Urine Drug Tests

Urine Drug Test Results

Receiving test results

The results of a urine drug test are generally available within a few business days after the test is taken. You’ll likely receive a phone call, secure email, or you may be able to log into a password-protected online portal where results are posted. In some cases, urine drug test results may be delivered in the mail.

For at-home test kits, instructions should indicate how long to wait before reading test results. When at-home collection kits are sent to a laboratory, results may take a few additional days to become available. In some cases, you may access the test report through a smartphone application or the company’s website.

Interpreting test results

Initial drug tests typically provide results within minutes indicating the presence or absence of drugs by a colored band on the test device or from an automated laboratory analyzer. Test results from an initial drug test, including at-home urine drug tests, provide only preliminary results.

A negative result on an initial drug test indicates that no evidence of drug use or misuse was detected in the urine sample. This may be because you haven’t used the specific drugs tested, you last used the drug outside its detection window, or there were problems in conducting the drug test.

If initial drug test results are positive, the sample should be sent to a laboratory for a confirmatory test that uses more specific test methods.

The results of a confirmatory drug test conducted in a laboratory may be reported as positive, negative, or invalid. A negative test result on a confirmatory test indicates no evidence of drug use was detected. Similar to initial test results, a negative confirmatory test indicates that you haven’t used the drugs included in the test or you last used drugs outside the detection window.

An invalid result indicates the test could not confirm whether drugs were present in your urine sample due to evidence it was adulterated or substituted during the collection process. Laboratory has several ways to determine if a urine sample was tampered. If a test is invalid, the laboratory will typically report the reason for this result.

A positive result on a confirmatory test indicates that the drug was detected in the urine sample above the laboratory’s established cutoff value. While the amount of a drug that triggers a positive result can vary between labs, many labs use standards established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for drug-free workplace programs.

SAMHSA has established cutoff values for five drugs or drug classes in the urine included in federal drug-free workplace policies: marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, phencyclidine (PCP), and several types of opioids. The table below includes the SAMHSA cutoff values for both initial and confirmatory urine testing:

SAMHSA Urine Drug Test Cutoff Values

The presence of fentanyl above 0.20 ng/mL or norfentanyl (a fentanyl metabolite) above 1.0 ng/mL in urine sample is an indicator that a person has used fentanyl.

Depending on the urine drug test results, a doctor may evaluate you for a substance use disorder. During an evaluation for a substance use disorder, you will be asked a series of questions to determine the pattern and effects of drug use or misuse.

You also may have questions about urine drug testing, and it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about the process and your results. Helpful questions you may ask include:

• Why am I being tested for drug use or misuse?
• What is the result of my test?
• Is confirmation testing necessary?
• Who will have access to my test result or medical record?
• Will I be retested for drug use or misuse in the future?