Substance use disorders (SUDs) are ‘treatable, chronic diseases characterized by a problematic pattern of use of a substance or substances leading to impairments in health, social function, and control over substance use’ 1. Drugs of abuse exhibit their effect on the body through the body’s natural messengers, neurotransmitters. To get a basic understanding of neurotransmitters, please see this article here. Different drugs affect various neurotransmitters in different ways. Further understanding of drugs of abuse and their affected neurotransmitters can lead to a more complete understanding o ..read more

We are excited to announce that we are the only laboratory in the world to offer delta-8-THC, delta-9-THC, delta-10-THC, and cannabidiol testing for environmental exposure in hair (ChildGuard®). Effective February 19, the following parent/native cannabinoids became available in ChildGuard® testing: ∆8-THC ∆9-THC ∆10-THC Cannabidiol (CBD) The presence of any of these cannabinoids in hair or nails is evidence of environmental exposure to the specific cannabinoid detected and does not infer ingestion of the cannabinoid. The difference between these cannabinoids is caused by a double bond on th ..read more

By Freepik© Studio With a recent rise in Bromazolam in the news, it’s important to look at what synthetic benzodiazepines are and how they can be dangerous.  What is Bromazolam? Triazolobenzodiazepine is a synthetic benzodiazepine drug also known as bromazolam. It was originally developed in 1976, but it was never sent to market. It is considered a Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS), meaning it does have some psychoactive effects along with the sedative effects of other benzodiazepines1. Bromazolam is sold as tablets or powders, which means it can be used to adulterate drugs such as fen ..read more

Due to current weather conditions, we are experiencing a power outage at the laboratory. This means that our instrumentation, network (email, phones, etc.), and web portal are currently down. We will do our best to process specimens as quickly as possible and get your reports to you as soon as we can, when we can. Thank you for understanding. If you are also affected by the weather conditions, please be safe out there.    The post Winter Weather Delays appeared first on United States Drug Testing Laboratories Inc ..read more

Tianeptine is an atypical tricyclic antidepressant, commonly referred to as Gas Station Heroin or Za Za, and its use has been making headlines linked to serious harm and death. Tianeptine is not approved in the United States but is legal in other countries to treat depression or anxiety. Reports in the United States about severe harm due to tianeptine have been increasing, leading the FDA to issue a formal warning about the drug1.    The clinical effects of tianeptine are very similar to opioids, leading some opioid users to switch to tianeptine as an opioid alternative1. Other ..read more

  1) What is the difference between a clinical test and a forensic test? Forensic testing includes confirmation testing, which uses a second portion/aliquot of the original specimen run on different, more sophisticated instruments when possible to duplicate positive screening results. This is a fail-safe to prevent false positives. Forensic testing also includes a clearly documented chain of custody, which ensures the specimen collected is the specimen that was tested and, in turn, reported out. This is because forensic testing has processes to ensure that the evidence created is defens ..read more

  By Canva© Studio The Center for Disease Control and Prevention defines substance use disorders (SUDs) as ‘treatable, chronic diseases characterized by a problematic pattern of use of a substance or substances leading to impairments in health, social function, and control over substance use’1. Addiction at times can be incorrectly thought of as ‘a moral failing instead of what we know it to be: a chronic treatable brain disease’2, which results in the body sending signals in the absence of the drug. These signals cause the user to ‘crave’ the substance, much like the body sends signals ..read more

Benzodiazepines are a group of drugs which act as a central nervous system depressant and are used for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety. Although benzodiazepines are prescribed by doctors, they are also misused, most commonly in combination with opioids and alcohol. USDTL is excited to announce the addition of several benzodiazepines to the benzodiazepine panel in our umbilical cord assay beginning July 5th, 2023. Two of these added analytes are the designer benzodiazepines etizolam and flualprazolam, which can be purchased online.  The structures of medically approved benzodiazepine ..read more

By Canva© Studio Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine often used to treat allergies, insomnia, and other conditions. However, there has been an alarming rise in diphenhydramine misuse in recent years, particularly among young people. The “Benedryll Challenge” on TikTok led the FDA to put out a statement in 2020 warning about the risk of using high doses. What is Diphenhydramine? Diphenhydramine (also known as DPH, Dimedrol, and Benadryl) is an antihistamine commonly used to treat allergy symptoms such as itching, sneezing, and runny nose. It is also used as a sleep aid and to treat other cond ..read more

By Canva© Studio Xylazine is a sedative which causes analgesic and muscle-relaxing properties and is approved for veterinary medicine. Xylazine was first produced in 1962 by the Bayer company1. It has been studied for human use, but clinical trials had to be terminated due to severe adverse side effects, including central nervous system (CNS) depression1. Xylazine is not approved for human consumption, but it has been found as an adulterant being added to drugs, and it has been used in drug facilitated crimes to induce sleep. According to the DEA, there were 149 reported cases from federal a ..read more