Definition of drugs

Learn how identify the drug testing is performed, how to prepare, and how to interpret results together with a clinician.

Drug screening: when it's needed, how it's performed, and how to interpret the results

In the medical sense, drug screening involves more than just urine or blood tests. It often begins with questions about the use of psychoactive substances, off-label prescription medications, cannabis, stimulants, opioids, sedatives, and other substances that may be harmful to health, interfere with treatment, or increase the risk of addiction.

Urine drug test: preparation and how to tamper with the results

Hallucinogens: Toxicology Tests

Hallucinogens are a class of drugs that cause psychosis-like symptoms (hallucinations, loss of sense of reality, oneiroid states, and other dramatic changes in thinking and perception).

Marijuana: Cannabinoid Testing

Marijuana is a drug made from the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). It is a mixture of the above-ground parts of the plant. Extracting the plant's resin yields a more active product—hashish. Cannabis (the general term for the psychoactive products of hemp) contains three main cannabinoids: cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinol, and cannabinol.

Cocaine: Analysis for Use and Intoxication

Cocaine is an alkaloid obtained from the Erythroxylon coca shrub, which grows in Bolivia and Peru. There are currently two known methods for administering cocaine. The first is by inhaling the drug.

Amphetamines: Laboratory Detection

Amphetamine and structurally similar substances have a pronounced stimulating effect on the central nervous system. Amphetamine addiction is quite common among professional athletes, long-distance truck drivers (who use the drug to relieve fatigue), and others. In clinical practice, amphetamine is sometimes used for depression (doses from 2.5 to 20 mg/day) and asthenic conditions.

Opioids: Drug Testing

Opioids are substances that cause physical and psychological dependence. Opium is obtained from the sap of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and contains over 20 different alkaloids, the most well-known of which is morphine.