Cocaine Testing Specialist
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CLS Diagnostics
Laboratory Services located in Franklin, MA
Cocaine abuse is a serious health issue that could be affecting your patients and contributing to their mental and physical health problems. If you need fast and accurate cocaine testing for a patient or your practice’s screening program, CLS Diagnostics in Franklin, Massachusetts, provides an expert drug screening service for medical professionals. Call the lab or book an appointment online today to find out more.
Cocaine Testing Q & A
Why would I need to order a test for cocaine use?
Cocaine is an illegal substance with no legitimate medical purpose in modern medicine. Abusing cocaine is likely to result in serious health issues, as well as the problems associated with addiction.
What are the effects of cocaine use?
Side effects of cocaine use include:
- Constricted blood vessels
- High temperature
- Rapid heart rate
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Headaches
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Decreased appetite
- Malnourishment
- Severe paranoia
- Aural and visual hallucinations
- Bowel gangrene
- Heart failure
- Stroke
In addition to these risks, snorting cocaine is especially harmful to the upper respiratory tract and if done regularly can result in:
- Loss of the sense of smell
- Nosebleeds
- Nasal septum decay
- Difficulties swallowing
- Persistently runny nose
- Hoarse voice
Injecting cocaine also increases the user’s risk of contracting infections such as hepatitis and HIV. In addition to these effects, cocaine is addictive and long-term use can lead to serious addiction problems, affecting a person’s health and their ability to perform their job or other responsibilities safely and effectively.
Overdosing on cocaine can cause:
- Seizures
- Heart failure
- Cerebral hemorrhage
- Respiratory failure
The presence of cocaine is an indicator of criminal behavior as well as having implications for someone’s physical and mental health.
What methods are used to test for cocaine?
The marker for cocaine is benzoylecgonine, which is detectable using blood, hair, saliva, and urine tests. CLS Diagnostics uses urine testing to detect cocaine in test subjects, as urinalysis can pick up both recent and long-term exposure.
In addition to testing for benzoylecgonine, the lab analyses the pH level of the urine and concentration of creatinine to confirm the quality and purity of the sample and determine whether there’s been any attempt to distort the results of the test.
If a test result confirms the presence of cocaine at concentrations above 300 ng/ml the subject fails the test, but the lab runs a follow-up test to confirm the initial result. The follow-up test must show cocaine levels below 150 ng/ml for the subject to pass.
For accurate and reliable cocaine testing, call CLS Diagnostics or book an appointment online today.
