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What Does Fentanyl Show Up On A Drug Test?

Fentanyl Drug test

Fentanyl shows up as Fentanyl on a standard point of care drug test cup that includes fentanyl as a drug of abuse. The most common metabolites tested for are fentanyl and norfentanyl, which are combined as the assays on the same strip.

Not all drug tests include panels for fentanyl. The standard 12 panel drug test does not usually include fentanyl because it’s not CLIA waived. However, healthcare providers, probation officers, and addiction treatment facilities will often subsidize their rapid urine tests with a specialized fentanyl test strip.

Fentanyl does not show up on drug tests for opiates, oxycodone, or morphine. These were previously the most common tests used for opiate users. Since the illegal drug supply has largely ben supplanted by fentanyl, it’s important for professionals to include either laboratory testing or a preliminary forensic test for fentanyl to identify illegal drug use.

Laboratories have made fentanyl and norfentanyl part of their standard testing. Any drug test that is sent to a lab will be tested for fentanyl. The cutoff levels for laboratory testing vary, but are most often between 1-10ng/ml.

How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Your System

The cutoff level for fentanyl tests varies. Our fentanyl test strips have a 10ng/ml cutoff level for fentanyl, but also feature a 0.5ng/ml cutoff level for fentanyl. The potency of street fentanyl has increased in recent years. detection times have increased along with it from 2-7 days up to 30 days for even recreational use of small amounts.

Due to the sensitivity required to detect such a powerful drug, fentanyl tests are not currently CLIA waived. They also test positive for a much longer detection period because of potency increasing after tests were developed.

Fentanyl is largely metabolized into norfentanyl in the human body. It is converted by CYP3A4-mediated N-dealkylation.

What Other Fentanyl Analogues Can Be Detected With Drug Testing

Lab drug tests can test for numerous fentanyl analogues. These include:

  • Fentanyl
  • Carfentanyl
  • Acetyl fentanyl
  • Norfentanyl
  • Methoxyacetyl fentanyl
  • Tetrahydrofuranyl fentanyl
  • Acryl fentanyl
  • Fluorofentanyl
  • Furanyl fentanyl
  • Isobutyryl fentanyl
  • Butyryl fentanyl
  • Valeryl fentanyl

Less than 1% of fentanyl is metabolized into despropionylfentanyl, hydroxyfentanyl and hydroxynorfentanyl. These are not considered clinically relevant.

Dangers of Fentanyl Abuse

Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, poses a grave danger to individuals and communities due to its high potency. As a drug that is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine, even minute amounts of fentanyl can lead to lethal consequences. Its rapid onset of action and intensity make it particularly dangerous, often leading to severe respiratory depression and potential overdose within moments of ingestion.

Furthermore, fentanyl’s illicit distribution and mixing with other substances, such as heroin or cocaine, result in unpredictably potent combinations that heighten the risk of fatal outcomes. The allure of its quick and intense effects contributes to the troubling surge in fentanyl-related fatalities, making it a significant public health concern.

Drug dealers often press fentanyl into pills that resemble oxycodone and xanax. This phenomena poses additional risks to drug users who believe that they are purchasing safer pharmaceutical drugs.

Fentanyl Pills made to look like oxycodone

Fentanyl’s chemical structure and mode of action differ from other opioids, complicating treatment and overdose reversal efforts. Standard doses of opioid-reversal medications, such as naloxone, might prove insufficient in countering fentanyl’s effects. This intricate response has created challenges for first responders and healthcare providers, who must remain vigilant and adaptable in their approach to combating fentanyl-related emergencies.

Public awareness campaigns must educate individuals about the perils of fentanyl use and its prevalence in street drugs. Enhanced drug testing protocols can assist in identifying fentanyl-laced substances, helping users make more informed decisions. Law enforcement efforts should focus on dismantling illegal fentanyl distribution networks and apprehending those responsible for its illicit production and trafficking. Simultaneously, healthcare professionals must receive specialized training in recognizing and treating fentanyl-related overdoses, equipping them with the knowledge and tools necessary for quick and effective intervention.

Where Can I Purchase Fentanyl Drug Tests?

You can purchase single panel fentanyl drug tests, or a forensic use only 14 panel drug test from Drug Test City. We recommend that professionals use our CLIA waived 12 panel drug test along with single panel fentanyl and alcohol strips. Insurance companies will only reimburse a CLIA compliant facility.

Our 14 panel test cup is ideal for anyone that needs tests for forensic use and do not include drug testing as an itemized charge during treatment.

Fentanyl tests may become CLIA waived in the future. As soon as a CLIA waived fentanyl test is available we will offer it due to the evolving nature of drug use in America.

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Pennsylvania Court: Welfare Agency Cannot Mandate Drug Testing

David J Russo Greene County District Attorney

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that child protection officials may not order drug tests as part of a child abuse investigation on Tuesday, June 16th. The Justices sided with prosecutor David J. Russo who had recently come under fire from CPS agents.

Greene county received a confidential tip that David Russo was seen publicly intoxicated while caring for five children and that he had been charged with spousal abuse. The Greene County child protective service recused themselves and brought in Fayette county officials to complete an investigation.

The unanimous decision says that the law “does not expressly or implicitly authorize collecting samples of bodily fluids, without consent, for testing”.

David Russo said in a phone interview “I think this a great victory for the people against government intrusion. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has sided with the people.”

Fayette county lost a decision in a lower court that would have required Russo to submit to a drug screen and allow investigators to inspect the condition of his home. All five of his children were interviewed at school and the state was unable to substantiate any claims from the confidential tip.

David J. Russo was elected as a Republican to the office of District Attorney for Greene county last November. During his campaign he was also successfully representing himself in this legal dispute which he said “had become routine practice in Greene County”.  Greene suggested it was very prevalent for child protective services to drug test both parents in every investigation before the superior court ruled in his favor.

 

David J Russo swearing in ceremony
David J. Russo was sworn in as Greene County District Attorney in November 2019. He was engaged in court proceedings regarding the ruling at that time.

 

The first complaint about Russo came in October 2018. An unidentified source claimed he appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol about two weeks earlier, while he was defending a client before Greene County Children and Youth Services. The second and third reports were in November 2018, alleging he had been “completely out of it” in public and that there was “domestic violence in the home,”.

Russo argued that the order to produce an observed urine drug screen violated his 4th amendment rights and requiring it “will inevitably lead to the forcible extraction of bodily fluids, the incarceration of parents for refusing to comply, or the exile of parents from their children.”

 

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Can You Catch Coronavirus From a Package

USPS Delivery man

Since the beginning of the Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic people have been worried about whether they can catch the virus from packages they received from China.

Can I catch Coronavirus from a Package That Originates in China?

The short answer is no. The conventional understanding was that Coronaviruses across the board could not live outside the body for more than a couple hours.  A recent federal study that was contributed to by a number of organizations found that Covid 19 specifically could remain viable on a stainless steel surface for 72 hours and on cardboard for 24 hours. Most packages come shipped in cardboard. The average shipping time for a package from China is 3 months total. During that time a full month is spent on a freight ship over the open ocean. The virus has no chance of surviving the trip.

Can I catch Coronavirus from the Mailman?

However now that Coronavirus Covid 19 has been spreading person to person within the United States, the surface of your packages could become contaminated by the carrier or the sender prior to shipment. If the shipment is longer than 24 hours it would have to be infected during the final day of transportation on the ground in your city. There is a real concern about mail carriers and other shipping company employees becoming sick and passing the disease onto others, but all major companies are adjusting their procedures to help protect both their employees and customers. For instance Drug Test City is only having one employee handle outgoing orders and they are screened for fever and symptoms daily. We are also treating packages with Lysol before they leave the warehouse.

 

Coronavirus cells under microscope
Coronavirus is named for the corona around the cell which acts as tentacles to attach each cell to target proteins.

 

You are far more likely to catch Coronavirus Covid-19 from a person you have made close contact with than from a package arriving in the mail, but if the package is sealed you can practically eliminate that risk by wearing gloves and treating your packages with spray Lysol and washing your hands. Wait 3-5 minutes after spraying before opening the package or handling without gloves and dispose of the gloves immediately.

I would suggest being cautious, but with proper sanitation and a simple disinfecting protocol you have nothing to worry about when it comes to the mail; you’re more likely to be infected by the mailman himself.

Tips for Dealing With Coronavirus Covid-19

  • Wash your hands with antibacterial soap and hot water.
  • Hard non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel transmit over 70% of pathogens. Clean them often.
  • Avoid touching your face.
  • Maintain a distance of 3 meters or 9 feet from other people when possible.
  • Disinfect packages at the door. Lysol spray is effective against Coronavirus.
  • Hand sanitizer needs to contain more than 60% alcohol to be effective.
  • The mortality rate is much higher amongst the elderly with existing health problems.
  • All of the measures in place are as much to slow the spread and ease the burden on the healthcare system as they are to try and stop the spread.
  • It is believed Covid 19 will slow dramatically during the summer like Influenza. Scientists have already developed vaccines. This should be over in a year or two.

 

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Women Uses Her Dog’s Urine to Pass Probation Drug Test

Pineville Ky, December 31 2019

An Arjay resident, Julie Miller, was arrested on Monday December 30th for attempting to deceive a urine drug screen by substituting her pet dog’s urine for her own. Pineville KY Officer Michael Smith was called to the scene by Miller’s Parole Officer who had caught her sneaking in a sample of urine. During questioning on scene Miller admitted to Officer Smith that the urine sample was not hers, that is was in fact her dog’s urine and that she had attempted to sneak it in because she knew she would fail the drug screen for Methamphetamine and Suboxone.

Julie Miller, age 40, was arrested for tampering with physical evidence and lodged in the Bell County Detention Center.

 

She was later served a probation violation at the detention center by probation and parole and a short time afterward, a trafficking in controlled substance warrant by the Bell County Sheriff’s Department.

Pineville Police Department posted the press release to their Facebook page, which quickly gained momentum online.