A methamphetamine test is a scientific test to identify if a person has taken the drug methamphetamine. Methamphetamine has a stimulant effect on the body and so is sometimes abused. A person may have to undergo this test in certain circumstances, such as part of a general program that tests employees or students randomly or annually. A methamphetamine test can also be court-ordered for someone who has broken the law.
According to the Merck Manual, doctors can prescribe methamphetamine to treat conditions such as obesity, narcolepsy, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Outside of these legal uses, methamphetamine has been illegally consumed for recreational purposes. It is this abuse that a methamphetamine test is designed to detect.
Methamphetamine is detectable in urine, hair, or blood samples. Urine is commonly tested for the drug as it is less physically invasive than taking a blood sample, and the test has a high level of accuracy. A methamphetamine test can detect the drug in urine up to five days after use. The drug is detectable in hair for up to three months and in blood for up to three days.
A methamphetamine test identifies the presence of the drug and the chemicals it breaks down into using several different technologies. Generally, the primary tests use substances known as antibodies that bind to the drug and drug products. The amount of binding, as judged by a sensitive laboratory machine called a spectrophotometer, indicates the level of drugs in the sample. Some commercial tests give a positive or negative result without the aid of the spectrophotometer.
A primary positive test result may then need to be confirmed using more sensitive tests, such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The gas chromatography machines separate the drug and drug products from the rest of the sample and then measure the time the chemicals take to pass through a column. Each chemical takes a certain amount of time to pass through and therefore can be identified. The mass spectrometer breaks the chemicals into sections and identifies a chemical by its particular pattern as compared to standard patterns.
Some workplaces require new job applicants to undergo compulsory drug testing. An employer may also require employees to submit to drug testing either at random times, as part of an annual physical, or if there are suspicions an employee has taken drugs. Government employees, pilots, truck drivers, and others who perform jobs where drug use poses a danger to the public are commonly required to submit to testing.
Drug addicts in treatment programs may also have to undergo regular methamphetamine tests, as could a person who was ordered by a court to remain drug free as part of a probation program. A family court could also order a parent to submit to testing to assess suitability for child custody. A school could also make drug testing a requirement for students. Parents who suspect their child abuses the drug can also buy a home methamphetamine test, although sometimes tests can give false negatives or positives and need to be confirmed by a separate test.