1. I’ve tested positive for opiates but took painkillers containing codeine?Codeine is an opiate drug and will therefore give a positive opiate test; it is however common in prescribed painkillers. Most UK hospital drug screens have a second confirmatory step that will allow codeine to be identified and reported as such.
2. I think I had my drink spiked on a night out, how easy is it to tell?
There are numerous reasons why someone might spike a drink; the most common reasons are for amusement, to carry out a sexual assault, or for theft. The majority of so called ‘date rape’ or ‘drink spiking’ drugs (which include ketamine, GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate) and rohypnol (flunitrazepam)) act very quickly and pass out of the body within 24 hours. This rapid clearance from the body makes it important that medical advice is sought as quickly as possible and that a urine specimen is collected within 24 hours.
3. Can I buy home tests to detect drugs of abuse?
Yes, home or Point of Care tests are available either from pharmacies or by mail order. These usually only detect the drug groups (e.g. opiates) rather than the individual drugs such (e.g. morphine). They do not have the second confirmatory step which is required to eliminate false positive results and the quality of the measurement is generally inferior to that provided by an NHS laboratory. Home testing alone is not suitable where legal action might be considered.
