A 7 panel drug test is designed to find seven of the most frequently used drugs of abuse. Normally the test will incorporate panels for both illicit street drugs and prescription medications.
The test is will screen a person’s urine for trace drugs. This type of drug test is simple and effective as most drugs can be detected leaving the body in a person’s urine. Normally the test takes the form of a flat plastic card which is dipped into a sample of urine. Sometimes though it can take the form of a 7 panel drug test with integrated cup.
Normally, urine testing is much better at detecting long-term substance use than saliva drug testing. Blood or hair testing can also be reliable for detecting long term drug use, but they tend to be expensive or more complicated methods.
For many companies, urine drug testing is the preferred choice as it is simple and accurate.
What Drugs Can the Test Find?
As you might expect, a 7 panel drug test will screen and individual for 7 different types of drugs.
Cannabis
Cannabis is derived from the cannabis plant and contains the main psychoactive compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). It can be smoked, vaped, or ingested in edible form. Short-term effects include euphoria, relaxation, impaired memory and concentration. Long-term effects may include respiratory issues, increased heart rate, and potential addiction. Cannabis can be detected in urine for up to 30 days after use for infrequent users, and several months for heavy, chronic users due to THC being stored in fat cells.
Our 7 panel drug test will screen for cannabis and its resins, including:
- Cannabis / Marijuana extracts, including THC oil, wax, and Cannabis Shatter.
Cocaine
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that can be snorted, smoked (crack cocaine), or injected. It causes an intense but short-lived high followed by a crash. Effects include increased energy, euphoria, anxiety, paranoia, and overdose risk from cardiac issues or seizures. Cocaine metabolites can typically be detected in urine for 2-4 days after use, though this window may be longer with heavy chronic use. Crack cocaine may have a slightly shorter detection window.
A 7 panel drug test will screen for cocaine. It will also detect other drugs that contain cocaine, such as crack cocaine or freebase.
Opioids
Opioids range from prescription painkillers like oxycodone and codeine to illegal drugs like heroin. They produce euphoric effects and pain relief by acting on opioid receptors in the brain and body. Potential side effects include drowsiness, constipation, addiction, respiratory depression, and overdose. Detection times vary based on specific opioid, dosage, and frequency of use but generally range from 1-4 days for most opioids.
A few of the most common ones include:
Benzodiazepines, or Benzos
Benzodiazepines like Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin are prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions. They can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and impaired coordination when taken as prescribed, and more severe effects like confusion and respiratory depression if misused. They are detectable for 1-6 weeks after last use, with longer-acting benzos like Valium remaining detectable longer.
These multi panel drug tests will also screen for benzodiazepines, or benzos. This will include prescription drugs such as:
- alprazolam (Xanax)
- diazepam (Valium)
- lorazepam (Ativan)
Doctors often prescribe these drugs for common medical issues, However, they can also be abused.
Amphetamines
Amphetamines like Adderall and methamphetamine are powerful stimulants that increase energy, focus, and euphoric feelings but carry a high risk of addiction, psychosis, cardiovascular issues, and other adverse effects. Amphetamines are generally detectable for 1-3 days after use but can remain detectable for up to a week for some compounds in chronic, heavy users.
An amphetamine screen is normally a standard on the 7 panel drug test. Drugs that fall into this category can include:
- amphetamine sulphate, or speed
- methamphetamine, or meth
- medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Brand names such as Adderall and Ritalin.
Detection Times
The amount of time taken for the body to dispose of any traces of drugs will vary, depending on the drug. Detection times for drugs can often vary greatly.
One huge factor is the amount of drugs taken by the person and the speed of their metabolism which is working to remove the drug from the body.
It is important to note that the 7 panel drug test will not confirm if a person is on drugs now. By measuring drug byproducts in the body, the test can indicate past use but not how much of the drug is circulating in a person’s body.
The Zoom Testing website has a page which provides a rough estimate for detection times for various drugs via urine tests
Getting Tested? What To Expect
If you are selected for random drug testing by your employer, you will normally get at least 24 hours notice. It may be less though. Either way, if you are undergoing a 7 panel drug test at work, your employer should have the consent of the employee.
Before the test you may receive special instructions. This could include not urinating for at least two hours before the test. Or you may be compelled to avoid drinking extra water before the screening procedure.
Test Procedure
Depending on the facilities available, the test environment may vary. Normally you will be asked to take the test in a bathroom. Often bluing tablets will be used within the designated stall to make sure your are not trying to cheat the drug test.
By turning off taps in the bathroom, or adding dye to the water the chances of faking the result of the drug test is reduced greatly. It is very rare that a same sex administrator would be present in the same room as the person taking the test.
This is the easy bit. To take the test, all you will be required to do is to pee. The urine is collected in a sample collection cup. This sample is then handed, once the lid has been applied, to the test administrator.
Reading The Results
The initial result will be available to the administrator within minutes of you taking the test. If any of the panels on the 7 Panel Drug Test are positive, your sample may be sent off to a laboratory for confirmation of the result.
What Do the Results Mean?
There are three outcomes when taking a 7 Panel Drug Test. They are:
- positive
- negative
- inconclusive
Positive Results
A positive result is returned if the detectable amount of drugs is higher than the cut-off level for that substance.
This result would suggest that the person has taken that drug recently, as drug byproducts are high enough to be detected.
Often a laboratory test may follow a positive urine test. This provides a way of confirming that the result is correct and not a false positive.
Negative Results
A negative result shows that a drug is not present in a person’s system. Or that the drug is present, but not in quantities that are high enough to be detected. This results does not necessarily mean that the person has not used the drug in the past.
Inconclusive Results
An inconclusive result means the test was not carried out correctly and will need to be taken again.
Photo by Anthony Cunningham for Zoom Testing
Zoom Testing is a leading UK drug testing company and a supplier of Drug Test Kits.
