Amphetamines are one of the five groups of drugs that are tested for the standard drug test approved by the government of the United States. Amphetamines are a group of chemicals that have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system and make the user highly alert and energetic, as well as reduce the natural requirements for hunger and sleep, thereby giving the person an overall sense of well being. There is another closely related group of drugs called methamphetamines, which are rapidly transformed into amphetamines in the body through the process of metabolism and produce heightened effects of the nature described here. These drugs are available in the form of pills as prescription drugs, though they may also be consumed through inhalation in powdered form or injections. Regular and excessive use of these drugs may make the person addicted to them and produce lasting and irreversible damage to the brain, raise the pulse rate abnormally, spoil the normal appetite and make the person insomniac and generally weaken his immunity.
Amphetamines test helps determine the level of these drugs in the body and is therefore conducted on either patients who have had an accidental overdose or on those who are suspected of drug abuse. Potable kits for testing for amphetamine are now also available commercially for use at home. The presence of these drugs can be detected within a minimum period of 2 hours and a maximum period of 4 days. However, it is difficult to ascertain exactly when and how much of the drug was consumed since none of the tests takes into account a time variable. It is also possible to tamper the results of the test by introducing into the body diluting agents or additives in vitrio before the test sample is collected.
Testing for amphetamines is done by collecting a sample of the person’s blood, urine or saliva. Usually, a sample validity test is also conducted before the amphetamines test in order to determine the effect of dilution. Though the test sample may be stored in a refrigerator at a low temperature for up to 48 hours after collection, it is usually recommended that the sample be tested as soon as possible in order to get the most accurate results. A positive result points definitely to a drug overdose and should be brought to the attention of a doctor immediately.