Redbridge For Mental Health

The Department Of Transportation (DOT) has issued new rules for drug and alcohol testing, for all the transportation employers and safety-sensitive transportation employees. This new regulation was designed to prevent accidents and property damage that are caused by the misuse of drug and alcohol by the drivers. DOT has provided certain rules on how to conduct these tests, what is the process of testing and who to conduct these tests. These rules cover the employees of State and Local government who are required to have a Commercial driving License (CDL).

Education and Training of Drug Testing

Every company has to provide the educational materials for their drivers, which explains the requirements and policies for testing drug and alcohol ingestion regulations. According to the Sec.382.601 (b), the educational materials should include the following discussions.

· Personal identity of the drivers designated by the employer to answer the questions regarding the material.

· Requirements of the drivers, subject to the misuse of alcohol and controlled substance requirements.

· Explanation of safety-sensitive function to understand the period of workday that is required for the drivers to be in compliance.

· Specific information regarding the conduct of the driver that is prohibited.

· The circumstances under which the driver will be tested for drug, alcohol or any other substances.

· The test procedure of DOT conducted for the presence of drug or alcohol substances.

· The list of requirements for submitting the alcohol or drug tests by the driver.

· Explanation of what constitutes the refusal to submit the drug or alcohol testing.

· The consequences for drivers found to be dishonored the rules of prohibition of alcohol or other substances. This includes, immediate removal of driver safety-sensitive functions.

· The information about the affects of drugs, alcohol, or any such substances on the health and work of the people.

Drugs That DOT Test

As specified by the DOT, the companies should test for alcohol and the following five drugs:

· Marijuana, Cocaine, Opiates, Amphetamines and Phencyclidine (PCP).

Different Tests That DOT Require

According to the rules of DOT, drivers have to perform the following drug and alcohol tests: Pre-Employment Testing, Reasonable Suspicion Testing, Post-Accident Testing and Random Testing.

Apart from these four tests, the “Return-to-duty” and “Follow-up tests” are linked to the employer’s consequences policy, which are to be performed under the DOT rule.

This information makes you aware about the DOT drug and alcohol tests and educational measures that every company provides for their employees.

Vicodin is a derivative of opium, which also used to manufacture heroin. It is the most widely known brand name for a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. Some of its generic equivalents include brand names Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Panacet and Zydone.

Vicodin Prescription:

Vicodin is one of the most widely prescribed opiate medications for treatment of moderate to severe pain in injury, illness, surgery or a chronic condition across the globe. Overall, it has been reported as an effective, well tolerated opioid for analgesic purposes. It is quite inexpensive, with a mild side effects profile. It is one of the most favored prescribed pain relievers as allergic reactions are highly unlikely with Vicodin.

Vicodin Abuse:

It is estimated that in 1999, 4 million people were using prescription drugs non-medically and out of these 4 million, 2.6 million misused pain relievers the most common of which is Vicodin. In 2000, the National Institute on Drug Abuse listed Vicodin as an emerging recreational drug. Its use has risen steadily each year, and has now achieved the status of no longer being emerging. Vicodin has become one of the most commonly abused prescription medications. In 2006, USA Today reported that more emergency room visits are made by Vicodin and other prescription drugs abusers than by all other illicit drug abusers combined.

Effects of Vicodin Abuse:

Some of the common side effects of Vicodin abuse include confusion, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, dizziness, drowsiness, redness of the face, and temporary changes in vision or mood, along with infrequent constipation. These effects can be subdued by drinking a lot of water and consuming fiber rich foods on daily basis.

Over a period of time, effects of Vicodin abuse become more serious and more damaging. There may be cardiac arrhythmia leading to speeding up or slowing down of the heart rate. As Vicodin use grows, its effects can be characterized by blurred vision, hallucinations, and severe confusion.

Vicodin may interact with many other drugs if taken in conjunction, like, various sedatives, tranquilizers, antidepressants, other analgesics, antihistamines, anti-anxiety & anti-spasmodic drugs to name a few. Because of this high potential for drug interactions, it is highly recommended to avoid alcohol, which can increase drowsiness and dizziness, and may cause damage to the liver, and other medications containing acetaminophen.

As with other Opiate drugs, Vicodin withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, muscle pain, bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, goose bumps, involuntary leg movements, watery eyes, runny nose, loss of appetite, irritability, panic, nausea, chills & sweating to name a few.

Vicodin Testing:

When consumed, some amount of Vicodin remains unchanged in the body while rest of it is metabolized to different secondary products called metabolites. A diverse array of techniques is available nowadays to detect these unchanged Vicodin or Vicodin metabolites, such as:

•Blood sampling for Vicodin/metabolite testing

•Urine based Vicodin/metabolite testing

•Hair follicle based Vicodin/metabolite detection

•GC/MS based Vicodin/metabolite detection

•Vicodin/metabolite-specific antibody based diagnostic kits

GC/MS or Antibody based screening can be done on any of the blood, urine or hair follicle samples. Some companies have also come out with rapid screening kits for home use which can be used without any previous expertise.

There is a wide range of drugs that are abused by the people for non-therapeutic effects and there are different testing kits that are used to detect the presence of these drugs. The drug addictive effectiveness differs from the drug ingested from person to person.

Common Drugs That Are Detected Through Drug Testing

The following are some of the common drugs that are abused by the individuals, which can be detected with different testing devices.

· Amphetamines (AMP): This is a schedule II forbidden drug used according to the prescription, which is also accessible in the illicit market. These drugs are the stimulants that affect the brain and body rapidly. These are psychologically addictive and if the addicted person stops using them will face various problems like, assault, anger and anxiety. Usually this drug effects for 24 hours and will exist in the body for 2 to 6 days.

· Barbiturates (BAR): These drugs are central nervous system depressants that are used to heal the tranquilizers, mesmerizing and anticonvulsants. Its effects are similar to that of alcohol intoxication effects. The detection period of Barbiturates is about 3-8 days. Continuous abuse of barbiturate can lead to clinically considerable level of tolerance and physical dependence.

· Benzodiazepines (BZO): It is usually stipulated for indicative treatment of aggression and insomnia. Benzodiazepines are also used for tranquilizers in surgeries and medical practices. It exists in the system for about 3 to 7 days. Frequent consumption these drugs can lead to raise the risk of physical dependency. Valium and Versed are examples of Benzodiazepines.

· Cocaine (COC): It is a sedative and a forceful stimulant for central nervous system, which brings intense strength and restiveness. This drug results into hypnotics, over-sensitivity and convulsions. Cocaine stays in the system for about 24 to 40 hours after use. Huge consumption of cocaine causes fever, insensitivity, inhalation problem and unconsciousness.

· Marijuana (THC): This drug produces exhilarated effects, which mainly contains Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). If they are used continuously for longtime it causes impairment of short-term memory loss, behavioral disorder and slowed learning. This drug lasts in the body for 3 to 10 days after smoking.

· Methamphetamine (mAMP): It is an addictive energizer drug, which stimulates certain systems in the brain. This drug is closely related to the amphetamine and has higher effects than that. Consuming mAMP can have effects such as anxiety, psychotic behavior, tiredness and paranoia. The detection period of this drug in urine is about 3 to 5 days.

· Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): It is an exclusive drug, which was first produced for healing obesity. The unsympathetic effects of MDMA are potency tension and sweating, it can also increase blood pressure and heart rate.

The above information makes you aware of various drugs that can be detected through different drug testing.