Drug screens are drug tests usually performed to check for any drugs in your system. Drug screens near you are done in a painless and quick routine to identify illegal and prescription drugs in your body. Drug screening is a process done by a doctor or technician to analyze the components of your body. It is a vital process, often relied on to determine the consumption of medication, whether legally or illegally.
Drug screens at San Antonio are very common among employees, athletes, and patients. In many cases, a technician or doctor will request a urine sample to use for the screening. However, others things in your body can be used, including your blood. It depends on how thorough and in-depth the drug screening is in an urgent care clinic in San Antonio, based on the underlying needs for the test.
Which Drugs Can Be Detected in Drug Screens?
Depending on how thorough a drug screen is, many drugs can be identified in your body. This accounts for the types of drugs, as well as the levels present in your body. The type of drug screen used will also impact the results you get. For example, with a urine drug screen, drugs are only detected when they are above a certain level. In that case, you may need to use multiple approaches if you are after a precise outcome. Still, some of the commonly identifiable drugs in drug screening procedures are:
- Alcohol
- Nicotine
- Opioids
- Cocaine
- Marijuana/Bhang
- Benzodiazepines
- Methamphetamine
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
What Are the Purposes and Uses of Drug Screens?
Depending on who is requesting the test, the use and purpose of walk-in drug screening can vary. Typically, drug screens are conducted for the following reasons:
- Revealing intoxication – in an urgent care center, patients suspected to be intoxicated need a drug screen. The test will uncover what kind of drugs are in their system. This is primarily important for candidates from rehabilitation centers as a sobriety check during the course of their treatment in rehab. It can also be the case for patients involved in accidents.
- Preventing impairment in the workplace – employers use drug screens to determine the impairment of employees when working. The goal is often to boost productivity in the workplace while dissuading employees from working under the influence of drugs.
- As a safety measure – drug screens are important for personnel in work environments that dictate a high level of sobriety to heighten the safety standards thereof.
- Diagnostic purposes – when a doctor at Alamo City Urgent Care needs to diagnose your underlying health issue, a drug screen may be required. This can help lift the suspicion of drug misuse and abuse. Besides, it is a way to diagnose the root cause of your health problems, more so if they are linked to drug usage.
- Sporting rules and regulations – as an athlete there are stipulations you must follow in your sporting career. Drug screens are necessitated for sportspersons to check for performance-enhancing drugs in their system, which may give them an unfair advantage over their counterparts.
Are Drug Screens Effective?
In many cases, a drug screen will uncover a lot about the consumption of drugs and medications among patients. However, different variants exist that affect the outcome of the procedures:
- How often you use the drug – if you consume a particular drug regularly, the results will be detected quickly. The opposite is true for passive users and occasional drug consumers.
- How long ago you took the drugs – a recent consumption of a particular drug is easier to detect than when you took the medication a long time ago.
- Level of consumption – the more of a drug you use, the more impact it has on your body. This translates to easier detection during a drug test.
- Type of test done – drug screens are conducted differently. The most common method is the urine drug test, which comes with cut-off levels to reduce false-positive results in the tests. However, it is not the only type of drug screen done in medicine. For a more thorough evaluation of your health and to identify any possible drug interactions or risks, it’s essential to schedule a regular wellness checkup in addition to any required drug screens.
