PtProtect® – Testing

PtProtect® – Testing

Do you know all of the medications your patients take?

Our PtProtect® pain medication monitoring program can help protect your patient’s safety by minimizing the risks of unintended drug interactions. Our interpretive report clearly notes any discrepancies between pain medications prescribed and those detected.

Identify possible diversion

Patients who use illicit drugs are more likely to abuse and divert prescription medications either for financial gain or to fund an addiction to legal or illegal drugs. Family members may pilfer prescription drugs to self-treat or sell on the street.

The detailed PtProtect report, including interpretive comments, provides the documentation needed to address this issue with your patient in a follow-up conversation.

Ensure adherence

Responsibly monitoring patient medication adherence is a challenge. PeaceHealth Laboratories’ pain management panels are designed to monitor patient adherence with commonly used opiates, opioids and benzodiazepines, as well as to detect use of common illicit drugs.

PtProtect’s interpretive report provides a holistic view of the medications and substances the patient has taken and provides documentation needed to manage the controlled medication regimen for chronic pain patients.

Our test panels use the lowest available cut-off thresholds that reduce false negative results and confirms screened positives of commonly abused drugs.

Cut-off thresholds

Drug Trade/Generic
Name 
Detection Time
(after last dose) 
Threshold

Opiates/Opioids by LC/MS/MS

6-monoacetylmorphine Heroin metabolite <8 hours  5 ng/mL
Codeine* Tylenol-3 1–3 days 5 ng/mL
Fentanyl Duragesic, Actiq 1–2 days 2 ng/mL
Hydrocodone* Vicodin and others 1–3 days 5 ng/mL
Hydromorphone* Dilaudid 2–4 days 5 ng/mL
Meperidine Demerol 1–2 days 5 ng/mL
Morphine* MS Contin, Roxanol 1–3 days 5 ng/mL
Norfentanyl Fentanyl metabolite 1–4 days 2 ng/mL
Oxycodone* Oxycontin, Tylox, Percocet 1–3 days (SR 2–4 days) 5 ng/mL
Oxymorphone* Numorphan, Opana 1–3 days (SR 1–4 days) 5 ng/mL

Drug Screen by EIA and GC/MS

Alcohol Ethanol 2–14 hours 0.02/0.02 g/dL
Amphetamines/ Amphetamine 1–2 days 300/150 ng/mL
Methamphetamine MDMA, MDA    
  Methamphetamine    
Barbiturates Amobarbital 1–7 days 200/200 ng/mL
  Butabarbital 1–7 days  
  Butalbital 1–48 hours  
  Pentobarbital 1–24 hours  
  Phenobarbital 1–3 weeks  
  Secobarbital 1–24 hours  
Benzodiazepines Alprazolam metabolite Therapeutic Dose: 200/50 ng/mL
  Chlordiazepoxide metabolite 1–3 days  
  Clonazepam metabolite    
  Clorazepate metabolite    
  Diazepam metabolite Extended Dosage:  
  Flunitrazepam metabolite 4–6 weeks  
  Flurazepam metabolite    
  Flurazepam metabolite    
  Lorazepam    
  Nordiazepam    
  Oxazepam    
  Temazepam    
Cocaine Cocaine metabolite 1–5 days 150/100 ng/mL
Marijuana THC metabolite Heavy User: 4–6 weeks 20/15 ng/mL
    Moderate User: 2 weeks  
    Light User: 0–4 days  
Methadone Methadone metabolite 3–11 days 150/100 ng/mL
Phencyclidine Phencyclidine <8 days 25/25 ng/mL
    Chronic Use: up to 30 days  

Add-On Testing 

Carisoprodol and metabolite Soma 4 days 0.2 µg/mL
(meprobamate)
Buprenorphine and metabolite  Buprenex, Subutex, Suboxone 4 days 2 ng/mL
Ethyl Glucuronide
Ethyl Sulfate
Ethanol metabolites (EtG, EtS) Up to 80 hours after moderate-excessive ethanol use 500 ng/mL
200 ng/mL
Tapentadol Nucynta 1-2 days 25 ng/mL
Tramadol and metabolite Ultram, Ultracet, Ryzolt 3 days 50 ng/mL

* Denotes detection of free, non-conjugated drug.

PeaceHealth Laboratories