The Downers: Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium), Alcohol, and Barbiturates Downers, a colloquial term for depressants, are drugs that decrease mental or physical activity. Downers are functionally opposite to uppers or stimulants which are drugs that increase activity of the mind or body. Depressants are widely used as prescription medications and illegitimately as recreational drugs. Benzodiazepines and barbiturates are the most commonly prescribed depressants. Alcohol is also classified as a...

The Uppers: Cocaine, Amphetamines, and Methamphetamine Uppers are central nervous system stimulants that temporarily increase mental or physical function or both. The word “uppers” is a colloquial term for stimulants that make you alert and enhance locomotion. Amphetamines, one type of “uppers,” are widely used as prescription medication and commonly prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Cocaine, amphetamines and methamphetamine, all uppers, produce wide ranging effects by...

Nicotine Tests and Insurance Policies A Guide To The Types of Tests Used In The Rapidly Growing World of Nicotine Testing The life expectancy of a smoker is about 10 years less than a non-smoker on average. This stark finding was published in the British Medical Journal a few years ago. Over time various clinical research has proven that smoking can cause many health issues like heart disease, lung cancer, COPD and more. This is exactly why health insurance and life insurance companies make it...

Adulteration is the tampering of a urine sample in order to produce a desired result. There are many adulterants that are on the market that try to do this. Adulterants can either create false negatives or destroy the drugs in the urine, or both. People also try to dilute urine in order to get a false negative result. Fortunately, drug tests are ready to take this challenge on. One of the best ways to test for urine sample adulteration or dilution is to determine certain urinary characteristics...

Many archaeologists believe that wine made from grapes was a part of man’s regular diet as many as 10,000 years back. Surprisingly, it is also believed that other kinds of alcohol like beer and mead existed even before. Along the way developed various social uses for the intoxicating drink, including pepping up men before a battle, calming fights, closing a deal and seduction. Many of these traditions associated with alcohol are still in existence. Prehistoric man is known to have made beer...

To see our tests, check out our hair drug test page. What drugs are tested for by the hair drug test? The drugs tested for by the PDT-90 hair follicle drug test are marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamines, ecstasy and PCP. The Express, Standard, Legal Workplace, and the Illegal & Prescription hair follicle drug test detect marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines, ecstasy and PCP. So, the only drug type the PDT-90 does not test for that the other kits do is...