SUBJECT AREA · 17 GUIDES
Drug Analysis
Screening, confirmation, metabolites, emerging substances, and drug-specific interpretation.
Immunoassay Drug Screening
Immunoassays rapidly screen classes of compounds through antibody binding. A presumptive result does not by itself identify a specific drug or establish a concentration.
Confirmatory Drug Testing
Confirmatory testing uses a more specific analytical procedure to identify or quantify a compound. It should address the target, specimen, and question actually at issue.
Drug Metabolites in Toxicology
Metabolites can support exposure, distinguish pathways, or complicate attribution because some are produced by multiple parent drugs.
Fentanyl and Analog Analysis
Fentanyl analogs can differ in potency, metabolism, and analytical detectability. Targeted panels may miss new or uncommon structures.
Synthetic Cannabinoid Analysis
Synthetic cannabinoids are structurally diverse and change rapidly. Many routine cannabis assays do not detect them, and reference data may be limited.
Designer Benzodiazepines
Designer benzodiazepines may not appear on standard panels and can share metabolites with licensed drugs. Identification and interpretation require current, compound-specific methods.
Carbon Monoxide Toxicology
Carbon monoxide exposure is commonly evaluated through carboxyhemoglobin measurement. Interpretation considers specimen, method, exposure history, smoking, treatment, and postmortem context.
Cyanide Toxicology
Cyanide is volatile, reactive, and time sensitive. Collection, sealing, preservation, storage, and rapid analysis are critical to meaningful results.
Pesticide Toxicology
Pesticides span many chemical classes with different targets, metabolites, and analytical requirements. A single generic screen cannot rule out the group.
Rodenticide Toxicology
Rodenticides include anticoagulants, neurotoxic agents, and metabolic poisons. Testing and interpretation must begin with the suspected active ingredient.
Opioid Analysis
Opioid testing must account for parent drugs, metabolites, conjugates, synthetic opioids, and the limited scope of class immunoassays.
Cannabis Metabolites
THC and its metabolites differ in activity, timing, and persistence. A measured concentration does not by itself establish when cannabis was used or whether a person was impaired.
Cocaine and Metabolites
Cocaine is metabolized to benzoylecgonine and other products; ethanol can produce cocaethylene. Specimen and analyte patterns inform, but rarely pinpoint, timing.
Amphetamine Enantiomers
Chiral analysis can distinguish proportions of d- and l-forms of amphetamine or methamphetamine, helping evaluate possible sources.
Antidepressant Toxicology
Antidepressants vary widely in therapeutic range, toxicity, metabolism, and postmortem behavior. Drug-specific evidence is essential.
Antipsychotic Toxicology
Antipsychotic drugs have diverse pharmacology and analytical behavior. Concentrations may be affected by adherence, metabolism, interactions, and postmortem change.
Trace Element Toxicology
Metals and metalloids may require specialized collection and elemental analysis. Contamination, background exposure, specimen choice, and chemical species can dominate interpretation.