What does a hair test reveal?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 561
What does a hair test reveal?
Can you guys tell me what is revealed by a drug test that uses a hair sample?
The guy who runs the supervision company that is supervising my sister's visitation with her daughter has asked us if we would consider paying for her to have a hair test to either prove or disprove that she has a drug problem.
This is because my sister claims she is drug free and has been for five months.
I don't know if my sister is still using street drugs but I'm inclined to think she is not. My bigger concern is that I believe she abuses and overuses her prescription medications.
I don't want to pay for a hair test that will just show she's not using crack thereby proving she's ready to parent her daughter. Likewise if the drug test will only show that she uses a legal prescription it is of no use to me.
Will a hair test prove or disprove if she is ABUSING prescription medication? Also, will the fact she dyes her hair affect the outcome of a test?
Thanks in advance for any input!
Lisa
The guy who runs the supervision company that is supervising my sister's visitation with her daughter has asked us if we would consider paying for her to have a hair test to either prove or disprove that she has a drug problem.
This is because my sister claims she is drug free and has been for five months.
I don't know if my sister is still using street drugs but I'm inclined to think she is not. My bigger concern is that I believe she abuses and overuses her prescription medications.
I don't want to pay for a hair test that will just show she's not using crack thereby proving she's ready to parent her daughter. Likewise if the drug test will only show that she uses a legal prescription it is of no use to me.
Will a hair test prove or disprove if she is ABUSING prescription medication? Also, will the fact she dyes her hair affect the outcome of a test?
Thanks in advance for any input!
Lisa
Ph.D in insanity!!
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 698
The dye does nothing and there is NO way around it. The length of your hair is how much history it holds. If she did coke (per se) eight years ago there will be proof of that in the lower parts of her hair.
It's as if you were to cut a tree and see the lines in the bark........hair holds the same marks in time frames.
They will be able to find the truth. Good luck
It's as if you were to cut a tree and see the lines in the bark........hair holds the same marks in time frames.
They will be able to find the truth. Good luck
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 31,179
This info I got from a guy who runs a lab that does hair tests.
Dye will not affect it. The standard test goes back 3 months, but you can go back as far as you want to, it just costs more. What I didn't know, is that he says you can find out what meds she was prescribed, and they can actually tell if the meds were abused. Now, this conversation was months ago, and he's moved so I don't see him any more (he used to hang out at my mechanic's shop), but I had no idea that they could tell the abuse. I'm not really sure if he was talking about the hair test or a blood/urine test, but I'm sure you could call a reputable lab and ask them.
The hair test should show anything she has used.
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
Dye will not affect it. The standard test goes back 3 months, but you can go back as far as you want to, it just costs more. What I didn't know, is that he says you can find out what meds she was prescribed, and they can actually tell if the meds were abused. Now, this conversation was months ago, and he's moved so I don't see him any more (he used to hang out at my mechanic's shop), but I had no idea that they could tell the abuse. I'm not really sure if he was talking about the hair test or a blood/urine test, but I'm sure you could call a reputable lab and ask them.
The hair test should show anything she has used.
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Chicago area
Posts: 4,269
Hair testing is the test of choice for employers and schools. It has the ability to show a historic pattern of usage.
Cocaine/Crack, Marijuana, Opiates, Meth and PCP are the basic 5 substances that are screened. Some tests also screen for Ecstacy.
What kind of prescription meds does your sister use/abuse?
Cocaine/Crack, Marijuana, Opiates, Meth and PCP are the basic 5 substances that are screened. Some tests also screen for Ecstacy.
What kind of prescription meds does your sister use/abuse?
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 561
She was prescribed OxyContin for a long period of time. She claims to have switched to a prescribed drug called Seupdol which has less inherent risk of abuse. I am CERTAIN she is abusing whatever it is she's taking because sometimes her speech is so slurred I can barely understand her. I don't want to waste money on a test that just proves she takes her prescribed medication... it's only worth something if it shows how MUCH she's taking. Otherwise we're just establishing something she's already admitted to.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 469
Here is some info i found on internet
Hair drug testing
Hair testing is considered accurate and can go back as far as 90 days.[16], As hair grows out, any drugs used are encased in the hair shaft. Longer hair can reveal an individual's drug history spanning a longer period than shorter hair. Human hair grows an average of .5 inches/month, which corresponds to 30 days of possible drug testing for approximately every .5 inch. Testing laboratories generally require between 0.5 and 1.5 inches for testing. This represents approximately 30 to 90 days of drug use. The standard for hair 1.5 inches or longer is 80 strand or 120 if only .5 inches as it is by picogram weight that the hair is uniformly tested. Some people attempt to circumvent this through shaving their heads. This does not usually work. In the absence of the required amount of hair on the scalp, body hair can be used as an acceptable substitute in the order of face, chest, arm pit, and on some occasions the police use leg hair that has a shorter slower growth rate. If all hair is shaven, the follicles of the hair may be used in place of the hair. Hair follicle testing is normally not part of an employer-based drug testing program using hair.
Additionally for pre-employment hair testing, the inability to obtain a sample may be grounds for not hiring the individual. Hair Testing labs are regulated by CLIA or SAMHSA. One clinical laboratory conducting hair-testing for drugs of abuse, Psychemedics Corporation, offers a test that has been cleared by the FDA. There is a growing trend in major companies and law enforcement agencies to utilize hair analysis on account of its efficiency and reputation as the gold standard when considering test accuracy. This technology makes use of radioimmunoassay or the ELISA technology with subsequent confirmation by mass spectrometry.
In recent years, hair testing has been the subject of a number of lawsuits. Studies have shown that different ethnic groups have different hair structure, potentially leading to false positives.[17] In recent years, studies have proven conclusively that ethnicity does not impact the accuracy of a hair test. Misinformation in this area may be promulgated by individuals or organizations attempting to malign the superior detection capabilities of hair-testing.Citation Needed
Shampoos are available to help subjects pass tests, however almost all of the products are just Aloe rid clarifying shampoo some with laundry detergent added. The aloe rid will help during detoxing to cut down on second-hand contamination from sweat and scalp oils. A two-step process that opens the cuticle layer and allows deeper penetration is used. One hair testing laboratory, Psychemedics Corporation, performs extensive wash procedures on each hair sample to eliminate the possibility of a false positive from drug residue on the outside of the hair shaft.
Q:How effective is hair follicle testing in detecting drug usage?
In comparison to a urinalysis drug test, cocaine, PCP, opiates, and methamphetamine have proven hair analysis far more effective than urine testing in identifying low-level drug use over an extended period of time since these are normally out of the bloodstream in within 3-7 days (see drug detection times). The detection of marijuana is currently less sensitive than the other drugs in identifying low level drug users, but is considered approximately equal to urinalysis in identifying marijuana users. The detection period for hair is limited only by the length of the hair sample and is approximately 90 days for a standard screen.
Back to TopQ:How do drugs get into hair?
After a substance is ingested, whether orally, smoked, snorted, or injected, metabolites are produced as the drug is processed by the human body. As these drugs and metabolites circulate in the blood stream, they enter and nourish the hair follicle and are then inserted into the hair strand.
Hair drug testing
Hair testing is considered accurate and can go back as far as 90 days.[16], As hair grows out, any drugs used are encased in the hair shaft. Longer hair can reveal an individual's drug history spanning a longer period than shorter hair. Human hair grows an average of .5 inches/month, which corresponds to 30 days of possible drug testing for approximately every .5 inch. Testing laboratories generally require between 0.5 and 1.5 inches for testing. This represents approximately 30 to 90 days of drug use. The standard for hair 1.5 inches or longer is 80 strand or 120 if only .5 inches as it is by picogram weight that the hair is uniformly tested. Some people attempt to circumvent this through shaving their heads. This does not usually work. In the absence of the required amount of hair on the scalp, body hair can be used as an acceptable substitute in the order of face, chest, arm pit, and on some occasions the police use leg hair that has a shorter slower growth rate. If all hair is shaven, the follicles of the hair may be used in place of the hair. Hair follicle testing is normally not part of an employer-based drug testing program using hair.
Additionally for pre-employment hair testing, the inability to obtain a sample may be grounds for not hiring the individual. Hair Testing labs are regulated by CLIA or SAMHSA. One clinical laboratory conducting hair-testing for drugs of abuse, Psychemedics Corporation, offers a test that has been cleared by the FDA. There is a growing trend in major companies and law enforcement agencies to utilize hair analysis on account of its efficiency and reputation as the gold standard when considering test accuracy. This technology makes use of radioimmunoassay or the ELISA technology with subsequent confirmation by mass spectrometry.
In recent years, hair testing has been the subject of a number of lawsuits. Studies have shown that different ethnic groups have different hair structure, potentially leading to false positives.[17] In recent years, studies have proven conclusively that ethnicity does not impact the accuracy of a hair test. Misinformation in this area may be promulgated by individuals or organizations attempting to malign the superior detection capabilities of hair-testing.Citation Needed
Shampoos are available to help subjects pass tests, however almost all of the products are just Aloe rid clarifying shampoo some with laundry detergent added. The aloe rid will help during detoxing to cut down on second-hand contamination from sweat and scalp oils. A two-step process that opens the cuticle layer and allows deeper penetration is used. One hair testing laboratory, Psychemedics Corporation, performs extensive wash procedures on each hair sample to eliminate the possibility of a false positive from drug residue on the outside of the hair shaft.
Q:How effective is hair follicle testing in detecting drug usage?
In comparison to a urinalysis drug test, cocaine, PCP, opiates, and methamphetamine have proven hair analysis far more effective than urine testing in identifying low-level drug use over an extended period of time since these are normally out of the bloodstream in within 3-7 days (see drug detection times). The detection of marijuana is currently less sensitive than the other drugs in identifying low level drug users, but is considered approximately equal to urinalysis in identifying marijuana users. The detection period for hair is limited only by the length of the hair sample and is approximately 90 days for a standard screen.
Back to TopQ:How do drugs get into hair?
After a substance is ingested, whether orally, smoked, snorted, or injected, metabolites are produced as the drug is processed by the human body. As these drugs and metabolites circulate in the blood stream, they enter and nourish the hair follicle and are then inserted into the hair strand.
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 31,179
((Stubborn)) - thanks for clarifying for me...I was thinking he was talking about the ability to determine abuse with a blood test, since it would have to be recent, but wasn't sure since we were talking about both tests.
((Sister)) - personally, it doesn't sound like a hair test will give you the info you're looking for (unless she IS using something else) and it is pretty expensive, from what I've read.
Are you still recording her phone conversations? If she's calling you and obviously under the influence, I would think that would show she's not of "clear mind" whether she's taking what she's prescribed or more.
Where I work (a restaurant), we have a day shift server who is now on methadone. Unfortunately, she is also taking whatever she can get her hands on in the ways of opiates and benzos. She says she can't be fired because she has a dr's note stating she is on the methadone. My boss, so far, is falling for this crap and she continues to come in high as a kite. I'm just waiting to hear when she's injured a customer by spilling something hot all over them.
I COULD strongly advise, to him, that he have her drug tested as I know she is taking other stuff (I know who she gets them from), but I'm staying out of it. My boss has been very unsupportive of me with the whole robbery thing and I think he and this server can learn their own lessons without me. She wants the entire restaurant drug tested, if she has to be drug tested. He will have to shut the restaurant down, as there are only about 8 of us who would have clean drug tests...at least I'm one of them
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
((Sister)) - personally, it doesn't sound like a hair test will give you the info you're looking for (unless she IS using something else) and it is pretty expensive, from what I've read.
Are you still recording her phone conversations? If she's calling you and obviously under the influence, I would think that would show she's not of "clear mind" whether she's taking what she's prescribed or more.
Where I work (a restaurant), we have a day shift server who is now on methadone. Unfortunately, she is also taking whatever she can get her hands on in the ways of opiates and benzos. She says she can't be fired because she has a dr's note stating she is on the methadone. My boss, so far, is falling for this crap and she continues to come in high as a kite. I'm just waiting to hear when she's injured a customer by spilling something hot all over them.
I COULD strongly advise, to him, that he have her drug tested as I know she is taking other stuff (I know who she gets them from), but I'm staying out of it. My boss has been very unsupportive of me with the whole robbery thing and I think he and this server can learn their own lessons without me. She wants the entire restaurant drug tested, if she has to be drug tested. He will have to shut the restaurant down, as there are only about 8 of us who would have clean drug tests...at least I'm one of them
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: NY
Posts: 1,054
Can you guys tell me what is revealed by a drug test that uses a hair sample?
The guy who runs the supervision company that is supervising my sister's visitation with her daughter has asked us if we would consider paying for her to have a hair test to either prove or disprove that she has a drug problem.
The guy who runs the supervision company that is supervising my sister's visitation with her daughter has asked us if we would consider paying for her to have a hair test to either prove or disprove that she has a drug problem.
Sister...it sounds as if the supervising company has a suspicion that she is using, therefore they wouldn't have asked you to consider such a serious thing. I'm not sure what a hair sample would turn out, but this is what you could do. If she has been ordered by a Family Court for these visits, you can request a drug test be ordered by the judge.
I did this with AH, he has supervised visits also. I filed a violation in Family Court, on the petition I wrote my suspicions that he was using, and requested that a drug test be done. The judge ordered him last week to be drug tested by Friday the 31st. The judge told him to go to a specific rehab here to have it done. I believe the drug test reveals all drugs if used, even prescription drugs. I believe these tests can reveal if prescription drugs have been abused. There is a certain level prescription drugs should be at in a person, even if she has a legal script. If it's above that level, thats how they know they are being abused.
NH7
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