What test is more accurate or thorough: hair follicle exam or urine analysis?

Question

If I wanted to request an exam to test for drug use, which test would be the best one to request: hair follicle exam or urine analysis? Which one would find something even if the person hasn't taken the drug in some time?

Answer 1

Each of these tests have limitations. Much would depend upon what drug you suspected, how the body modifies or metabolizes the drug and how it is usually eliminated.

Often drugs are eliminated so rapidly that you will never be able to detect anything. On the other-hand some tests are so sensitive that they will yield false positives due to "non-drug" exposure (like alcohol in mouth wash or nicotine from second hand exposure).

The skill and experience of the person doing the testing is as important as the method used or the specimen taken. Often the numerical results require interpretation before non-professionals can understand exactly what the numbers mean.

Because urine often contains drug metabolites and is readily available, it is probably the specimen of choice for any initial screen unless other information is provided.

The GC-MassSpec testing on hair, based upon the drug getting into the hair by way of the blood supply to the follicle is an excellent way to confirm past drug use if the exact drug is known and a history of drug abuse is on record. It is a less than accurate method of drug screening. Sites promoting this method are almost always selling services (which are expensive) and seldom tell about false positives due to other environmental factors.

Answer 2

Golden Seal and Charcoal will help you pass the urine test. Just make sure to take it at least a week before the test. Many places check for that now. As far as the hair tests go, no such luck. I have never heard of anything that works.

Answer 3

Hair folicle on a female because they tend to have longer hair, but I'd say on a male it depends on how long there hair is. My hair is past my shoulders and when I got one done it showed stuff from 4 years ago.

Answer 4

Urine test. It's the test the military does on its random sampliings.
That's my final answer.