Various Drug Test Info/Guidelines & Labcorp

[jakariwus]

My aim is to clear any stress and/or confusion that is most likely present for anyone who has been asked to complete a drug screening for the pre-employment process.

Personally I don't think giving out your stats and smoking frequency helps too much but nonetheless:
I am 5'9", 160 lbs, 20 y/o, and am a semi-frequent smoker (2-3 times a week).

For part of my pre-employment process I was notified on a Wednesday that I had to take a drug test with LabCorp by the following Monday at 4PM. Naturally I flipped out since the last time I had smoked was Saturday, leaving there only 9 days from the last sesh until my test. I started researching the shit out of it learning about detoxing the day of, dilution, substitution, etc and drinking water and cranberry juice like none other. I bought a detox drink but returned the next day after hearing a ton of mixed reviews and feeling unsure about it. I then bought a digital candy thermometer (local pharmacy), 3 oz. traveler's shampoo bottle(local pharmacy), and hand warmers (local sporting goods store) just in case I decided to go for substitution. My next purchase was two at-home THC drug tests from Walgreens. I took one on Friday afternoon and passed it to my surprise. So I kept drinking water and cran juice and took my second test on Sunday morning (day before test) with my first pee of the day and passed again with a clear second line. I was still paranoid and was unsure about the accuracy of the home tests so I looked in to that as well.

Drug tests cost the employer money, and the more detailed the test is, the more expensive it is. Employers do not want to spend money on these higher tech tests if they don't have to. So before starting a job that drug tests you will have to take a immunoassay test, which uses antibodies to detect the presence of drugs and other substances in urine. The initial screening process does not measure the specific amount of drug present in urine samples. It provides either a positive or negative result, indicating the presence or absence of detectable drug.

The more expensive type of test is the GC/MS. GC/MS is the abbreviation for gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, the testing methodology lots of labs use to confirm presumptive positive drug screen specimens. GC/MS provides identification of the molecule(s) based on characteristic fragmentation patterns at specific retention times. GC/MS is a tandem technology, utilizing a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer.

Basically immunoassay = cheaper and less accurate (cutoff level of 50 ng/mL)
GC/MS = more expensive and more accurate (cutoff level of 15 ng/mL)

The at home drug tests I bought had a cutoff level of 50 ng/mL as well so this made me feel a little better.

As for my actual adventure at LabCorp this morning...it went something like this:

I walked in the door and was greeted by this homie wearin a fresh pair of Js, good sign first of all. I had to provide ID, my registration number and sign in. There was no wait so I followed him to another room that had a sink and a bunch of other medical equipment in it. The process afterwards was interesting. It was reminiscent of a magician doing a trick, he told me to take off my coat and backpack, wash my hands, grab any sample cup from the drawer, inspect it for cracks, take of the plastic seal and empty the contents on the counter. After this he used a sharpie to mark how high I should fill it, showed me the temperature strip on the side of the cup and said that he'd have to check that within four minutes of me filling it (it had to be between 90-100 degrees F), and to not flush the toilet. The actual bathroom that he showed me to fill the cup in was just a 8x8 ft room inside of this bigger room and he said I could close the door. He was outside just around the corner the whole time but once I was inside I felt like I had a lot of privacy (could have EASILY done substitution if I wanted to). The toilet's water was also tinted blue so that they could prevent people from using the toilet water as part of a dilution technique and/or cooling process. I used the middle part of my stream just in case and filled it above his line. Once I came out of the room he made it clear that he poured it straight into the vile that would be sent to the lab and wrapped it tight inside the plastic bag. I had to sign and initial a few pieces of paper and that was it, so I bounced right after. I am still waiting on the results and will post when I hear but I hope this answers some people's questions.

As a brief guide if you are worried about passing a drug test:
1) Do your best to find out if you will be supervised during the test (I was able to find it online)
2) Take an at home drug test. Just do it, it can't hurt and at least you'll know for sure before you start spending money trying to pass the real thing.
3) Decide on your plan of attack. Although I haven't tried all of the techniques, I would rank the reliability as follows:
a. Substitution (if you have access to clean urine and will not be supervised, use the supplies I bought and PRACTICE GETTING THAT TEMP RIGHT). Don't even mess around with detox drinks, pills etc. if you can get clean urine!
b. Dilution. There is a very good guide in these forums about dilution that seems to have a pretty high success rate, use this method if you have to.
c. Masking. I personally don't recommend it, if an employer is even going through the trouble of testing you for drugs then they are going to be testing for masking agents as well, not worth it.
4) RELAX. Stick to your plan and execute it like your James Bond, no need to trip. If you've found yourself here then you are obviously an intelligent person who is capable of avoiding such a silly screening process.

Good luck to all!

jakariwus Reviewed by jakariwus on 07-16-2012. Various Drug Test Info/Guidelines & Labcorp My aim is to clear any stress and/or confusion that is most likely present for anyone who has been asked to complete a drug screening for the pre-employment process. Personally I don't think giving out your stats and smoking frequency helps too much but nonetheless: I am 5'9", 160 lbs, 20 y/o, and am a semi-frequent smoker (2-3 times a week). For part of my pre-employment process I was notified on a Wednesday that I had to take a drug test with LabCorp by the following Monday at 4PM. Rating: 5

[nexium]

I walked in the door and was greeted by this homie wearin a fresh pair of Js, good sign first of all. I had to provide ID, my registration number and sign in. There was no wait so I followed him to another room that had a sink and a bunch of other medical equipment in it. The process afterwards was interesting. It was reminiscent of a magician doing a trick, he told me to take off my coat and backpack, wash my hands, grab any sample cup from the drawer, inspect it for cracks, take of the plastic seal and empty the contents on the counter. After this he used a sharpie to mark how high I should fill it, showed me the temperature strip on the side of the cup and said that he'd have to check that within four minutes of me filling it (it had to be between 90-100 degrees F), and to not flush the toilet. The actual bathroom that he showed me to fill the cup in was just a 8x8 ft room inside of this bigger room and he said I could close the door. He was outside just around the corner the whole time but once I was inside I felt like I had a lot of privacy (could have EASILY done substitution if I wanted to). The toilet's water was also tinted blue so that they could prevent people from using the toilet water as part of a dilution technique and/or cooling process. I used the middle part of my stream just in case and filled it above his line. Once I came out of the room he made it clear that he poured it straight into the vile that would be sent to the lab and wrapped it tight inside the plastic bag. I had to sign and initial a few pieces of paper and that was it, so I bounced right after. I am still waiting on the results and will post when I hear but I hope this answers some people's questions.

I am in your situation you had prior to your testing. I am a J a day(only at night for insomnia, it's not medicinal in Ohio yet). I have to test within the next 3 days. I am going to buy Quick Fix because it is only $32 here. The problem and fear I have is this.....

1) What if the 2oz bottle is not enough? If they want more, I could just tell them that is all I could give for now.
2) What if the temp is too high or too low when I get into the bathroom? How do I check the temp before I go in and while I am in the bathroom?(In case there is a long wait).
3) I am going to get the nice hand warmers, should I invest in a thermometer? Do I put the Quick Fix on the inside of my thigh or under my jewels?

I am just worrying but I have never subbed. I always detoxed weeks in advance. This job just came out of no where and the pay is three times more than what I make now lol.

[jakariwus]

If anyone was curious I passed! Ended up having some complications and needed to take a second drug test but it wasn't because I was positive or anything the first time through.

@nexium sorry to get back to you late, hopefully everything went well but if anyone else was looking for an answer to @nexius question...
1) the labcorp dude took the cup and sharpied a line about 3/4 inches up the cup and told me to fill it up to at least there, 2 oz should be plenty.
2) practice practice practice. i know everyone says it but it's the only way to nail the right temp. i did a run through sitting with the shampoo bottle in my crotch for 45 minutes and read the temperature as 96 F. perfect. be careful with hand/toe warmers, some hand warmers are designed to get up to 130 F, while others are set to be right at 100 F. They all say on the back so just check that before you buy any. i wouldn't risk bringing in any extra equipment (thermometer) to the collection room..i guess you just have to have faith in the temperature at that point. one other thing i want to note is that at least at the location i did mine at, the guy printed out the summary of my sample BEFORE HAND. I noticed that the box on the form that asked "Sample between 90-100 F?" was already filled out with a clear "YES". So basically you are innocent until proven guilty :P.
3) the thermometer is definitely worth it. who cares how much money you have to spend to acquire the job? you'll be able to make it back if/WHEN you pass the test!! i can't speak for the quick fix or it's reliability. but as for the location of the shampoo bottle, just use boxer briefs or compression shorts and secure it right on tha gooch.

good luck everybody

[certaindisaster]

W.T.F.! The temp of my Q.F. specimin
was between 90-100 so she checked yes
on the paperwork. She then checked no as well.
And in the remarks wrote "questionable specimin,
rapid cooling" so it was sent to Quest Diagnostics.
Did I use a bottle of the Q.F. that was recalled?
Am I gonna fail this test? I spent the last 2 days
searching forums on this site for anybody in
a similar situation and found nothing...

[Burnt Toast]

The sample temp has no bearing upon whether a QF batch is good or had been recalled.

The reason why the temp is checked is because its a deterrent of sorts from bringing in a substituted sample. Once the sample is bagged, tagged, and sent off to a lab, the temp no longer becomes a factor.

The collector can only select "yes" or "no". S/he cannot select both. Its got to be one or the other.

[certaindisaster]

Right on. Thanks, but the big question still
remains, am I gonna pass this test? The
paperwork says the test to be performed @
Quest is a "sap 10-50/300 GC/MS... "

[Burnt Toast]

As long as you have an unrecalled, unexpired, and untampered batch that had been kept away from direct sunlight, it will pass the test that youve descibed in code.

The test code youve listed breaks down as follows:

SAP = Substance Abuse Panel (assay screen)

10 = ten types of drugs to be tested for

50 = 50ng cutoff limit for THC..

300 = 300ng cutoff limit for a certain (off-topic) drug that will not be up for any discussion in the forum, in order to maintain compliance with the Board Rules (linked to my signature).

The GC/MS will only be used on any of the 10 panels (drugs) that had tested positive on the initial SAP screen. So if a urine sample tests negative on the initial SAP screen, the test is over right then - no confirmation GC/MS will be performed.

[certaindisaster]

Fantastic! Thank you very much. Its f-in awesome to find
intelligent answers that dont begin with "What my uncle
used to do was..."

[Duke7938]

Hello first of all thank you all for the info. I just did a pre employment screen today. I understand what the SAP is but my test was designated SAP 6/300 W/NIT, I'm guessing 6 is the number of drugs being tested for but I don't understand what the 300 designates or why you couldnt explain it??
I haven't smoked in about a week and have been exercising. I used QCarbo20 and be leave that was a waist of money but I hope it worked. Also I consumed some aspirin prior to the test. I absolutely hope I front fail or have a retest! Thank you...

[Burnt Toast]

I understand what the SAP is but my test was designated SAP 6/300 W/NIT, I'm guessing 6 is the number of drugs being tested for but I don't understand what the 300 designates or why you couldnt explain it??

As stated in post #7..

300 = 300ng cutoff limit for a certain (off-topic) drug that will not be up for any discussion in the forum, in order to maintain compliance with the Board Rules (linked to my signature).

Therefore, for the purposes of maintaining compliance, the only drug of concern will be THC.

As far as W/NIT goes that means "with nitrites check" - This is a validity test checking for excessive nitrites as well as checking the creatinine, pH, and specific gravity. In short, they will be checking for adulterants, overdilution, and substituted samples.