Urine drug screens are most commonly performed by immunoassay technology utilizing monoclonal antibodies that recognizes a structural feature of a drug or its metabolites. They are simple to perform. provide rapid screening, and qualitative results on up to 10 distinct drug classes with good sensitivity but imperfect specificity. This can lead to false positive results and the need for confirmatory testing. UDS does not detect synthetic opiates or cannabinoids, bath salts (synthetic cathinones), and gamma-hydroybutyrate. Most common drug classes detected are the following:
Opiates
Methadone
Benzodiazepines (not all)
Amphetamines
Cocaine
THC metabolites
Barbituates
LSD
PCP
MDMA (Ecstasy)
References
Rational Use and Interpretation of Urine Drug Testing in Chronic Opioid Therapy. Reisberg GM, et al. Ann Clin Lab Sci 2007 Vol 37 (4). 301-314.
