Understanding a Drug Screen
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 398
Understanding a Drug Screen
I'm trying to understand my AH's drug screens. I posted this on two Substance Abuse threads. If you all have any insight on this though, I'd love to hear it! Thanks!
__________________________________________________ ___________
Hi and thanks for reading! I'd really appreciate any insight I can gain from you all. I'll be posting this in the methadone thread as well.
My husband is an addict and we had recently reconciled. Since he was living with my children and me, I thought I should review his drug screens. He goes to a methadone clinic and they give him random drug screens.
He's tested positive for THC since his first screen on 7/31/12. His level on 8/17 was THC 131. From there it's been 133, 142, 140 and 140. The last test I have was on 9/27.
I know this is going to be a really dumb question, but is he still using or are those levels still left over from when he used in the past? I personally think he's still using and I'm not impressed that the levels have increased (basically) each time.
I tried to research what these levels mean and I can't find anything on the internet. Do these levels mean he's using a lot? He's about 6'3'' and weighs around 230.
Also, what does BZP-12 mean?
Thank you for your help!
__________________________________________________ ___________
Hi and thanks for reading! I'd really appreciate any insight I can gain from you all. I'll be posting this in the methadone thread as well.
My husband is an addict and we had recently reconciled. Since he was living with my children and me, I thought I should review his drug screens. He goes to a methadone clinic and they give him random drug screens.
He's tested positive for THC since his first screen on 7/31/12. His level on 8/17 was THC 131. From there it's been 133, 142, 140 and 140. The last test I have was on 9/27.
I know this is going to be a really dumb question, but is he still using or are those levels still left over from when he used in the past? I personally think he's still using and I'm not impressed that the levels have increased (basically) each time.
I tried to research what these levels mean and I can't find anything on the internet. Do these levels mean he's using a lot? He's about 6'3'' and weighs around 230.
Also, what does BZP-12 mean?
Thank you for your help!
Autobrew Anon Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 599
Benzylpiperazine: a drug of abuse? [J Psychopharmacol. 2007] - PubMed - NCBI
faith the above is from a google search - that is a government site so should have decent info. i don't know too much about drug tests but it seems funny the values are going up instead of going down. this is an observation on my part - i honestly don't know. is there a doctor or a certified lab that you could call and ask?
also it seems that maybe you already know in your mind and it's hard for your heart to know. best wishes to you
faith the above is from a google search - that is a government site so should have decent info. i don't know too much about drug tests but it seems funny the values are going up instead of going down. this is an observation on my part - i honestly don't know. is there a doctor or a certified lab that you could call and ask?
also it seems that maybe you already know in your mind and it's hard for your heart to know. best wishes to you
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 864
Can you get direct information from the lab that does the drug screen?
Actually do you need more than what you have? He is still testing positive and the levels should drop, and not just for pot now, but for Benzylpiperazine. Which can be in powder, crystal or pill form and is sold all over the net and on the street. It is in PEP pill and Jet pills found in Ecstasy but then when taking ex you don't know what you are getting there are hundreds of different formulas out there. I don't know much about it, but is it a stimulant and unless you read it wrong or had a typo and it is BZO instead which is benzo's ... well I guess it won't matter because using is using ... but see mix benzos with methadone and nice high...
Actually do you need more than what you have? He is still testing positive and the levels should drop, and not just for pot now, but for Benzylpiperazine. Which can be in powder, crystal or pill form and is sold all over the net and on the street. It is in PEP pill and Jet pills found in Ecstasy but then when taking ex you don't know what you are getting there are hundreds of different formulas out there. I don't know much about it, but is it a stimulant and unless you read it wrong or had a typo and it is BZO instead which is benzo's ... well I guess it won't matter because using is using ... but see mix benzos with methadone and nice high...
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 110
Hi Faithlove,
I work in a medical lab and used to do drugs of abuse testing regularly. You should definitely call the lab and find out their cutoff for what should be interpreted as positive. Also find out what is the unit they measure in, for example nanograms per milliliter, or grams per deciliter etc.... In the lab I worked at, under 20 nanograms per milliliter for benzos was considered negative. Under 30 ng/mL was negative for cannabis, but I've heard of labs using as low as 5 or as high as 50 ng/mL for the cutoff. Every lab uses different methods, so that's important to find out. I find it surprising that there was no interpretation of positive or negative. The number means pretty much nothing without the cutoff or the interpretation.
Is his urine being tested or blood? Cannabis is detectable in blood only for a week or so. But it is detectable in urine for months after use if he was/is a very heavy user. And the amount detectable in urine is different depending on metabolism. Assuming they took urine: 140 ng/ml with the method we used was positive, but not that high. And the difference between 131 ng/ml and 140 ng/ml is statistically nothing. The differences probably depend on the sample: could be that they took the sample early in the morning, or shortly after exercise, or after he drank a lot of water, or the sample sat in the fridge a couple of days before it was tested, or if the urine analyser had been calibrated recently (or, or, or...).
Assuming it is urine that they test. It he continues to test positive for more than three months, then you can be sure that he's using. If it's blood they test, then he's almost certainly still using. And for benzos: check with the lab what their cutoff is. At my old job he'd have tested negative. If he was a habitual user of benzodiazepines, it could be detected in the urine for weeks after. But in blood, only hours after use.
The problem with a urine test is that it isn't a picture of current drug use. It shows what the body has metabolized over weeks. Blood is a much more accurate picture of current use, but the drugs are cleaned out of the body so quickly it's hard to catch a user with this method.
If BZP means Benzylpiperazine and not Benzodiazepine... we didn't test for that where I worked so I can't help you there.
I work in a medical lab and used to do drugs of abuse testing regularly. You should definitely call the lab and find out their cutoff for what should be interpreted as positive. Also find out what is the unit they measure in, for example nanograms per milliliter, or grams per deciliter etc.... In the lab I worked at, under 20 nanograms per milliliter for benzos was considered negative. Under 30 ng/mL was negative for cannabis, but I've heard of labs using as low as 5 or as high as 50 ng/mL for the cutoff. Every lab uses different methods, so that's important to find out. I find it surprising that there was no interpretation of positive or negative. The number means pretty much nothing without the cutoff or the interpretation.
Is his urine being tested or blood? Cannabis is detectable in blood only for a week or so. But it is detectable in urine for months after use if he was/is a very heavy user. And the amount detectable in urine is different depending on metabolism. Assuming they took urine: 140 ng/ml with the method we used was positive, but not that high. And the difference between 131 ng/ml and 140 ng/ml is statistically nothing. The differences probably depend on the sample: could be that they took the sample early in the morning, or shortly after exercise, or after he drank a lot of water, or the sample sat in the fridge a couple of days before it was tested, or if the urine analyser had been calibrated recently (or, or, or...).
Assuming it is urine that they test. It he continues to test positive for more than three months, then you can be sure that he's using. If it's blood they test, then he's almost certainly still using. And for benzos: check with the lab what their cutoff is. At my old job he'd have tested negative. If he was a habitual user of benzodiazepines, it could be detected in the urine for weeks after. But in blood, only hours after use.
The problem with a urine test is that it isn't a picture of current drug use. It shows what the body has metabolized over weeks. Blood is a much more accurate picture of current use, but the drugs are cleaned out of the body so quickly it's hard to catch a user with this method.
If BZP means Benzylpiperazine and not Benzodiazepine... we didn't test for that where I worked so I can't help you there.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 398
Thank you, FarFarAway!
You answered so many of my questions. These results are from a UA.
He did not have an X in the column under BZP. He did have that number though on one screen. I figured there wasn't enough in his system to reach their cutoff on the day he was tested. However, it was still there. And he's not tested daily.
I was curious about the THC levels- if 131 was that much different than 140, or whatever. So I guess it's possible that he hasnt used THC. Possible but not probable. I'm sure I smelled it on his breath last week. He said all he'd eaten was pancakes.
I'm still filing for divorce. If he recovers, then good for him. I am now exiting this rollercoster though.
You answered so many of my questions. These results are from a UA.
He did not have an X in the column under BZP. He did have that number though on one screen. I figured there wasn't enough in his system to reach their cutoff on the day he was tested. However, it was still there. And he's not tested daily.
I was curious about the THC levels- if 131 was that much different than 140, or whatever. So I guess it's possible that he hasnt used THC. Possible but not probable. I'm sure I smelled it on his breath last week. He said all he'd eaten was pancakes.
I'm still filing for divorce. If he recovers, then good for him. I am now exiting this rollercoster though.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 398
He also tested positive for oxy last week. He said it was from one Percocet (that was not prescribed to him). I don't know or care what it was. He still tested positive.
He's playing on my desire to be fair and reasonable. He's trying to convince me that these are all just minor infractions and no reason for me to get upset. He'll convince his family of this, I'm fairly sure. But I know I'm not being unreasonable. If someone gave me a drug test, I would not test positive for THC, OXY, BZP or methadone. This is what I expect from anyone caring for my children.
He's playing on my desire to be fair and reasonable. He's trying to convince me that these are all just minor infractions and no reason for me to get upset. He'll convince his family of this, I'm fairly sure. But I know I'm not being unreasonable. If someone gave me a drug test, I would not test positive for THC, OXY, BZP or methadone. This is what I expect from anyone caring for my children.
Last edited by Faithlove; 10-03-2012 at 07:42 AM. Reason: Add more
Getting there!!
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 5,750
You sound strong this morning!! Now just hold onto it. 
Also, when your husband wanted you to tell him that you don't love him in order for him to leave, maybe saying something like - I love who I thought you were, or who you once were but I do not and will not love who you are NOW - will help you not feel like you are lying to him.
You can not buy the Untangling Relationships workbook on line anymore. You have to buy it from the publisher. My teacher is getting me the info. if you want it.
Also, when your husband wanted you to tell him that you don't love him in order for him to leave, maybe saying something like - I love who I thought you were, or who you once were but I do not and will not love who you are NOW - will help you not feel like you are lying to him.
You can not buy the Untangling Relationships workbook on line anymore. You have to buy it from the publisher. My teacher is getting me the info. if you want it.
Getting there!!
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 5,750
The fact that he is even being drug tested (employment test excluded) should be our wake up call.
I remember when I told my therapist that I drug tested my husband (and I was thinking this was acceptable beahvior..ugh), She looked at me and said "if you have to drug test your husband, you already know the answer." Simple common sense had escaped my thinking.
On our wedding day, I just don't remember that being part of our vows. To love, honor and drug test you! lololol
I remember when I told my therapist that I drug tested my husband (and I was thinking this was acceptable beahvior..ugh), She looked at me and said "if you have to drug test your husband, you already know the answer." Simple common sense had escaped my thinking.
On our wedding day, I just don't remember that being part of our vows. To love, honor and drug test you! lololol
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Chicago area
Posts: 4,269
Originally Posted by Faithlove 
If someone gave me a drug test, I would not test positive for THC, OXY, BZP or methadone. This is what I expect from anyone caring for my children.
You can remove yourself and children from the situation.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 267
I think others have answered your questions thoroughly but I feel compelled to add something about drug levels as it is something that comes up in our offices a lot. I drug test people as a part of my job. The drug "levels" mean nothing unless you also know their creatinine levels. Without knowing that it can appear that someone has begun using again when they have not and vice versa. Our superiors actually require us to only recognize someone as positive or negative. Even marijuana doesn't stay in the system of most people as long as we usually think.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 654
IMHO if he is in a maintenance program then he should not be testing positive for ANYTHING accept methadone and any other medications that a doctor gives him.
I am currently on a Subutex maintenance program and if I were to test positive for ANYTHING other than Subutex I would be discharged from the maintenance program. Recovery takes dedication and the fact that he thinks it is okay to test positive for oxy shows that he is not ready to be in recovery. I am proud of you for not falling into his web of rationalization that he only took "one perc" or whatever.
I wish you and your family the best,
Maylie
I am currently on a Subutex maintenance program and if I were to test positive for ANYTHING other than Subutex I would be discharged from the maintenance program. Recovery takes dedication and the fact that he thinks it is okay to test positive for oxy shows that he is not ready to be in recovery. I am proud of you for not falling into his web of rationalization that he only took "one perc" or whatever.
I wish you and your family the best,
Maylie
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
