumed and broken down. The majority of illicit substances are expelled in your waste but all drug leave behind certain particles which can be detected and used to determine past substance abuse. These particles can be examined to reveal exactly what drug was ingested and sometimes even when. Amphetamines take on a variety of forms including pills or powders, all of which are stimulants and highly dangerous. They have also been known to be added or combined with other drugs to enhance the experience such as Ecstasy.

So what happens if you test positive? Well unless it can be proven that the drug in question was obtained legally and for legitimate use the consequences can be dire. If prescribed Ritalin, Adderall or another form of ADD/ADHD remember that you will appear dirty for amphetamines so keep your prescription forms ready to show your testing administer.

Due to the antagonistic compounds of this opiate blocker, Buprenorphine drug testing isn’t usually done to detect an addiction but rather it is used by doctors and clinics to make sure that a patient has been properly taking their medication. However, abuse can occur if excessive doses are consumed. BUP screening is done just like any other drug tests; a person urinates into a cup and the sample is then analyzed using metabolite specific testing strips. These strips, or sometimes dyes, detect key metabolites in the person’s urine. Metabolites are the leftovers after a certain drug has been ingested and broken down inside the human body. Each drug creates a unique metabolite allowing technicians and home drug testing kits to easily identify which drugs if any a person has been consuming. Similar to the half life times of other prescription pills, Buprenorphine only remains in the body for a couple of days, so complete drug testing must occur within 72 hours of the last ingestion.

Oxycodones, and other powerful pain medications similar to it, are the most abused prescription medications in the world. Why? They act on the opiate receptors in the brain giving the user a complete loss of pain and entering them into a blissful euphoria. Opiates are one of the most powerfully additive addictive drugs there is and the obtaining such powerful narcotics has never been easier thanks to pill mills and unscrupulous doctors. Undoubtedly you have heard of the more illegal versions, derivatives of the Opium poppy known as Heroin and Morphine. With so many of our nations young and old becoming addicted to this medication, Oxycodone drug testing has never been more readily available.

Testing is usually done by analyzing the urine of a suspected user and looking for certain “leftovers”, called metabolites. Expensive lab testing is available for blood analysis and hair drug tests are a great intermediary between urine screening and blood work. Once the drug is consumed these metabolites are what remain after the body breaks down and excretes the drug. Each substance has a certain metabolite and through analysis a drug test can determine whether or not a person has said metabolites in their body. Should a person test positive for this drug and not be able to provide evidence of a legal prescription consequences could be dire. Opiates and Oxycodone tend to leave detectable traces in urine for 1-3 days due to its water soluble nature. The bottom line is that OXY drug tests can detect high levels of opiates but is designed to screen specifically for certain opiates derived off Oxycodone (such as Percocet and Oxycontin).

Marijuana is usually consumed by smoking, eating, or ingesting. If any part of the resinous chemical that forms on the leaves of the female plant enters the body, it will test positive on a marijuana drug test. Worldwide it is the third most consumed drug next to Caffeine and Nicotine, and in America it is extremely popular among teens and young adults while still maintaining a significant popularity among the baby boomer population. However even with use of the drug high, negative perception and its illegal status make it a common substance for complete drug testing kits. Unlike Opiates and Amphetamines, Marijuana use can be detected long after it has been consumed; usually two weeks for the average person but a month or more for a heavy user. This is due to the fact that THC is a fat soluble, as opposed to water soluble, chemical. In order to break it down and rid itself of the chemical the body must also break down the fat cells that contain it.

THC drug testing comes in many different forms. There are expensive blood laboratory services but most home drug testing strips offer the same accurate results at a much cheaper price with a simple urine strip. Since marijuana is the most used illegal drug worldwide, there are also less invasive methods as well. Oral saliva drug tests are a cotton swab that the user places in their mouth for a few minutes which can be given on site in public. Hair follicle drug tests for marijuana are also available and can trace substance abuse back to the previous 90 days. Find the proper drug testing method that best suits your needs.