10-Panel Drug Test: Screened Substances, Detection Times, And ...

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HealthlineSubscribe10-Panel Drug Test: What to Expect

Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP — Written by Carly Vandergriendt — Updated on April 18, 2023

Screened substances
Detection times
Who takes it
Before the test
Taking the test
Results
Positive result
Negative result

Professionals in certain positions where they are responsible for the safety of others may need to take a 10-panel drug test. It tests for the misuse of prescription and illegal drugs.

The 10-panel drug test screens for the five of the most frequently misused prescription drugs in the United States.

It also tests for five illegal drugs. Illegal drugs, also known as illegal or street drugs, usually aren’t prescribed by a doctor.

The 10-panel drug test is less common than the 5-panel drug test. Workplace drug testing typically checks for five illicit drugs, and sometimes alcohol.

Although it’s possible to use blood or other bodily fluids to conduct a 10-panel drug test, urine tests are the most common.

Keep reading to learn more about what the test screens for, the detection window for screened substances, and more.

What does it screen for?

The 10-panel drug test screens for the following controlled substances:

Amphetamines:

amphetamine sulfate (speed, whizz, gooey)
methamphetamine (crank, crystal, meth, crystal meth, rock, ice)
dexamphetamine and other drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy (dexies, Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse, Focalin, Concerta)

Cannabis:

marijuana (weed, dope, pot, grass, herb, ganja)
hashish and hashish oil (hash)
synthetic cannabinoids (synthetic marijuana, spice, K2)

Cocaine:

cocaine (coke, powder, snow, blow, bump)
crack cocaine (candy, rocks, hard rock, nuggets)

Opioids:

heroin (smack, junk, brown sugar, dope, H, train, hero)
opium (big O, O, dopium, Chinese tobacco)
codeine (Captain Cody, Cody, lean, sizzurp, purple drank)
morphine (Miss Emma, cube juice, hocus, Lydia, mud)

Barbiturates:

amobarbital (downers, blue velvet)
pentobarbital (yellow jackets, nembies)
phenobarbital (goofballs, purple hearts)
secobarbital (reds, pink ladies, red devils)
tuinal (double trouble, rainbows)

Benzodiazepines are also known as benzos, normies, tranks, sleepers, or downers. They include:

lorazepam (Ativan)
chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
alprazolam (Xanax)
diazepam (Valium)

Other screened substances include:

phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust)
methaqualone (Quaaludes, ludes)
methadone (dollies, dolls, done, mud, junk, amidone, cartridges, red rock)
propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvon-N, PP-Cap)

The 10-panel drug test screens for these substances because they’re among the most commonly misused drugs in the United States. The 10-panel drug test doesn’t screen for alcohol.

Employers can test for any legal or illegal substance, including medication taken with a legitimate prescription.

What’s the window of detection?

Once ingested, drugs remain in the body for a limited amount of time. Drug detection times vary according to the:

drug
dose
type of sample
individual metabolism

Some approximate detection times for drugs screened in the 10-panel drug test include:

Substance	Detection window
amphetamines	2 days
barbiturates	2 to 15 days
benzodiazepines	2 to 10 days
cannabis	3 to 30 days, depending on frequency of use
cocaine	2 to 10 days
methadone	2 to 7 days
methaqualone	10 to 15 days
opioids	1 to 3 days
phencyclidine	8 days
propoxyphene	2 days

Drug testing has limitations. For example, it can’t evaluate a current state of impairment. Instead, it tests for the drug or other compounds created during drug metabolism. These compounds must be present at a certain concentration in order to be detected.

Who takes this test?

The 10-panel drug test isn’t a standard drug test. Most employers use a 5-panel drug test to screen applicants and current employees.

Professionals who are responsible for the safety of others may be required to take this drug test. This may include:

law enforcement officials
medical professionals
federal, state, or local government employees

If your current or prospective employer asks you to take a drug test, you might be required by law to take it. Your hiring or continued employment might be contingent on a pass. However, this depends on the laws in your state.

Some states prohibit employers from conducting drug testing on employees who aren’t in safety-dependent positions. Other drug testing restrictions apply for employees who have a history of alcohol or substance use disorder.

How to prepare

Avoid drinking excessive amounts of fluids prior to your urine sample. Your last bathroom break should be two to three hours before the test. You’ll also need to bring an official ID to the test.

Your employer will provide you with any additional instructions as to how, when, and where to take the test.

What to expect during

Your drug test might take place at your workplace, a medical clinic, or elsewhere. The technician performing the drug test will provide instructions throughout the process.

The preferred site for a urine test is a single-stall bathroom with a door that extends to the floor. You’ll be given a cup to urinate into. In rare cases, someone of the same gender might monitor you while you provide the sample.

The technician might take additional precautions to make sure the urine sample isn’t tampered with. These can include:

turning off the tap water and securing other sources of water
putting blue dye in the toilet bowl or tank
removing soap or other substances
conducting a site inspection prior to collection
measuring the temperature of your urine afterward

Once you’ve finished urinating, put the lid on the container and give the sample to the technician.

Getting the results

Some urine testing sites offer immediate results. In other cases, the urine sample is sent away for analysis. The results should be available within a few business days.

Drug test results can be positive, negative, or inconclusive:

A positive result means that one or more of the panel drugs were detected at a certain concentration.
A negative result means that the panel drugs weren’t detected at the cut-off concentration, or at all.
An inconclusive or invalid result means that the test wasn’t successful in checking for the presence of the panel drugs.

What to expect if you get a positive result

Positive drug test results typically aren’t sent to your employer right away. The sample will likely be retested using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to confirm the presence of the substance in question.

If the second screening is positive, a medical review officer might speak to you to find out whether you have an acceptable medical reason for the result. At this point, the results may be shared with your employer.

What to expect if you get a negative result

Negative drug test results will be sent to your current or prospective employer. Further testing usually isn’t required.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Casolin A. (2016). Comparison of urine and oralfluid for workplace drug testing. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkw055
Commonly abused drugs charts. (2018).https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/commonly-abused-drugs-charts
Drug testing. (2018).https://www.samhsa.gov/workplace/drug-testing
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016). Drug testing: Anoverview of Mayo Clinic tests designed for detecting drug abuse.https://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-info/drug-book/pod/DrugBook.pdf
Prescription drugs: Fast facts. (2013).https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs5/5140/5140p.pdf
Wille SMR, et al. (2014). Trends in drug testingin oral fluid and hair as alternative matrices. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.4155/bio.14.194
Workplace drug testing. (n.d.)http://www.datia.org/datia-resources/27-cr%20edentialing/cpc-and-cpct/931-workplace-dru%20g-testing.html

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Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP — Written by Carly Vandergriendt — Updated on April 18, 2023

10-Panel Drug Test: Screened Substances, Detection Times, And ...

What does it screen for?

What’s the window of detection?

Who takes this test?

How to prepare

What to expect during

Getting the results

What to expect if you get a positive result

What to expect if you get a negative result

How we reviewed this article:

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