ALC

ALC

Alcohol

ALC / ETG

What is Alcohol?

Alcohol is one of the most used and abused, yet widely accepted, drug of abuse being one of the oldest consumed substances around the world. People from all over the world use alcohol for many different reason but one of the main uses of alcohol is drinking it. It is important to know that not all alcohol is drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol, also called ethanol or ethyl alcohol, is produced by the fermentation of fruits, grains, or other sources of sugar and depending on this process will dictate the strength, or alcohol content, of a beverage. When alcohol is consumed your body will start to metabolize it producing what is called Ethyl Glucuronide (ETG), a metabolite of ethanol. Since ETG is a metabolite produced by the body after consumption you are able to detect positive trace amounts within a persons urine up to 80 hours from a person last drink, making it a desirable choice for alcohol screen testing.

Window of Detection

1 – 3 Days (Urine)

 

Cut-Off Levels (ng/mL)

300, 500, 1,000 ng/mL (Urine)

<50, 50, 100 ng/mL (Saliva)

How is it Used?

Alcohol is used in a variety of different ways but most commonly known, drinking alcohol, or ethanol, is usually ingested orally by consuming an alcoholic beverage. There has been cases where addicts have been know to consume other alcoholic products such as, mouth wash, cleaning products, medicines containing trace amounts of alcohol, and even rubbing alcohol, which can be very harmful or even fatal.

What are the Effects?

Side effects will vary based on the rate and amount of consumption as well as the potency and alcohol content of a drink. Effects can appear as early as 10 minutes. Your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level, which is the amount alcohol present in a persons bloodstream, will rise as someone continues to drink and will increase the strength of any side effects. Heavy drinking and binge drinking, where someone consumes multiple drinks over and extended period of time, can lead to blackouts in memory where the user will often not remember his or her actions while under the influence. Prolonged alcohol consumption-can have adverse side effects on someones, brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and immune system and has even been known to increase risks of developing, mouth, throat, and liver cancer.

Alcohol is a highly addictive substance and can cause dependency with extreme withdrawal symptoms after stopping use. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a very serious illness that many people suffer form everyday. Some signs of AUD are:

 

  • Had times when you ended up drinking more, or longer than you intended?
  • More than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t?
  • Spent a lot of time drinking? Or being sick or getting over the aftereffects?
  • Experienced craving — a strong need, or urge, to drink?
  • Found that drinking — or being sick from drinking — often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems?
  • Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
  • Given up or cut back on activities that were important or interesting to you, or gave you pleasure, in order to drink?
  • More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or having unsafe sex)?
  • Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem? Or after having had a memory blackout?
  • Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want? Or found that your usual number of drinks had much less effect than before?
  • Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea, or sweating? Or sensed things that were not there?

Common Street Names

  • Reduced inhibitions
  • Slurred speech
  • Motor impairment
  • Confusion
  • Memory problems
  • Concentration problems
  • Coma
  • Breathing problems
  • Death

Common Symptoms

  • Nausea
  • Itching
  • Sweating
  • Dry Mouth
  • Constipation
  • Increased Urination
  • Tachycardia
  • Vomiting
  • Drowsiness
  • Loss of Appetite
  • Anorexia
  • Weight Loss
  • Insomnia

Legal Status

Alcohol is legal to purchase and consume it most part of the world with some age restrictions. Currently the legal drinking age in the United States is 21.

Rapid Testing Options

  • Integrated Urine Cup Test
  • Urine Dip Card Test
  • Oral Fluid Test
  • Breathalyizer (B.A.C. Test)

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Xylazine

Xylazine

XYL

What is Xylazine

Xylazine is a veterinary medication that is used as a sedative, muscle relaxant, and pain reliever in animals. It is not approved for use in humans, but it has been used illicitly as a recreational drug. Xylazine is highly potent and can cause a range of adverse effects, including respiratory depression, seizures, and coma.

Cut-Off Levels (ng/mL)

500, 1,000 ng/mL (Urine)

Window of Detection

1 – 3 Days (Urine)

How is it Used?

Xylazine can be administered orally, injected, or inhaled. It is often used in veterinary medicine to sedate large animals such as horses and cattle. Illicit use of xylazine typically involves injecting the drug or inhaling the fumes from heated xylazine tablets.

What are the Effects?

Short-Term Effects:

The short-term effects of xylazine use can include sedation, dizziness, and nausea. Xylazine can also cause respiratory depression, which can be life-threatening. In some cases, xylazine can cause seizures, muscle twitching, and loss of consciousness.

Long-Term Effects:

There is limited information available on the long-term effects of xylazine use in humans. However, animal studies have suggested that prolonged use of xylazine can lead to physical and psychological dependence, as well as a range of physical health problems. These can include respiratory problems, liver and kidney damage, and cognitive impairment. Chronic use of xylazine can also lead to mood disturbances, such as depression and anxiety.

What does it Look Like?

Xylazine is typically found in liquid or powder form. The specific appearance will depend on the manufacturing process and intended use.

Common Symptoms of Use

  • Sedation
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Respiratory depression (short-term)
  • Seizures, muscle twitching, and loss of consciousness (short-term)
  • Physical and psychological dependence (with long-term use)
  • Respiratory problems, liver and kidney damage, and cognitive impairment (with long-term use)
  • Mood disturbances, such as depression and anxiety (with long-term use)
  • Ulcers on the skin

Legal Status

Alcohol is legal to purchase and consume it most part of the world with some age restrictions. Currently the legal drinking age in the United States is 21.

Testing Options

  • Urine Dip Card Test
  • Urine Dip Loose Strip

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Xylazine: An Emerging Threat and What You Need to Know

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TCA

TCA

Tricyclic Antidepressants

TCA

What are Tricyclic Antidepressants or TCA?

Tricyclic antidepressants, also known now as cyclic antidepressants or TCAs, were introduced in the late 1950s. They were one of the first antidepressants, and they’re still considered effective for treating depression. These drugs are a good choice for some people whose depression is resistant to other drugs. Although cyclic antidepressants can be effective, some people find their side effects difficult to tolerate. That’s why these drugs are not often used as a first treatment.

Cut-Off Levels (ng/mL)

1000 ng/mL (Urine)

Window of Detection

2 Hrs. – 4 Days (Urine)

 

How is it Used?

Clinicians usually only prescribe tricyclic antidepressants after other drugs have failed to relieve depression. Tricyclic antidepressants help keep more serotonin and norepinephrine available to your brain. These chemicals are made naturally by your body and are thought to affect your mood. By keeping more of them available to your brain, tricyclic antidepressants help elevate your mood.

Some tricyclic antidepressants are also used to treat other conditions, mostly in off-label uses. These conditions include obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and chronic bedwetting. In lower doses, cyclic antidepressants are used to prevent migraines and to treat chronic pain. They are also sometimes used to help people with panic disorder.

What are the Effects?

Tricyclic antidepressants treat depression, but they have other effects on your body as well. They can affect automatic muscle movement for certain functions of the body, including secretions and digestion. They also block the effects of histamine, a chemical found throughout your body. Blocking histamine can cause effects such as drowsiness, blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation, and glaucoma. These may help explain some of the more troublesome side effects associated with these drugs. Tricyclic antidepressants are more likely to cause constipation, weight gain, and sedation then other antidepressants. However, different drugs have different effects. 

Common Symptoms

    • dry mouth
    • dry eyes
    • blurred vision
    • dizziness
    • fatigue
    • headache
    • disorientation
    • seizure
    • drowsiness
    • constipation
    • urinary retention
    • sexual dysfunction
    • low blood pressure
    • weight gain
    • nausea

Common TCA’s

  • amitriptyline
  • amoxapine
  • desipramine (Norpramin)
  • doxepin
  • imipramine (Tofranil)
  • maprotiline
  • nortriptyline (Pamelor)
  • protriptyline (Vivactil)
  • trimipramine (Surmontil)

What does it Look Like?

TCA’s usually comes in the form of a tablet, pill or capsule varying in colors.

Legal Status

Currently not a controlled substance in the United States.

Testing Options

  • Integrated Urine Test Cup
  • Urine Dip Card

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PPX

PPX

Propoxyphene

PPX

What is PPX?

Propoxyphene (PPX) is an opioid pain reliever used to treat mild to moderate pain. In January 2009, an FDA advisory committee voted 14 to 12 against the continued marketing of propoxyphene products, based on its weak pain-killing abilities, addictiveness, association with drug deaths and possible heart problems. A subsequent re-evaluation resulted in a July 2009 recommendation to strengthen the boxed warning for propoxyphene to reflect the risk of overdose. Dextropropoxyphene subsequently carried a black box warning in the U.S., stating:

Propoxyphene should be used with extreme caution, if at all, in patients who have a history of substance/drug/alcohol abuse, depression with suicidal tendency, or who already take medications that cause drowsiness (e.g., antidepressants, muscle relaxants, pain relievers, sedatives, tranquilizers). Fatalities have occurred in such patients when propoxyphene was misused. Because of potential for side effects, this drug is on the list for high-risk medications in the elderly. On November 19, 2010, the FDA requested manufacturers withdraw propoxyphene from the US market, citing heart arrhythmia in patients who took the drug at typical doses. Tramadol, which lacks the cardiotoxicity, has been recommended instead of propoxyphene, as it is also indicated for mild to moderate pain, and is less likely to be misused or cause addiction than other opioids.

Cut-Off Levels (ng/mL)

300 ng/mL (Urine)

Window of Detection

2 Hrs. – 4 Days (Urine)

 

How is it Used?

PPX has been prescribed, usually in pill form, to treat mild to moderate pain. Since 2009 products containing PPX have been removed from US markets because of the it’s in effectiveness as a pain reliever and the harmful, and sometimes, fatal side effects, along with the high chance of abuse and misuse.

What are the Effects?

PPX can produce similar euphoric effects much like opioids which has led to the misuse and abuse of the drug. It is ineffective and treating and relieving pain leading to a high-risk for dependency and addiction. It can have adverse effects such and heart complications such as arrhythmia as well as drowsiness, shallow breathing, and altered behavior, especially in patients with history of depression and substance abuse. The effects of PPX can be heightened when mixed with other medications.

Common Symptoms

  • shallow breathing

  • slow heartbeat

  • feeling light-headed

  • fainting

  • confusion

  • hallucinations

  • unusual thoughts or behavior

  • seizure (convulsions) 

  • jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

  • feeling dizzy or drowsy

  • nausea

  • vomiting

  • stomach pain

  • constipation

  • headache

  • muscle pain

  • blurred vision

  • mild skin rash.

Common Brand Names

  • Darvon
  • Darvocet

What does it Look Like?

PPX usually comes in the form of a pill or capsule varying in colors, such as red, orange and green.

Legal Status

Schedule II & Schedule IV (when in dosage form)

Testing Options

  • Integrated Urine Test Cup

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Phencyclidine

Phencyclidine

Phencyclidine

PCP

What is PCP?

Phencyclidine (PCP) is a mind-altering drug that may lead to hallucinations (a profound distortion in a person’s perception of reality). It is considered a dissociative drug, leading to a distortion of sights, colors, sounds, self, and one’s environment. PCP was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic, but due to the serious neurotoxic side effects, its development for human medical use was discontinued.

Cut-Off Levels (ng/mL)

300, 500, 1000 ng/mL (Urine)

Window of Detection

2 Hrs. – 4 Days (Urine)

 

How is it Used?

PCP is available in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders, which are either smoked, taken orally or by the intranasal route (“snorted”).

Smoking is the most common route when used recreationally. The liquid form of PCP is actually PCP base often dissolved in ether, a highly flammable solvent. For smoking, PCP is typically sprayed onto leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, or marijuana. PCP may also be injected. The effects of PCP can last for 4 to 6 hours.

What are the Effects?

Pharmacologically, PCP is a noncompetitive NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist and glutamate receptor antagonist, but also interacts with other receptor sites, and may have effects with dopamine, opioid and nicotinic receptors.

Many believe PCP to be one of the most dangerous drugs of abuse. A moderate amount of PCP often causes users to feel detached, distant, and estranged from their surroundings.

  • Numbness of the extremities, slurred speech, and loss of coordination may be accompanied by a sense of strength and invulnerability.
  • A blank stare, rapid and involuntary eye movements, and an exaggerated gait are among the more observable effects.
  • Auditory hallucinations, image distortion, severe mood disorders, and amnesia may also occur.
  • Acute anxiety and a feeling of impending doom, paranoia, violent hostility, a psychoses indistinguishable from schizophrenia.

 

High doses of PCP can also cause seizures, coma, and death (often due to accidental injury or suicide during PCP intoxication). Psychological effects at high doses include delusions and hallucinations. Users often refer to the experiences from hallucinogens as a “trip”, or calling an unpleasant experience a “bad trip.”

PCP has sedative effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma or accidental overdose. Many PCP users are brought to emergency rooms because of PCP’s unpleasant psychological effects or because of overdoses. In a hospital or detention setting, they often become violent or suicidal, and are very dangerous to themselves and to others. They should be kept in a calm setting and should not be left alone.

Common Symptoms

  • slight increase in breathing rate
  • rise in blood pressure and pulse rate
  • shallow respiration
  • flushing and profuse sweating occurs.
  • a drop in blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration.
  • nausea, vomiting
  • blurred vision
  • flicking up and down of the eyes
  • drooling
  • loss of balance and dizziness
  • violence, suicide
  • memory loss
  • difficulties with speech and learning
  • depression
  • weight loss that can persist up to a year after stopping PCP use.

Common Street Names

  • Angel dust
  • Boat
  • Hog
  • Love Boat
  • Wack
  • Ozone
  • Peace Pill
  • Dust
  • Embalming Fluid
  • Rocket Fuel
  • Supergrass, Superweed, whacko tobacco, and killer joints refer to PCP combined with marijuana.

What does it Look Like?

In its purest form, PCP is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water or alcohol and has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. On the illicit drug market, PCP contains a number of contaminants causing the color to range from a light to darker brown with a powdery to a gummy mass consistency.

Legal Status

PCP is a Schedule II stimulant under the Controlled Substances Act.

Testing Options

  • Integrated Urine Test Cup
  • Urine Test Dip Card
  • Oral Fluid Test

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Phencyclidine

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine

mAMP/MET

What is Methamphetamine?

Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Crystal methamphetamine is a form of the drug that looks like glass fragments or shiny, bluish-white rocks. It is chemically similar to amphetamine, a drug used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder.

Cut-Off Levels (ng/mL)

300, 500, 1000 ng/mL (Urine)

Window of Detection

2 Hrs. – 4 Days (Urine)

 

How is it Used?

Methamphetamine is most commonly used by inhalation, or smoking, snorting, intravenously by injection, or swallowing in pill form.

Because the “high” from the drug both starts and fades quickly, people often take repeated doses in a “binge and crash” pattern. In some cases, people take methamphetamine in a form of binging known as a “run,” giving up food and sleep while continuing to take the drug every few hours for up to several days.

What are the Effects?

Methamphetamine increases the amount of the natural chemical dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is involved in body movement, motivation, and reinforcement of rewarding behaviors. The drug’s ability to rapidly release high levels of dopamine in reward areas of the brain strongly reinforces drug-taking behavior, making the user want to repeat the experience.

Short-Term Effects:

Taking even small amounts of methamphetamine can result in many of the same health effects as those of other stimulants, such as cocaine or amphetamines.

Long-Term Effects:

People who inject methamphetamine are at increased risk of contracting infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. These diseases are transmitted through contact with blood or other bodily fluids that can remain on drug equipment. Methamphetamine use can also alter judgment and decision-making leading to risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex, which also increases risk for infection.

Methamphetamine use may worsen the progression of HIV/AIDS and its consequences. Studies indicate that HIV causes more injury to nerve cells and more cognitive problems in people who use methamphetamine than it does in people who have HIV and don’t use the drug. Cognitive problems are those involved with thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering.

Common Symptoms

  • increased wakefulness and physical activity
  • decreased appetite
  • faster breathing
  • rapid and/or irregular heartbeat
  • increased blood pressure and body temperature 
  • extreme weight loss
  • addiction
  • severe dental problems
  • intense itching, leading to skin sores from scratching
  • anxiety
  • changes in brain structure and function
  • confusion
  • memory loss
  • sleeping problems
  • violent behavior
  • paranoia—extreme and unreasonable distrust of others
  • hallucinations—sensations and images that seem real though they aren’t
 

Common Street Names

  • Speed
  • Crank
  • Ice
  • Scante
  • Skank
  • Rock
  • Rocket Fuel

What does it Look Like?

Methamphetamine comes in many different forms, most commonly, a blueish-white, crystal like powder, or glass like shards. It can also be used in liquid form.

Legal Status

Methamphetamine is a Schedule II stimulant under the Controlled Substances Act.

Testing Options

  • Integrated Urine Test Cup
  • Urine Test Dip Card
  • Oral Fluid Test

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