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Benzodiazepines test is a urine test that identifies benzodiazepine medicine and its metabolites. Benzodiazepines are medications used to ease anxiety, prevent seizures, support sleep, relax spasms of muscles, and sedate patients but overdose or misuse of them is harmful to health. Certain medications containing benzodiazepines have more risk of adverse effects. Some benzodiazepines are also more harmful than others, such as triazolam. Labwork360 provides benzodiazepines test in Houston and also mobile phlebotomy services for it.
Moreover, it takes different times for different benzodiazepine-containing medications to appear in urine, depending on their metabolism. In fact, benzodiazepines can take up to only a few minutes to appear in the urine and may continue to appear for days.
The alternative name for this test is a benzodiazepine urine toxicology screen. Benzodiazepine drugs are generally referred to as tranquilizers or sleeping pills as they are used to prevent insomnia, anxiety, and seizures and to relax muscle spasms.
Not all benzodiazepines appear in standard urine tests, though most of them appear in them. However, some benzodiazepines tests may not detect clonazepam, alprazolam, triazolam, and temazepam. Several benzodiazepine tests cannot determine the amount of medicine in samples despite detecting them.
Just like with several other drugs, the main problems with implementing benzodiazepine therapy are the risk of overdose and developing addiction. Benzodiazepine drugs are also called benzos, and they have the tendency to lead the user to addiction.
Healthcare practitioners prescribe the benzodiazepines test if there are any signs of misuse or illegal use of benzodiazepines-containing medicines. Moreover, this test is also prescribed if the healthcare practitioner suspects an accidental overdose of this drug. The benzodiazepines drug test screens for the following drugs:
Phencyclidine
Marijuana
Barbiturates
Amphetamines
Cocaine
Opioids
Symptoms and signs of an overdose of benzodiazepines are as follows:
Slurred speech
Confusion
Unconsciousness
Cardiac arrest
Shallow or slow breathing
Low blood pressure
Trouble talking or thinking
Loss of muscle control
Seizure
The doses of different benzodiazepines are different and they range from 0.5 to 50 milligrams. Intake of 10 to 20 times more benzodiazepines than the prescribed dose can result in a mild coma, but it does not cause shallow or slow breathing. But there are more harmful benzodiazepines such as triazolam, the overdose of which can lead to breathing problems and may also get fatal.
Benzodiazepine overdoses alone are generally not very harmful as they do not impair the function of the liver or heart or cause coma. In the situation of an overdose of benzodiazepines, the healthcare provider may prescribe other drug tests to screen for disorders of the nervous system not triggered by drugs or medicines.
It is also possible to have a benzodiazepine blood test. In fact, it can even be more useful to use a blood specimen for a benzodiazepines drug test, than a urine sample as it is difficult to change the blood tests to hide the misuse of drugs.
Labwork360 provides secure and reliable benzodiazepines test in Houston. We also provide mobile phlebotomy so you can order this test at your home. Getting a benzodiazepines test in Houstonis convenient as this test only checks blood specimens so the risk of side effects is low. Moreover, the blood draw procedure only takes a few minutes and after that, you only have to wait for the test results from the lab.
The assessment of the results of the benzodiazepines test depends on health history, gender age, the method of testing, as well as other factors. Consult with the healthcare practitioner to know the implications of the result of this test for you.
Medications That Contain Benzodiazepines
Medications such as muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, and sleeping pills also contain benzodiazepines. One of the common reasons for the misuse of benzos is their overdose as prescription medicines.
Following are examples of common benzos medicines used for relieving seizures, muscle tension, and anxiety which have the risk of being used in excessive quantities.
Lorazepam
Chlordiazepoxide
Alprazolam
Clonazepam
Diazepam
Oxazepam
Moreover, the following are common benzodiazepines-containing medicines for sleep and calmness:
Estazolam
Flurazepam
Triazolam
Temazepam
The glucose test is often prescribed with the benzodiazepines test to assess blood sugar levels.
The normal concentration of benzodiazepines in the blood is 2 to 1000 ng/mL and it depends on the type of benzodiazepine.
Certain medications can lead to false positive outcomes in benzodiazepine urine tests. These medications are as follows:
Naproxen
Etodolac
Fenoprofen
Tolmetin
Sertraline
Oxaprozin
Benzodiazepines test does not require any specific preparation, however, you have to inform the healthcare provider about all the supplements, vitamins, herbs, and medicines that you are taking. This includes illegal drugs as well as medicines that do not require a prescription. Taking sertraline can cause a false positive result in the benzodiazepines drug test.
Benzodiazepines are prescribed as medications and they have the following purposes:
Preventing insomnia
Ease anxiety
Relax muscle spasms
Treatment of alcohol withdrawal
Prevent seizures
To sedate patients before diagnostic procedures or surgery
General anesthesia
Relaxation of muscles
Panic attacks
Depression
Vomiting and nausea
Drug-associated agitation and alcohol withdrawal
Sedation before diagnostic procedures or surgery
Short-acting benzodiazepines rapid onsets of action, such as triazolam and halazepam. These benzodiazepine types are taken as sleeping pills.
Regular use of benzodiazepines may have harmful effects such as memory loss or impaired thinking, depression, anxiety, aggression, paranoia, and irritability. The following are the common side effects caused due to benzodiazepines:
Muscle weakness
Memory problems
Dizziness
Slurred speech
Confusion
Light-headedness
Unsteadiness
Anterograde amnesia
Motor incoordination
Ataxia
Increased reaction time
The sedative effects of benzodiazepines can be relieved through flumazenil medication. However, this medicine should not be used by individuals who take benzodiazepines for an extended duration to control seizures. This is because, in such a condition, the withdrawal from flumazenil can possibly cause death.
According to NIH’s 2019 data, 5.3 million individuals (2.2%) misused benzodiazepines and misuse accounted for 17.2% of benzos overall. The use of benzos as a prescription medication is most common in adults in the 50 to 64 years age group. Benzos are one of the most commonly misused drugs as they are easily available. Moreover, their misuse is most prevalent in the 18 to 25 years age group, whereas adults above 65 years of age had the lowest misuse (0.6%). Overdose of benzo drugs more than the prescribed quantity is likely in individuals above 50 years of age to help them with sleep.
Labwork360 is a licensed medical diagnostic laboratory located Houston. We provide secure and reliable diagnostic testing that implements standard guidelines and procedures. Moreover, we provide mobile phlebotomy services so people can call us to visit them to take samples. If you have any queries about diagnostic testing and our services, consult with us through our helpline.
No, the benzodiazepines test does not have any risks.
It takes about 2 to 7 days for benzodiazepines to appear in urine samples and this depends on the type of the benzodiazepine drug used as well as other factors: the half-life of the drug, method of administration, time of the last intake of the drug, and differences in pharmacokinetics.
The results of the benzodiazepines test are available within 24 to 36 hours.