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Drug Testing Facts

Thinking about drug testing your teen? You are not alone. Thousands of parents are turning to home drug tests. If you suspect your teenager is using drugs or alcohol or you notice unexplained changes in physical appearance or behavior, it may be a sign of substance use. You might want to take the next step. Below you will find information on drug testing kits that can be used at home.



Hair Drug Testing kits
have a very long drug detection window. For most drugs it can detect drug use about 90 days or more. These are very donor friendly (in fact for some situations second collection is possible) drug testing kits that are easy to collect or store. Adulteration is a lot more difficult in hair drug testing than any other test method. You can detect about 6 different drugs with this method. The test is very dependable and accurate.

The main disadvantage of hair drug testing is the fact that you need a lab to run the test and generate the results. Because of this extra step it might take a few additional days to get results. Another disadvantage of the hair drug test is the fact that it might not detect very recent drug use. Hair drug test kits are usually the most expensive drug test kits due to the need for lab testing requirement.

Spray (Sweat) drug test kits
are non-invasive and donor friendly. It is very easy to collect the specimen and no bathroom is needed for taking specimen. The detection window usually can detect drug use up to a couple of weeks. These drug tests are relatively tamper proof since they are hard to manipulate. The sweat drug test kits are accurate and easy to administer. There is no need for lab and you can get results in minutes.

The main disadvantage of spray or sweat based drug testing kits is the fact that they are open to environmental contamination. Also large variations of sweat production rate of possible donors make some results inconclusive. Their prices tend to be a little higher per test conducted. One other main disadvantage is that the types of drug that can be detected are limited.

Urine drug tests Kits
depend on a mature technology and they have an extensive scientific base. The results are accurate and reliable. The cost of urine drug testing kits are lower than other type drug test kits (Cup based drug test kits cost more than cassette and dip drug test kits). Results are almost instant and there is no need for a lab or technician to conduct the drug tests. These drug tests kits are easy to store and have long shelf life. Especially the drug test kits that come in packs with gloves and cups are very convenient to conduct. They detect up to 12 different drugs depending on your choice of test kit.

Depending on the person and the substance used, there is usually up to 3 day window of detection. Urine drug test kits are easier to adulterate than other drug test kits (Cup test kits are harder to manipulate and more dependable in that sense). There is a need of bathroom to conduct the tests. Urine drug tests have sometimes been viewed as invasive or embarrassing by some donors.

Saliva (Oral) drug test kits are very donor friendly, non-invasive and easy to collect the specimen. There is no need for a bathroom to administer the tests. Samples can be collected easily in virtually any environment. These are great tests to detect the very recent drug use. Also these drug tests harder to adulterate than the urine drug tests since the sample can be obtained under direct supervision. Results can be read in minutes and there is no need for lab. This method is the best method for determining current use and impairment.

The main disadvantage of saliva based drug test kits is their detection window. (Few hours to at most 2-3 days) Also smoked drugs might cause contamination of saliva and inconclusive results. Saliva drug testing kits are very easy to administer and donor friendly. So they make great drug tests to be used as on the job random drug testing or reasonable suspicion drug testing. If you are suspicious from your teenager's drug use, these tests would be great to administer right after they come back home on a weekend night or in the following morning.

I truly believe that if you are feeling like your teen is slipping away and that drugs or alcohol could be the culprit, than by all means, purchase a drug screen kit. For more information on drug testing or to order a drug test kit online, go to Test Country.