After you’ve taken a urine test at Labcorp, you’ll be curious to know the results. However, you will need to wait for some time to get the results. By the way, how long does it take Labcorp to provide urine test results? Apparently, the time it takes Labcorp to provide urine test results can vary. It depends on several factors, including the specific type of test performed and the volume of sample processed. Well, in this article, we will discuss information regarding the time it takes Labcorp to provide urine test results and other information related to urine testing.
What Does a Urine Test Mean?
A urine test, also called a urinalysis. It is a test done to look at a sample of your urine. By performing this urine test, you can find out your health problems that may require treatment, such as kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, and urinary tract infections (UTIs). In addition, urine tests may also be requested by police officers, judges and other officials to check for the presence of drugs in your system.
What Does a Urine Drug Test Mean?
A urine drug test is a specialized urine test for drugs. It is also referred to as a urine drug screen test or UDS. A urine drug test is a simple and painless test. According to information, this urine drug test is one of the most commonly used drug tests. In fact, many people take a urine drug test to use in some instances, such as applying for a job etc., and although it can sometimes give a false result, it can also give a false result. Although, sometimes it can give false results, most of these urine drug tests always give accurate results. The urine drug test process is quite quick, and the cost is quite low.
A urine drug test is conducted to look for residual chemicals that are produced when a person’s body processes a drug. So, by taking this drug test, you can find out the substances that were no longer active in your body for days or weeks before the test. This urine drug test will analyze your urine for the presence of certain prescription drugs and illegal drugs such as:
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- Amphetamines
- Barbiturates
- Benzodiazepines
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Methadone
- Methamphetamines
- Opioids
- PCP
In addition, screening tests can also track the presence of alcohol in your urine. But, it is usually detected in breath tests or blood tests. If you have done a urine drug test, but the results are still questionable, then you can perform a GC-MS analysis technique on your urine sample, which can provide much more accurate results, by detecting a number of different substances. For information, GC-MS (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) is one of the analytical techniques that can be performed for bioanalysis of body fluids to detect the presence of barbiturates, narcotics, alcohol, and drugs such as antihistamines, anticonvulsants, anesthetics, sedative hypnotics, and anti-epileptic drugs.
What are Purposes of Urine Drug Tests?
Drug tests are carried out for many purposes. If you are an athlete or are pursuing a professional sports career, you will be asked to take regular urine drug tests to check for the presence of drugs or illegal substances in your body. Then, if you look like you have a problem with drug or alcohol abuse, your doctor may also order you to have a urine drug test. A drug test is also carried out when you apply for a job. Most companies ask prospective employees to take a urine drug test before they can be hired. This is done to create a safe work environment.
The urine drug test also aims to ensure that people who have drug problems are not allowed to work in fields that require high concentration, because it will interfere with work performance. Many companies also ask prospective employees for drug test results to avoid the risk of work accidents or other undesirable things.
At alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers, residents are required to take regular urine drug tests to ensure they are receiving appropriate treatment. Additionally, for individuals who have committed criminal offenses or are on parole/probation, typically the officer handling their case will require them to take a drug test to verify that they have not used drugs or other illegal substances.
How is a Drug Test Conducted?
When your work boss or doctor asks you to do a drug test, usually they have collaborated with a medical laboratory to be able to do a urine test on you. In this process, you only need to do a drug test. Make sure you follow the procedures given by the drug test officer. Next, the medical laboratory will examine your urine sample. Apart from that, there are also some doctors who give you a letter of introduction to carry out a drug test so that you can take the document or letter to a medical laboratory company that is covered by their insurance. This means that you don’t need to pay money to do a drug test.
What are the Preparations for Taking a Drug Test?
If you want to do a drug test, there are several things you must prepare and pay attention to. First, you should definitely not take any illegal or prescription drugs for at least six weeks before the drug test is carried out. To ensure the drug testing process runs smoothly, you can also do several other things, such as not taking any drugs or supplements, because there are concerns that it will affect the test results. If you are someone who has to take medication or supplements, it is important for you to notify the medical laboratory. And, if you are taking prescription drugs from a doctor, such as oxycodone or opiates, you should also tell the medical laboratory.
Another preparation for carrying out a urine drug test is to drink water the night and morning before the drug test is carried out. Why should you do that? Because drinking water at night and in the morning before a drug test will help you produce enough urine to be used as a sample. However, you should not drink too much water because it will dilute the urine sample, so it will require retesting.
Like other health tests, drug tests also have standard procedures to comply with. You can ask the medical laboratory for information regarding drug testing procedures. Usually a well-known medical laboratory such as LabCorp will provide you with guidance regarding the drug testing process and its procedures. If you have done a drug test, then you just have to wait for the results. The results of your drug test will be given confidentially to the person who requested the test, such as your work supervisor.
Taking a Urine Drug Test – Here’s How
A standard urine drug test is usually conducted in a bathroom specifically set up for drug testing. Here are some procedures in conducting a urine drug test:
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- First, you will be given a specimen cup complete with a lid from the technician conducting the test.
- While undergoing the test, keep your belongings such as bags in another room. Make sure you do not bring anything into the test room.
- The test will be done alone. The technician or nurse will not accompany you.
- In the bathroom, you should clean your genital area thoroughly using the cloth provided in the bathroom.
- Afterwards, you can urinate into the specimen cup provided. For the urine sample, make sure you produce at least 45 ml of urine.
- Once you have finished urinating, you can close the specimen cup properly and then hand it over to the technician.
- Furthermore, to ensure the temperature of your urine sample is within the expected range, the technician will take the temperature of your sample prior to testing.
- Your urine sample will be packaged and sealed for testing.
Timeline of Drug Test Results
The schedule of drug test results can be quite fast, but it also depends on the type of drug test taken. Unlike checking for the presence of alcohol from a breath test that can show up instantly, checking for a drug test with a urine sample can take several hours. For your information. A blood drug test takes between two to four days to get the test results. However, the length of the test results will also depend on whether the testing equipment and facilities are on-site or whether the sample needs to be sent to an external laboratory. In essence, there is no exact time as to how long it will take to receive test results.
The test results will come out within a few hours if the test kit is in the same place where the urine sample was collected. However, if the test device is in a different place from where the urine sample was collected, the test results will take longer to come out. Most companies also conduct retests to ensure the test results are accurate. As a well-known drug testing company, LabCorp usually offers access to your drug test results online. If you want to access your drug test results online, you can contact Labcorp. They will create an account that allows you to view your drug test results as soon as they appear. In addition, LabCorp can also send your drug test results to your doctor within 24 hours. Your urine test results will also be posted to the online portal within two to seven days.
Length of Time It Takes for LabCorp to Get Urine Test Results
Now you definitely want to know how long LabCorp takes for urine test results. On their official website, LabCorp states that test results will be sent to your online account at the same time they are reported to your healthcare provider. However, this may vary for some people as state or federal laws may limit the delivery time for test results. Also, LabCorp states that some not all drug test results are available in their online LabCorp Patient portal. Typically, most test results are available within 2 weeks. However, it also depends on several other factors.
Please ensure your profile information in your Labcorp Patient account is correct. In addition, you must also ensure that your personal information written to your healthcare provider is appropriate and matches the information in your Labcorp Patient account. If you are using LabCorp for the first time, the test results will typically take up to 3 hours, after your account is created and your identity is authenticated. When your urine drug test result is available, you will receive an email from LabCorp.
Other Types of Drug Tests
Urine drug tests are a type of drug test that is often performed. Apart from urine drug tests, there are also other drug tests, such as:
1. Blood Drug Test
A blood drug test is done by taking a sample of your blood to check whether you are using drugs or not. Prescription drugs usually appear immediately in the bloodstream. Therefore, if someone abuses drugs, a blood test can be done to prove it. A blood drug is more complicated and more expensive than a urine drug test. Also, this test takes longer to get the test results. Usually, blood tests are used to get more accurate test results or to prove positive urine test results.
For your information, a blood test will check for substances such as:
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- Fentanyl
- LSD
- Methadone
- Opiate painkillers
- Oxycodone
- Phencyclidine
2. Hair Drug Testing
Hair tests are performed to detect repeated drug use for up to 90 days. Hair tests have a wider detection window compared to other tests. There is no chance that someone will not take a test for several days before being tested. This test can identify long-term drug users. To carry out this hair test, a small hair sample is needed.
For your information, a hair test will check for substances such as:
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- Amphetamines
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Methamphetamines
- Opioids
- PCP
