Even though they can be intimidating, drug tests aren’t exactly revolutionary.
For years, everyone from HR managers to probation officials have asked that people take a drug test to make sure there are no prohibited substances in their system that may impact their health, security, or operation.
Are you currently gearing up to take one yourself? If so, it’s normal to feel a little apprehensive, especially when something as straightforward as poppyseeds could render an unfavorable result.
If you use kratom on a regular basis, you may be especially concerned. That is why it’s important that you be aware of the facts around kratom and drug tests.
Today, we’re sharing 11 significant details that could ease your mind and help you prepare for the big moment. Keep reading to find the facts you want to know to pass your test and proceed.
1. Kratom Can Show Up on a Drug Evaluation
Lots of people are attracted to kratom below the belief it will not appear on any drug tests. On the flip side, it is true it can go unnoticed in standard tests such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Five-Panel evaluation (SAMHSA-5). This test checks for the existence of five common categories of drugs, for example:
- Amphetamines
- Pot
- Cocaine
- Opiates
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
Nonetheless, it’s unwise to assume that kratom won’t show up on the medication test you require.
In reality, kratom alkaloids are specialized in a few evaluation formats, including urine tests and blood tests. There is even a specific drug test designed solely around kratom testing, called the Kratom 10-Panel Drug Test. But a regular, extended 10-panel urine test will still show a negative effect if the atom is the sole substance on your system.
This is because the kratom plant, or Mitragyna speciosa, has a different chemical makeup in the illegal narcotics that modern drug tests were made to detect.
2. Urine Tests Are More Likely
Is your employer administering a drug test specifically to look for hints of kratom? If this is the case, they’re more inclined to choose a urine test over a blood test.
Why? Blood tests normally have a shorter detection window, and unless the testing occurs soon after the medication use, it can be tricky to detect accurate levels. Moreover, blood tests are somewhat more involved and invasive.
If you are scheduled to get a pee test, be certain that you distinguish the individual conducting the exam when you have taken any prescription drugs or supplements in the days ahead. While it is not possible for the existence of kratom alkaloids to lead to a false positive, the presence of some other substances could trigger such an outcome. As an example, if you have elevated levels of aspirin or pseudoephedrine on your own body, these may cause your evaluation to read as positive.
3. Kratom is lawful in Most of the U.S.
On the federal level, kratom is not considered an illegal material. In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sought to classify it as a Schedule 1 drug, which would have meant hefty fines and even jail time for anybody caught in possession of it.
After intense public outcry, the DEA changed its thoughts, explaining that additional research on the makeup and consequences of kratom was still required. Instead, individual nations were permitted to set their own guidelines regulating kratom use.
So far, all but six countries in the U.S. have approved the legal utilization of kratom. Those that have not to include:
- Arkansas
- Alabama
- Indiana
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
To this end, employers have a tendency to focus more on other prohibited substances which are simple to discover on a normal test, like the SAMHSA-5.
4. It is Their Right to Drug Test
Though kratom isn’t a commonly tested-for material, an employer is in their right to administer a test to check for it. That can be true if they are inclined to feel that you’re misusing kratom. This can result in side effects that can change your overall productivity levels and create the workplace unsafely.
If your employer maintains a drug-free workplace policy, they’d be within their rights to request and run a kratom test, regardless of whether or not the substance is legal in your state. In a similar way, they can also check for the presence of prescription medications, even though they are legal.
5. It’s Important to Know Kratom’s Half-Life
The half-life of a substance is the time that it requires to reduce to half of its original value. This is an important value to understand, as it can help you determine how long kratom will remain in your system.
Not only can this help you plan to get a kratom drug evaluation, but it could also signal when you may begin to feel withdrawal symptoms if you develop a dependency on kratom and decide to stop using this substance.
While kratom’s half-life has just been studied extensively in animals, researchers estimate that Mitragynine, the principal alkaloid compound found in kratom, has a half-life of 23.24 hours.
What does this mean for you?
Utilizing this information, it might take nearly 24 hours, or a complete day, for you to remove half (50%) of this atom that you initially ingested into your entire body. In about five days, the kratom will be fully eliminated from the body. That means in the event that you know you have a kratom test next week, then you ought to abstain from taking kratom a minimum of five days before ensure that there isn’t any traceable level detected.
6. You’ve Got a Unique Reaction to Kratom
Understanding that the half-life of Mitragynine is a fantastic place to get started. Yet, the duration of time that atom stays on your system will be different from the length of time it stays on your neighbor.
There are some different factors that affect your elimination time. These include:
- Your age
- Your body fat percentage
- Your overall water and food intake
- Genetic markers and enzymes
Every person differs, but research indicates that older adults over the age of 65 have a more elimination half-life than their younger peers. In addition to age-related physical differences, this could also be because seniors often take more medications that could interact with kratom differently.
In addition, those with a higher body fat percentage are far more inclined to retain kratom for longer. This is only because Mitragynine is highly fat-soluble.
7. High-Fat Meals Mean Quicker Absorption
There is a reason why it is suggested to take kratom on an empty belly. Ideally, it’s ideal to consider it first thing when you wake up, then wait some time before breakfast. If you take it after breakfast, then let at least an hour after your meal to aid in digestion.
As you prepare for your kratom drug test, it helps to understand the absorption rate of this substance. Taking kratom alongside a high-fat meal could enable your body to absorb it quicker. If you are looking to appreciate its sedative effects, this could be a drawback. However, if you are attempting to remove as much as possible prior to your evaluation, it’s a good thing.
Quicker absorption will hasten the amount of time in which kratom necessitates reaching its peak concentration. From there, your body is able to start slowly ridding itself of the substance.
8. Detection Differs By Test
There are a few unique methods companies can test for kratom. The four most Frequent Kinds of the test include:
- Urine tests
- Blood evaluations
- Hair evaluations
- Saliva evaluations
Urine tests are the most popular, as well as among the best. Trace quantities of kratom alkaloids can remain in urine for up to a week. While blood tests can reveal concentration levels of kratom, they’re most accurate when used on individuals who regularly consume high levels of this substance.
Even though kratom metabolites can show up in saliva, these evaluations are ordinarily allowed to detect the presence of illegal substances. As kratom is lawful in virtually every state, oral fluid tests are not used as often. At length, hair tests are the most commonly used form of kratom testing. This is since it’s unlikely that the alkaloids would show up in hair follicles.
In addition, detection times do not only differ by evaluation type. Additionally, there are other factors that determine how long kratom can stay in the body. These include:
- Your own body fat and body fat percent
- Your age
- Your metabolic rate
- The existence of other substances in your system (e.g. alcohol or tobacco)
- The Quantity of kratom you lately used
- Your liver health and function
- Any other co-occurring health issues you might have
When taking kratom prior to a pre-scheduled drug evaluation or office screening, keep the above factors in mind. While some evaluations can be performed in an unexpected fashion, if you have sufficient time to prepare ahead, it is best to do so.
9. The Mitragynine Cut-Off Level is Little
When choosing a typical Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) test, it is important that you know the cut-off levels for Mytragynine detection. In drug screening, cut-off levels are the minimum detectable quantities of a substance which the test has to understand to render a positive outcome.
To this end, remember that a negative kratom test does not automatically mean that there was no kratom found on your system. Rather, it simply means there wasn’t sufficient kratom present to fulfill the minimal cut-off level.
Most LC-MS/MS tests have an established 1 ng/ml cut-off degree for Mytragynine. In case you have more than one nanogram per milliliter of kratom in your body, the evaluation will show a positive result.
10. Testing is a Challenge
There are some substances, such as cocaine or cocaine, which are easier to discover through drug testing than many others. Kratom is an especially challenging subject, also it will help to understand why.
While both main compounds in kratom, Mitragynine and 7-α-hydroxymitragynine, are comparatively easy to discover in their own, there is a sizable number of other compounds that may muddle the outcomes.
Additionally, the kratom plant also has three distinct chiral centers and as many as eight diastereomers. When these terms are technical and very scientific, the main takeaway is the molecular makeup of a kratom leaf is complex and complex in nature. This will make testing difficult at best.
11. New Drug Tests Are Being Created
While kratom-centric drug evaluations are infrequent, this does not seem to be true for long. Programmers are working on new medication evaluations to detect the presence of the substance on the body, so it pays to do your research and understand the effects and consequences of using kratom, particularly in the workplace.
However, these evaluations will most likely be reserved for extreme cases and are not expected to enter the normal employer drug screening turning any time soon. This is mostly attributed to the absence of business knowledge which exists about kratom and also the need for further studies to be conducted.
Discover More About Kratom and Drug Tests
Drug tests aren’t the most pleasant part of linking the workforce. However, they are important processes that may keep your teammates safe and healthy.
If you enjoy carrying kratom for pain relief, energy boosts, and improved clarity, you don’t need to reside in constant fear of being subjected to these diagnoses. There is still much research that has to be performed around kratom and drug tests, and many companies stay more concentrated on distinguishing illegal opiates than anything else.
However, these 11 facts are very important to understand. As kratom grows more popular, it is expected that testing approaches will sophisticate and eventually become more widespread.
Have any questions about kratom? Want to learn more about how you can purchase premium, high-quality kratom powder from an industry-leading provider? Feel free to browse our online shop and contact us with any questions!