TESTING

Clinical toxicology in the laboratory deals with the identification of chemicals, drugs, or toxins that may affect patients. Drug testing can be used to determine the presence or absence of drugs and/or drug metabolites and may be quantitative (particularly useful for therapeutic drug monitoring) or qualitative to verify compliance with prescribed therapy or identify inappropriate drug use.

Many substances that are prescribed for pain management and other legitimate indications are found to be taken incorrectly (either inadvertently or purposefully) or otherwise misused. In addition, many substances are available for illicit use, including prescription substances (e.g., opioids, Adderall, alprazolam) and nonprescription drugs (e.g., heroin, methamphetamines).

To ensure safe and effective therapy, current practice guidelines recommend monitoring patients for adherence to prescribed medications and abstinence from non-prescribed drugs through periodic drug tests.