Naloxone: Understanding Its Role In Overdose Intervention

Naloxone: Understanding Its Role In Overdose Intervention

Naloxone, probably most-commonly referred to by the popular brand name NARCAN®, is a medication used to reverse the effects of opioids. It is most often administered to someone experiencing overdose, or other severe side-effects of opioid use, such as respiratory depression.

 

Although we hear a lot on the news these days about naloxone, it is certainly not new. It was patented in 1961 and approved for opioid use disorder in 1971. Of course, as the Fentanyl epidemic causes huge increases in opioid overdoses, naloxone has become a more-commonly discussed and reported-on medication.

 

In the simplest terms, opioids work by interacting with the opioid receptors in the human body and brain; they essentially attach to these receptors, and most opioids are considered agonists of these receptors. Conversely, naloxone is an opioid receptor antagonist, basically blocking the opioids from interacting with these receptors. Taking it a step further, naloxone is a competitive antagonist in that in addition to blocking the opioid receptors, it will take over the binding sites from the opioids that are already bound there. Of course, this is an oversimplification of the process, but it gives you an idea of the basic premise of naloxone’s functionality.

 

While there is some early indication that naloxone may also reverse a clonidine overdose, it is still being investigated. This is counter-intuitive, as clonidine is not an opioid, but we’ll know more as the research is developed. If this turns out to not be the case, then it would solidify the fact that naloxone can only reverse opioid overdoses. This is important to note as we see so many non-opioid adulterants and impurities in the illicit opioid supply; Xylazine is an excellent example of this. Since some 30% of Fentanyl overdoses are found to also include Xylazine, it is important to note that the NARCAN alone might not be enough to bring someone around if they are overdosing. Also, naloxone will last 30-90 minutes, while some opioids last longer; this means it is possible for the individual to experience additional overdose symptoms after the naloxone has worn off. So, while it is important to keep naloxone readily available, especially if you have an opioid user in your life, it should not be considered a 100% replacement for immediate medical attention.

 

Naloxone can be administered via injection; either IM (intramuscular), subcutaneous (below the skin), or IV (intravenous), but the more popular format currently is intranasal – basically as simple to use as regular nasal spray.

 

Most states allow pharmacists to offer Naloxone over the counter, some states require a physician’s prescription: unfortunately, there is no Federal Standing Order on naloxone, so it is left up to states how they want to address availability. And excellent resource of information regarding each state’s rules and availability can be found via this link: https://www.safeproject.us/naloxone/awareness-project/state-rules/

New Test Option on the Horizon

New Test Option on the Horizon

If you read this blog with any regularity, you know I try to keep my topics educational. However, sometimes something new and interesting on the horizon is worthy of its own announcement, if only to determine if anyone else is excited about the potential as we are. In fact, more than ever, we would love to have feedback from you on the potential usefulness of this new test.

Just landed on my desk is an early version of an instant test that uses hair follicle as the specimen!

In the past, hair testing was only available via laboratory testing. The lab testing for hair is generally expensive and limited in which substances it can detect. The potential to have an instant POC (point of care) hair test will counter both of these shortcomings. While we do not have a price-point for these yet, we anticipate a cost not much higher than oral fluids tests, far from the cost of the laboratory version. Also, while most laboratories who even offer hair testing are only testing for five basic drug classes or so; no Fentanyl, no Alcohol, not even Benzodiazepines are being offered for screening by most laboratories performing hair testing. Early information indicates that the instant version would have the potential to detect any substance where there is already a urine test version available.

There is one other reason hair follicle testing remains less-popular than urine testing, and that is the window of detection. To learn more about the different specimen types, please read my previous blog post on the topic here. I will summarize here: while in urine we detect substances used within the past few days or weeks, depending on the substance, substances in hair follicle specimens are detected for 10-90 days. In other words, it will take about 10 days for a substance to begin to be detected (onset) and will be detectable for about 90 days after (outset). This window of detection does not work well for every setting.

There are a few other benefits of hair testing. One being that there is no need for same-sex collectors or even a bathroom. Another would be that it is almost impossible to adulterate a hair specimen. No more “shy bladder” excuses for producing a specimen is also a bonus of hair testing.

In the coming weeks I will be testing the early version that I have here and will be documenting my process and my results, and will post a full report of the testing process from start to finish.

In the meantime, as I mentioned, we would love to hear from you: Is this something that would be useful or not? Please reach out to me or your consultant and share your thoughts.

 

The Importance of Hydrocodone and Clonazepam Specific Panels

The Importance of Hydrocodone and Clonazepam Specific Panels

If you’ve watched our “Understanding the Limitations of Drug Testing” webinar or have had conversations with me about that subject, you’ve heard me talk about substances that many people expect to be detected on the tests that they are using, but actually are not.  An excellent example of this that we are all hopefully familiar with is Fentanyl. This synthetic opioid, for a long time, was expected to be detected on an Opiate panel but in fact it is not. As Fentanyl became more problematic, we increased our efforts to ensure that we were giving our customers the knowledge and the tools needed to test for this dangerous substance. Today we will discuss Hydrocodone and Clonazepam. While not nearly as prevalent as Fentanyl, these are two commonly prescribed drugs that do have the potential for abuse and are worth knowing about.

Hydrocodone is an Opioid pain medication, with Vicodin being the most prominent brand name. If you’ve ever had any serious dental work, you have probably heard of this one. Since it is an Opioid, it has a high potential for misuse and addiction, so it is a substance that is important to test for. However, the misconception is that this substance would be detected on the standard Opiate panel, or at least the Oxycodone panel.  Because these substances share a similar molecular structure, there is a possibility that Hydrocodone could be detected on either of those panels. However, the concentration of Hydrocodone in the specimen would have to be much higher than the other substances being detected, and therefore neither of those panels will ever be reliable tools for detecting Hydrocodone. Fortunately, we do have a Hydrocodone specific test, both as separate single-panel dip tests, and also included in select multi-panel cup configurations.

Clonazepam is a Benzodiazepine commonly known by the brand name Klonopin. Benzodiazepines, or Benzos, also have a high potential for misuse and addiction and is also an important substance to test for. Also, like Hydrocodone, it is possible that Clonazepam will trigger a positive on the standard Benzodiazepine panel, but it will not be at all reliable. The Benzodiazepine panel was designed to detect the most common Benzodiazepines. So, a standard test will detect about 20 of the 50+ Benzodiazepines that exist in the world, but Clonazepam is different enough in both molecular structure, and in the way the human body metabolizes it, that it will not be reliably detected. For this reason, such as with Hydrocodone, we do offer a Clonazepam specific test in both a single-panel dip test, and as part of select multi-panel cup configurations.

The big takeaway here is that it is important to know what substances will be detected on the panels you are testing with. While the tests are engineered to detect as many drugs in a specific class as possible, sometimes differences in chemistry and biology make this impossible. Fortunately, in almost all cases, we have the tool available that will fill these “blind spots”.

As always, for additional information or discussion on this topic, please reach out to me or your consultant.

 

Testing for PPX and TCA: Is it Necessary?

Testing for PPX and TCA: Is it Necessary?

Today’s subject was sparked from a conversation that our sales consultants have fairly regularly. Usually this comes up in the context of us pressing to find out why a facility is using the specific tests that they are using. The answer we get more than any other is some variant of, “it’s just the way we’ve always done it.” If you’ve had any conversations with our sales team, you know they won’t simply let that answer stand alone. It is always our mission to understand the needs of each facility we work with, but sometimes this can entail explaining why some of the thought processes behind those needs might be misguided, outdated, or missing crucial bits of information.

For example, when inquiring why a facility is not testing for Fentanyl, when it is clearly the most concerning drug of abuse, we will often hear the previously mentioned, “it’s just the way we’ve always done it”, or, specific to Fentanyl, “we assumed that this would be detected on our Opiate panel”. This covers all three of the thought processes I described.

However, for this blog post, we are going to focus on the other side of this coin, substances that people have been testing for that may or may not be necessary. Keep in mind, I will never fault anyone for playing it safe and testing for everything that they can, but this doesn’t always work for facilities that need to keep costs down. I always recommend that people find a happy medium, and keeping our clients informed about substances that are of the highest concern at the time is incredibly important in helping such facilities try and find that happy medium.

Today we are going to look at Propoxyphene (PPX) and Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA) with a nod to a couple of honorable mentions in Barbiturates (BAR) and Phencyclidine (PCP).

First, Propoxyphene, more commonly known by its brand names, Darvon and Darvocet, is a mild Opioid pain reliever. It dates back to 1954 and was developed, like most Opioids, as an attempt to create a non-addictive pain medication. Spoiler alert, it was still addictive! Being that it was a mild Opioid, it did have a slightly lower risk of addiction, but it was neither non-addictive nor totally safe, as such, this medication has been taken off the shelves in the US since 2010. Most other First World countries follow suit shortly thereafter. While it is still prescribed in other countries, albeit infrequently, it is not completely gone from the world. However, with many more commonly prescribed, and therefore more readily available Opioids, I have never in my 20+ years heard of a Propoxyphene positive result, nor any facilities having concerns with its misuse.

Next up is Tricyclic Antidepressants. Tricyclic Antidepressants are a class of antidepressants characterized by their chemical structure, which contains three rings of atoms. TCAs were also developed in the early 1950s during the early days of psychopharmacology (psychopharmacology being medications to treat mental disorders). TCAs are typically classified as, “mood elevators”, and the most commonly known is probably Elavil (Amitriptyline). These medications have not been pulled from shelves like Propoxyphene, but they are rarely prescribed these days in favor of the more modern class of antidepressants, such as SSRIs (Prozac and Celexa), SNRIs (Cymbalta and Effexor), and NRIs (Wellbutrin). Near obscurity aside, according to the US government classification of psychiatric medications, “TCAs are non-abusable”. While in slightly higher demand than testing for Propoxyphene, TCAs can be a good place to cut back on if you are trying to keep costs down.

Honorable mentions: Barbiturates (BAR) and Phencyclidine (PCP).

Please do not interpret this as my advising not to bother, or that you don’t need to test for these, but I wanted to include this in an attempt to point out how uncommon these substances have become in terms of drugs of abuse. Barbiturates have long since been replaced in most cases with Benzodiazepines (especially for sedation). However, we do see a small number of prescription medications that contain them. Fioricet, for example, is a common medication prescribed for migraines.

If you are testing BAR, I am going to guess that you probably have never seen a positive result. To a lesser extent than BAR is PCP. This dissociative anesthetic was used medically from 1956 to 1965 (1978 for veterinary medicine), until discontinued due to high rates of negative side effects. We typically see the better tolerated, Ketamine (KET), being used for anesthetic purposes in its place. While we do sometimes hear about geographic pockets of the country where this substance pops up from time to time, it is not nearly as widespread as it once was.

In summary, do not take this article as the final word on what tests are best for you or your facility to use, but take this to open up a conversation about whether or not, what you are testing for is really what you need to test for, or if it is just the way you’ve always done things.

 

CLIA Waived or Forensic Use Only: What You Need to Know

CLIA Waived or Forensic Use Only: What You Need to Know

What You Need to Know…

Something you may have noticed while browsing our product catalogs and/or listings is that some of the tests have a designation of “CLIA Waived”, while others are designated as “FUO”. What do these two designations refer to, and how does it affect you? Let us look a little deeper and find out.

 

For the pure definitions, CLIA Waived refers to both “CLIA” – an acronym for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments – and “Waived” – the complexity rating of the test in question. As for “FUO”, this is an acronym for Forensic Use Only. Of course, this still doesn’t really clarify anything, so let us continue.

 

With the goal of ensuring that “laboratory” testing of human specimens provide accurate, reliable, and timely patient test results, no matter where the test is performed, the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments were passed in 1988. Almost all medical diagnostic device or service, under the purview of the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) and CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and following the guidance of CLIA is rated based on the complexity of the test. In this context, complexity refers to the ease of an individual to collect the specimen, perform the test, and interpret the results with as little room for error as possible.

 

FDA clearance is the first step toward a test being CLIA Waived. Once a test is submitted to the FDA for clearance, they will assign the test a complexity rating. Often times tests will first be approved with a “high” or “medium” complexity rating, and manufacturers can address specific concerns and apply after-the-fact for a preferred complexity rating. In our “space” (instant drug testing), most commonly tests clear the FDA a “waived” complexity rating; mainly as we rarely see any great technological or methodology breakthroughs.

 

Why does this matter? As you may have noticed, my explanation included the term “medical”, and this is because the threshold for the CMS and FDA applying, would be if the testing is for medical purposes. Addiction medicine is an excellent example of this. As per CLIA regulations (short-form guidance can be found here and here), any facility that performs testing for medical purposes is considered to be a “laboratory”, and would be required to obtain a CLIA Certificate of Waiver, and further would be required to use only tests with a complexity rating of “waived”.

 

What about a test that has not yet been cleared by the FDA? Test devices and procedures that have not yet been cleared are given the designation of FUO (remember, Forensic Use Only). These tests should only be used by facilities who are testing for reasons that are not medical; criminal justice (drug courts, probation, etc.) is a perfect example of this as the testing is not being used to make diagnostic decisions, but typically only to determine compliance to a program’s requirements.

 

The good news is that, as it relates to instant drug testing, there is virtually no difference between a waived test and an FUO test, aside from some of the language contained in the instructions/ product insert. As an example, instructions on an FUO test may advise to “read the results in 5-10 minutes”, whereas the CLIA Waived version would say “read at 5 minutes”. Again, removing any room for error that misinterpreting the results might cause.

As always, please reach out to our team for any additional information or guidance.

A Word on External Quality Controls

A Word on External Quality Controls

If you read the instructions that are included in each box of tests (stop laughing, some people have!) then you have seen the recommendation that “positive and negative controls be tested as good laboratory practice to confirm the test procedure and to verify proper test performance”. Every instant test does have built-in procedural controls; “a colored line appearing in the control area confirms specimen volume, adequate wicking, and correct procedural technique”. So, while the built-in controls indicate the test was performed correctly, it does not indicate performance (read accuracy and precision).

 

So, what are these external controls that the instructions recommend running? In short, they are synthetic urine specimens that are spiked with known and measurable concentrations of target substances, which should consistently provide the same result. For example, an external control to test the Benzodiazepine panel would contain at least 300ng/mL of Oxazepam, which is the calibrator – or target substance – that the BZO panel would react to. Since the instant tests’ accuracy becomes higher the further above cut-off we go, we typically recommend a “+50%” control. With our Benzo example, this means the controls would contain 450ng/mL of Oxazepam.

 

Since these are simply urine specimens, the controls are run just as you would run any other instant test. You would have one test that you would use the positive controls on – success would be that all the substances that are included positive control would cause a positive result on the corresponding panel on the instant test. You would also run a negative control, with success being none of the panels showing a positive result. We usually provide these controls in 5mL vials, with each vial containing enough specimen to run one test.

 

Now, of course not everybody pays attention to the instructions, or to the manufacturers’ recommendations. However, depending on the nature of your testing program, this can become more important to heed. This mainly affects healthcare facilities because they fall under the purview of CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments), which requires that they follow all the manufacturers’ recommendations for using instant tests; they need to run quality controls once per shipment or once per lot, whichever comes first. Some healthcare credentialing bodies go even further than that, requiring that controls also be run once for every thirty days in storage, and once for every new hire.

 

Overall, it is excellent practice to run the controls per the manufacturers’ recommendations, and it is a quick and easy process, as there is very little difference in the procedure. Also, the cost for the controls is not considered prohibitive for most programs. For more information on this, or if you need to order controls, please reach out to your consultant.