How Drug Test Strips Work

 

Drug Tests are popular in companies, but some workers don’t know how drug test strips work. They screen for drug appearance in the biological specimens such as urine or blood. The strip comes with a chemical pad that switches due to interactions with the biological specimen.

 

What are drug test strips?

A common biological specimen for drug testing is urine. Drug testing strips are a very efficient way to screen for drug misuse or dependence. There exist several drug test strip kits in the market today. You can find multi-drug test strip kits and single drug test strip kits.

 

A single drug test strip kit can help check for a specific drug. Multi-drug test strip kits can help check for different drugs at the same time. The advantage of drug test strips is that you can test for drugs in the comfort of your home.

 

How to use Drug Test Strips

Drug test strips work by immersing them in the urine specimen. When this occurs, the specific immunochemical reaction happens between the antibodies and antigens. This helps to break down specific chemical compounds in the urine specimen.

 

If there’s a drug in the urine specimen, it binds with the drug conjugate for a specific amount of antibody dye conjugate. If the urine sample tests positive for a drug, the colored band disappears on the test line zone. When the colored band appears, it indicates that there’s no drug. It also shows that the drug quantity is less than the standard cut-off level.

 

Most people ask how drug test strips work. When you immerse in a urine sample, a colored band appears in the Control Region. This shows that the test is done accurately. A colored band in the Test Line Region means a negative result. This shows that no drugs are present. If there’s no colored band in the Test Line Region, it shows a positive result. Therefore, there’s the presence of drugs.

 

If the colored bands don’t show in any of the regions, then try again. You can re-dip the strip in the urine specimen and check for the colored bands again. If no colored band appears after the second attempt, then the test is invalid.

 

Are Drug Test Strips accurate?

Drug test strips give very accurate and sensitive results. It works under the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) standards.

 

However, like other tests, there’s a possibility of false results. Most inefficiencies occur due to the cross-reactions with other substances present in the urine.

 

Bottom Line

So, by now you should know how drug test strips work. Drug test strips provide a quick, effective immunoassay for screening several drugs in biological specimens. It works only for vitro diagnostic purposes. It can show either a positive or a negative result. You can interpret the alcohol strip results by comparing the colors of the reaction pad.

 

We recommend you read the guides of the drug test strip kit before using it. Furthermore, you must conduct the test carefully to avoid contamination. Drugs tests are very sensitive and easily lead to inaccurate test results due to improper handling.