An Introduction to Testing for Drugs of Abuse

An Introduction to Testing for Drugs of Abuse

An Introduction to Testing for Drugs of Abuse presents a distilled set of facts about the major drugs of abuse that are encountered in clinical practice. Individual chapters highlight the similarities in chemical structure, mechanism of action, and physiologic effects of each drug group, as well as their metabolism, therapeutic uses and potential for misuse or abuse. Special attention is given to the testing process, with an emphasis on interpretation of test results.

Informative and entertaining cases appear at the end of each chapter. These cases illustrate the many situations in which drug testing is performed for medical, legal and employment purposes.

Written in clear, concise language, this book provides practical guidance to pathologists, clinical chemists and technologists who are responsible for reporting and interpreting the results of drug analyses. It will be especially useful to residents and students who are learning about toxicology for the first time. Clinical practitioners – doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals – will find the information they need to order and interpret drug tests accurately.

For more information watch the trailer here:  https://players.brightcove.net/4931690914001/B1xdbomRDl_default/index.html?videoId=6310075842112

About the Author

William E. Schreiber is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and ­Laboratory Medicine at The University of British Columbia and Clinical Director of Chemistry at LifeLabs. Previously, he was a consultant pathologist at Vancouver General Hospital and medical director of the British Columbia Provincial Toxicology Centre. He is a past president of the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

Preface

Section I Substance use, drug metabolism and the testing process

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. How the body handles drugs

Chapter 3. Specimen collection

Chapter 4. Screening tests: Immunoassays

Chapter 5. Confirmation tests: Chromatography and mass spectrometry

Section II Individual drugs

Chapter 6. Cocaine

Chapter 7. Amphetamines

Chapter 8. Benzodiazepines & Z-drugs

Chapter 9. Other sedative-hypnotic drugs

Chapter 10. Opioids

Chapter 11. Cannabinoids

Chapter 12. Hallucinogens

Chapter 13. Alcohols

Section III Appendices

Appendix A. How to read a toxicology report

Appendix B.  Guideline documents: Pain management and addiction medicine

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