Ketamine drug testing in London

Across England and Wales, seizures of ketamine have increased by 32% over the course of the year, and there is increasing concern about the numbers of young people using the drug. The drug causes a loss of feeling and paralysis of the muscles. Its use may also cause people to feel incapable of moving, experience hallucinations or lead to panic attacks, confusion and memory loss.

Options for ketamine drug testing in London

AlphaBiolabs offers a range of drug tests to determine ketamine. These include oral fluid, urine, hair and nail clipping analysis.

Oral fluid drug testing involves analysing a sample of saliva. The entire test takes just 20–30 minutes and involves placing an absorbent collector inside an individual’s mouth for a few minutes to soak up sufficient saliva. The period of detection of oral fluid testing is up to 48 hours after ingestion.

Drugs that are present in the bloodstream are metabolised in the liver before being excreted in the urine. This means that drugs appear in urine later than oral fluid. The drugs are also detectable for a significantly longer time in urine than in oral fluid. Urine drug testing involves a donor providing a sample of their urine in a fully-contained screening pot. This method is quick, accurate and provides an immediate result. Its period of detection is only a few days, which means it is possible to detect ketamine in a urine drug test for up to 4 days after someone uses it.

Hair drug testing can provide a more comprehensive overview of a person’s ketamine use and can determine a history of drug intake for up to 12 months. By segmenting head hair samples into monthly 1 cm sections, a month-by-month profile of ketamine use can be attained. Analysis of small segments can help establish a positive hair test in a narrow timeframe, but unlike oral fluid and urine tests, hair strand analysis cannot show recent drug history. It takes about 14 days for drugs to appear in the hair shaft, and between 7–10 days for the hair containing the drug to grow above the scalp.

Ketamine can also be detected in nails because when it is consumed, its metabolites circulate in the bloodstream. These substances pass from the blood vessels below the nail into the keratin fibres as the nail grows. Unlike hair drug testing, nail drug testing won’t give a historic segmented pattern of ketamine use, but it will give an overview of up to 12 months.

Sample collection options in London

Ketamine drug testing in London is made easy thanks to flexible options for sample collection. We offer a secure, rapid and convenient service via our experienced network of highly qualified sample collectors. These sample collectors can visit a designated location (home, work or a solicitor’s office) to collect a sample under chain of custody procedures.

Alternatively, rather than having to arrange an appointment for sample collection, those needing a drug test can call into one of our two Walk in Centres* (based in Camden in North London and Clapham in South London) where you can take an instant drugs test or collect a kit to take home.

Expert sample collectors at the Walk in Centres ensure that the process is carried out quickly, efficiently and with no risk of contamination. This is ideal for those instances when you need to be certain that the results of a drug test are completely accurate and that the sample has not been tampered with.

For information on ketamine drug testing in London, please contact AlphaBiolabs on 0333 600 1300 or email info@alphabiolabs.com

*Our Walk in Centres are located at: AlphaBiolabs North London, Kentish Town Health Centre, 2 Bartholomew Road, London NW5 2BX (Tuesday and Wednesday: 9.30 am to 4.30 pm); and AlphaBiolabs South London, Springfield Medical Centre, 110 Union Road, London SW8 2SH (Monday and Thursday: 9.30 am to 4.30 pm). For appointments outside these times, please contact our Customer Services team on 0333 600 1300.

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