Cotton Swab Drug Test

Drugs have, nowadays, become a big matter of concern for many parents. Parents can't keep an eye on the child all the time, but are always worried if he/she has fallen into bad company or have started taking drugs. Well, for all those parents, who want to test if their child is taking drugs, a cotton swab drug test will be of great help. As it can be done at home you just need to get a swab drug test kit and start with the process. This test is totally dependent upon the mucous membrane of the mouth and glands present as they absorb the drug in small traces which help at the time of drug test.

Swab drug testing is based on the saliva sample. It is one of the most commonly used methods in the category of oral fluid drug test. As saliva is the common sample for all the oral tests this test is also called a saliva swab drug test. Saliva drug test samples can be taken in two ways: spitting or swabbing. Swabbing is considered to be more accurate as there are less chances of sample contamination.

Cotton Swab Drug Testing

The cotton swab drug test depends on where the test is going to be performed. If the test is performed in a pathology center than you just have to give the sample, and the rest of the work is done by the pathologist inside the lab. The pathologist will take the sample by placing a cotton swab between the cheek and the lower gum. He will hold it there for a few minutes and then will take the swab for further test.

If the test is conducted at home, then you will require a swab drug test kit for the process. In the kit you will be provided with a strip. The front portion of this strip will have a swab and the end of the strip will have a thin plate which may have many colorful lines on it. These lines indicate the different drugs. The strip is placed inside the mouth in the same way as it is placed by the pathologist. The strip works on its own. The colored lines present at the back of the strip represent different types of drugs. Hence if the test detects any drug content in the swab sample, the colored line representing that drug will disappear from the strip, indicating the test positive.

How to Pass a Cotton Swab Drug Test

Although cotton swab drug test is very accurate, one of the most important facts is that you can very easily get through with the test. If you have consumed the drug 24-48 hours before the drug test then the test will not show positive. But if you have recently taken drugs, then you need to follow the tips on how to beatthis test.

• The foremost thing you can do is to avoid drugs. This is the best way to get through any of such tests.
• Before the test clean your mouth properly. Brush your teeth and gargle. This will automatically help you to get rid of the drug traces from the mouth.
• Altoid mints may help you to give the tests negative.
• Do not have poppy seeds in any form before the test as it might result in a false test.
• Eat a high fat meal just 1 hour before the test. This increases the metabolic rate and will result in the removal of traces of drug from the mouth.
• Ignore the instructions given by the laboratory. If they have asked you not to eat anything before the test then do exactly the opposite.

So, after going through the information, you can say that cotton swab drug test is accurate but only if efforts are not being made to modify the results. Apart from this test, there are many other tests too which may be used to test for drugs in the body. So be careful and if you want to use this test on your children then keep it a surprise. Effects of drugs on the body may lead to life-threatening conditions, hence avoid them.