Q: I was just wondering how accurate hair follicle drug tests are. Are they pretty accurate or is there any way to beat or alter the result?

- Jeff, NYC

A: Good question. For the most part, hair follicle tests do a great job of detecting drug use. However, there are a few exceptions. First, let’s start with the obvious. The most common hair follicle test checks for five substances: amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, opiates and PCP. Prescription drug abuse has become a prevalent problem in the U.S., and unfortunately the common five-point hair follicle test will not check for common prescription drugs such as oxycodon, vicodin, xanax and percocet among many others. If these drugs are a concern for you, you may consider a more extensive panel or a different type of testing.

Also, recent consumption tends to not show up on hair follicle testing. This is because the metabolites that are being tested for take 1-2 weeks to actually become embedded within the follicle. Also, extremely light usage of a drug is not incredibly likely to show up in a screen. There are specific cutoff levels within the test to determine a positive result, and often times a light usage falls short of this cutoff. If light usage is a concern, you may consider a urine drug screen or ask the testing counselors if there are any options for a lower cutoff level.

There are certainly an abundance of products and methods available that claim to help people pass their drug tests. Many of these are false, and many of them are debatable. When it comes to hair follicle testing, the most common methods involve washing your hair with a special shampoo, or dying your hair to mask the test. The products of course claim that they work; however, most labs state that these products will not affect the test result. In fact, hair samples are typically washed before analysis to remove any traces from secondhand exposure, so this could discredit the shampoo lines.

Many people also believe that shaving their head will keep them from having to submit to a hair follicle test. This myth could actually backfire for some people. If hair from the scalp cannot be taken, many labs will take hair from the underarm, chest, leg or other part of the body. Since body hair grows at a different rate than head hair, it has been said that the window for detection is 12 months instead of the 3 months with a head hair test.

Overall, if you are concerned with a specific time of consumption or type of drug, it is best to ask the person you arrange testing with what options are available. Hope this helps!

Q: Hello, I am concerned that my ex-wife has been using drugs in the presence of our daughter. Whenever I pick her up from her mother’s house I can smell smoke on her hair and clothes. I have reason to remove my daughter from her care, but there’s no way that she will take a drug test. Is there any way I can test my daughter to see if she’s been affected by second-hand drug use?

- Bill, Tinley Park, IL

A: Hi, there are a lot of parents who are unfortunately in your position. With typical drug screens it is usually hard to detect second-hand use or passive exposure. There are cutoff values in place to avoid this possibility specifically. This can come as a difficult situation for parents to handle, especially when the other party involved will not consent to a drug screen. Fortunately, there is a test available that is actually designed to detect passive exposure. The test is performed using a hair specimen, and essentially lowers the cutoff levels and checks for residue from drug smoke/vapors and traces of the parent drug that have attached to the hair.

The test will detect if someone has directly consumed the substance, been around the vapors from the substance, or even if they have laid their head on a surface that had traces of the substance. While this test alone may not be enough to remove your daughter from your ex-wife’s custody, it could definitely give you an edge in the case. Keep in mind that this test will only check for specific substances. These substances are usually amphetamines/methamphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, opiates and PCP. If you are concerned about another substance you should address this with the testing counselor you speak with.

Drug use can be a very difficult situation to address, especially when it involves family. Hopefully you can find the tests/tools you need to sort this out.

Q: Hello, I was recently informed that I need to take a hair drug test before I can be hired for a new job. I don’t use any illegal drugs, but about two months ago my doctor prescribed me some painkillers for a small accident I was in. Is this something I should be worried about? What drugs are checked for in a hair follicle test?

Chris, Atlantic City, NJ

A: Hi, sorry to hear about your accident – hopefully everything is okay. Hair follicle testing can screen for a wide variety of drugs, but the most common will check for five substances: amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, opiates and PCP. The test can detect drug usage within the past 90 days.

In your case, most painkillers are considered opiates. However, the opiates test used currently was originally designed to detect heroin and morphine – not the newer age prescription opiates. Light usage of these drugs tend to not get detected with the hair follicle test; however, heavy use/abuse has a better chance of showing up. Most likely your prescription will go unnoticed considering you were taking a relatively light dosage and not a consistent regular dose.

Even if your prescription does happen to be detected, you should still having nothing to worry about. Most drug testing companies incorporate a medical review officer (MRO) into their services. The purpose of the MRO is to make sure that positive results are not being caused by a legal prescription, such as in your case. Generally, if someone can provide proof that a prescription was filled in their name the result will report out as a negative.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your new job!