Drugs of Abuse Testing

Drug testing is an effective component in monitoring opioid use disorder (OUD) and helping to reduce overdose risks. Siemens Healthineers offers a comprehensive opioid menu, including EMIT^® II Plus Methadone, EMIT II Plus Buprenorphine, and ARK EDDP immunoassay tests to assist in the detection and monitoring patients with OUD. Siemens Healthineers also offers the EMIT II Plus Oxycodone, ARK Fentanyl, Tramadol, and Meperidine immunoassay tests for the detection of synthetic and semisynthetic opioids.

Compliance Monitoring in Medically Assisted Opioid Addiction Treatment: The Syva Emit II Plus Buprenorphine Assay from Siemens Healthineers

Laboratory testing indicates that 7 out of every 10 pills seized by DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.  And while fentanyl use and overdose deaths continues to rise, the percentage of labs testing for fentanyl is low, at only about 5%.

Timely, reliable, and convenient drug testing options are critical in combating the drug crisis. Use of FDA-approved fentanyl urine drug screens within dedicated and healthcare populations is important for identifying at-risk individuals and populations, and vital in identifying local trends and responding to changing needs to help alter the trajectory of the overdose epidemic.

Help your lab navigate the complexities of drug testing. Listen to an expert-led webinar to gain insight into the different analytical approaches for laboratory detection of fentanyl and the lab’s potential role in uncovering emerging trends in the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

The use of more than one drug, also known as polysubstance use, is common. This includes when two or more are taken together or within a short time period, either intentionally or unintentionally.

• Intentional polysubstance use occurs when a person takes a drug to increase or decrease the effects of a different drug or wants to experience the effects of the combination.
• Unintentional polysubstance use occurs when a person takes drugs that have been mixed or cut with other substances, such as fentanyl, without their knowledge.

Compared to users of a single drug, polysubstance users are more likely to present with comorbid mental health conditions, misuse or abuse prescription drugs, and are at a greater risk for other health complications.

The potency of fentanyl and the alarming increase in often-unintentional misuse and abuse pose the danger of overdose. 

Monitoring trends in fentanyl exposure in your community can help your facility support the implementation of appropriate harm reduction strategies to minimize the risk of overdose.

Harm reduction strategies include:

• Monitoring overdose rates due to illicit drug use
• Understanding drug screens in clinical and dedicated settings
• Identifying the need for community fentanyl surveillance of fatal and nonfatal overdoses
• Implementing harm reduction interventions and potential partnership opportunities

Learn how your lab can make a difference in the opioid epidemic