Frequently Asked Questions

Methods to adulterate urine samples for substance abuse testing generally fall into three categories:

• Urine substitution – substitution of one’s own urine sample with one which is clean or other products that have a similar appearance to urine
• Urine dilution – ingestion of excessive amounts fluids or compounds such as diuretics for flushing out the system
• Urine adulteration – direct addition of adulterants or masking agents to urine specimen in order to interfere with the test

Screening and confirmation testing are performed using different methodologies that necessitate different cut-off levels. The cut-off levels of an immunoassay screen are typically higher than those of a more sensitive GC-MS or LC-MS/MS confirm test, because they screen for a larger group of parent compounds, metabolites and other structurally similar compounds.

If an immunoassay test detects a drug (above the screening cut-off level) the presumptive positive specimen may be sent to GC-MS or LC-MS/MS confirmation testing. Many times, these individual compounds are present in concentrations much lower than the total immunoassay response, thus resulting for the cut-off levels being lower for the GC-MS or LC-MS/MS test.

The best urine or saliva specimen is extracted onsite, clear and not adulterated. Saliva extraction should avoid drinking, eating, smoking and chewing gum. Saliva cannot be extracted immediately after gargling; wait at least 10 minutes before testing.

Frozen specimens should be thawed and mixed well before testing. Repeated thawing and freezing are not recommended.

Important procedure note: Refer to the manufacturer's product insert for complete instructions, limitations and warnings.

Bubbles don’t count. Pay attention to add adequate amounts of specimen beyond the bubbles. Saliva products in particular need the sponge head to be completely expanded and soft before inserting into the sample hole.

Remove the cap from the end of the test card. Immerse the strip(s) of the test card vertically into the urine specimen. Please make sure to immerse the strip(s) to at least the level of the wavy lines, but not above the arrow(s) on the test card. Replace the cap and place the test card on a non-absorbent flat surface, start the timer and wait for the colored line(s) to appear.

Important procedure note: Refer to the manufacturer's product insert for complete instructions, limitations and warnings.

No. Store as packaged at room temperature or refrigerated (2-30°C). Do not freeze the product.

The product must remain in the sealed pouch until use. Do not use beyond the expiration date.

Important procedure note: Refer to the manufacturer's product insert for complete instructions, limitations and warnings.

A drug-positive urine specimen will not generate a colored line in the specific test line region of the strip, while a drug-negative urine specimen or a specimen containing a drug concentration less than the cut-off will generate a line in the test line region. To serve as a procedural control, a colored line will always appear in the control line region. If the control line does not appear, the test result is not valid.

If the test is negative, lines appear in the control region (C) and next to each particular drug name in the test region. The negative result indicates that the drug concentration is below the detectable cutoff level. The shade of line in the test region will vary, but it should be considered negative, even if there is a faint line.

If the test is presumptive positive, lines appear in the control region (C), and no line appears in the test region next to a particular drug name. This positive result indicates that the drug concentration is above the detectable cutoff level. All positive results are presumptive and should be confirmed by an alternate method (e.g., LC-MS/MS or GC-MS).

If no line appears in the control line region (C), read the directions again and repeat the test with a new testing strip. If the result is still invalid, stop using the test kit immediately and contact Abbott or your local distributor.

No. All tests with the same LOT Number will show the same results. If you are unsure of the result or get a positive result where the test subject denies having taken the drug, the sample must be sent to a laboratory for confirmation testing.

Yes, if the urine contains drugs at concentrations close to the cutoff level. In case of uncertainty, the sample must be sent to the laboratory for confirmation testing.

No. It is unlikely that ingestion of any food will affect a test result. However, we recommend that a laboratory confirmation test is performed on any sample where screen test results are in doubt.

In all screening tests there is a risk of a cross-reaction. This means that the test detects something else in the urine (for example an over-the-counter medicine) that is similar to the drug being tested for but not illicit in nature. In addition, other substances may produce positive test results, mimicking the drug being tested for. Following more sensitive laboratory confirmation testing, the alternative substance is identified and the drug test confirmed negative. For this reason, we recommend that a screen positive urine sample is forwarded to the laboratory for confirmation testing.

Important procedure note: Refer to the manufacturer's product insert for complete instructions, limitations and warnings.