The question of how long a urine sample is good for a drug test is only relevant when you are thinking of changing urine to pass it. Urine test samples have made and marred several people in different spheres of life. There are yet several factors that determine things like this. As such, it becomes imperative to know what those factors are and take proactive steps to ensure that you are operating based on them.
How long a urine sample lasts good enough for a drug test is subject to where it is per time. The major factor militating against the quality of such a sample is bacteria content in it. This keeps multiplying. When this happens, it begins breaking down immediately with a dark look and foul odor. The reality is that every natural substance breaks down with time. A person carrying out a drug test should not consider a sample if it is not fresh or if something doesn’t seem right with the sample.
How long is urine good for a drug test?
A urine sample ought not to be in room temperature for more than 2 hours before using it. Hence, if you are thinking of using substitute urine, ask your partner or friend to pee it immediately before you go for the test. And if that is not possible, ensure it is not kept at room temperature. For a fridge, your urine is bound to last for a while longer than when it is at room temperature. But, you shouldn’t keep it there for more than a day. It means that storing urine in a fridge is the best way to store it for a drug test taking place within 24 hours.
In the case of a freezer, bacterial growth gets slowed down a great deal and may halt. This is the main reason why you can store food in a freezer for a long time without it spoiling. The same thing applies to urine as it can freeze for several months and still are good enough for urinalysis. This is subject to you freezing it immediately while avoiding a situation where it is at room temperature for long times.
How Does Urine Test Work?
A urine test or urinalysis is the most common drug test carried out in America. This process involves screening urine samples in a laboratory to check for previous drug use. They are often used to check for metabolic byproducts that are usually produced when the body breaks down the active chemicals in the drug. Urinalysis tests do not search for THC as they instead search for THC-COOH which is the primary metabolite. It usually has a cutoff value of 50ng/mL. It means that if you have at most 49 nanograms in each millimeter of the urine sample, you have passed the test.
The moment the investigating lab gets the sample the technician will divide the sample into two. The first part gets exposed to an analyzer which helps in detecting macromolecules through the formation and measurement of the number of antibodies produced. If the first sample comes up positive the second one gets analyzed using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry device to confirm the result of the test. It is also used to know the particular metabolite and by extension the drug.
THC-COOH is, but, fat-soluble and gets metabolized at a slower rate. THC-COOH it lasts in the body for up to 90 days. The more drugs you take, the longer time it takes for the body to process it.
How Can You Pass A Drug Test?
There are several ways you can beat the next drug test. Some of them are pretty simple and we will take a look at some of them.
1. Abstain for a month
90 days is the ideal time for your system to be detoxified from the effect of smoking. But, staying away from smoking for a whole month should do wonders for your THC-COOH composition. This will not, yet, guarantee a THC-COOH free system; But, what you are looking for is a system with sub-50ng/mL levels. You can even catalyze the process by making your body to break down the THC-COOH quicker. This can be by drinking large amounts of water for about 4 hours before the scheduled test.
Drinking large volumes of water will help in increasing the H2O content in your urine and thus diluting the urine sample. This approach, but, has its little negative. By consuming large volumes of water within a short period you may suffer from dilutional hyponatremia. This is a deadly condition where excessive hydration causes a disruption in the electrolyte balance of your body and so leads to a breakdown of the brain’s neural connections. It is, however, a rare possibility but that does not mean it’s impossible.
Another drawback is that the sample may be too diluted to get it tested. This can be ascertained at the lab by checking the creatine concentration within the sample. If the sample comes as non-usable, it will raise some concerns who may ask you to urinate under supervision.
2. Avoid smoking for 90 days
Getting rid of traces of drug intake in your system is pretty simple. All you need to do is avoid it altogether for 90 days. What this means is that you should not smoke pot for 3 months. You may also incorporate exercising to burn some fat while the THC metabolizes it.
3. Detox Drinks
It is not clear how this works, but the fact is that they work! It is, however, advisable that you are cautious when using them because they often begin working within 2 hours and they usually do not last for extended periods. They are however quite expensive. You may also take drugs such as Midol that help in diluting the drug volume of your body while also helping with the production of urine.
4. Fake it
Even though it is compulsory you submit a urine sample, no one said it had to be your urine. All you need to do is search for a good friend and swap his or her urine with them. The only challenge would be for you to sneak it into the lab.
The funny thing is that there is plastic prosthesis out there that produces fake urine samples. It aids you to sneak urine samples that are not yours into the pee point without turning positive.
Synthetic urine is a liquid used in calibrating laboratory equipment which determines people’s fate. It neither smells nor produces like normal pee. It is, however, good enough to get the job done. The liquid may however not contain uric acid which is one of the constituent most labs search for.
If you are however using real human urine, there are several disadvantages associated with it. Urine is not something you can keep anyhow. The moment it is out of your body, it begins to oxidize and thus decompose. One does not need to be an Albert Einstein to detect an anomaly if week-old urine is submitted. The sample should be fresh.
Also, the sample should be as warm as the human body temperature. This is why it won’t make sense for you to turn in a cold sample that should have recently left your bladder.
What Are The Challenges With Urinalysis?
There are several reasons why people do not find urine tests to be cool. Here are a few of them:
Accuracy:
All tests are not without their failings. Investigations carried out in various testing labs have recorded high levels of error due to poor quality control. The move to extend drug tests to more workers predisposes a number of them to the risk of being wrongly accused. Also, such tests do not tell If the worker took the drug while on duty or in their homes.
Privacy:
Urine tests, without doubt, represent an intrusion into a person’s privacy. The whole idea where the majority of innocent employees go through such harrowing experience to fish out a few bad eggs is not cool.
Efficacy:
It has not been scientifically proven that urine test is effective or safe for the improvement of workplace productivity or safety. Studies have also shown that the majority of drug test failures are as reliable as other people. The summary of it all is that drug tests are not a reliable indicator of drug impairment
Final Word
In summary, Urine is only as good for drug testing as the place and condition wherein it’s kept. It, therefore, suffices to say that keeping urine in the right condition is a guarantee for its quality. The tips outlined in this article should be able to help you make the most of your next urine test.
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