Prescription Drugs – Killing Us Softly

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Craig Bourque

No longer just a public safety issue, prescription drug misuse and abuse also weighs heavily on the workplace. According to The Clinical Journal of Pain, illegal use of prescription opioids cost the United States employers over $40 billion dollars in lost productivity in 2006 alone. Five drugs in particular, OxyContin®, oxycodone, hydrocodone, propoxyphene, and methadone, accounted for two-thirds of the total economic burden. As regulations tighten around these drugs and availability becomes more scarce, users are turning to other, more potent opioids such as fentanyl or street drugs like heroin.

One of the nation’s leading safety advocates, the National Safety Council (NSC), highlights issues in an effort to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. The NSC has highlighted prescription drug misuse as one of the critical safety issues facing our communities because of the alarming rise in addiction rates, ER visits, overdoses, and fatalities. With over 43,000 drug overdose fatalities per year in the United States, it is safe to say that we have reached epidemic levels.

Prescription Drug Addicts 40 Times More Likely To Become Addicted To Heroin

The NSC reported results from its recent survey, examining employers’ perceptions and experiences with prescription drugs. Because of misuse and abuse, employers face challenges with absenteeism, lower job performance, accidents and injuries, positive drug test results, co-workers using, borrowing, or selling prescription drugs at work, and a negative impact on employee morale. In addition, the NSC survey data shows:

81 percent of companies lack a drug-free workplace policy
76 percent of companies do not provide training to identify drug use/abuse
41 percent of companies do not drug test for synthetic opioids such as fentanyl

Employers want to help employees, but less than 20 percent of employers responded that they were “extremely prepared” to deal with the misuse or abuse of prescription medications. Managers stated that they would like additional clarification regarding policy, benefits, insurance, treatment options, and simply identifying warning signs of potential issues.

How can the remaining 80 percent of employers get informed and gain confidence when facing this challenge? Experts suggest that companies add specialized workplace training for supervisors, implement drug testing programs, and strengthen their policies with more precise language about drug use without a prescription, employee impairment, and return-to-work protocols.

The NSC has amassed a comprehensive collection of resources such as drug fact sheets, strategy guides, videos, graphics, and survivor stories to bring greater awareness to the issue.

Download the kit for employers.

Is A Good Economy Hazardous To Your Business?

Posted on May 18, 2017March 28, 2019 by Craig Bourque

Can You Find Good Help?

As the economy continues to strengthen and grow and the memories of the Great Recession fade, challenges for growing businesses continue to mount. With unemployment rates steadily decreasing, the pool of good quality available workers also decreases. The most reliable applicants who are drug free with clean backgrounds are likely already employed leaving behind a pool of applicants that may be drug users and/or have undesirable background histories. Now, more than ever, good employee screening practices are critical to the success of your business. What is put at risk when a company elects to forgo drug screening and background checks as part of their employee application process? For starters, the company’s reputation, the safety of other employees, the well being of customers and your company’s financial stability are all at stake.

Reputation

Your company’s reputation is on the line every day. You have built your company and it’s reputation and know how damaging an unsatisfied customer can be. Your employees represent your company and their appearance, behavior and actions are a direct reflection of your company. Without proper screening tools in place and in use, placing a drug abuser or person with a criminal record in a position to reflect and represent your company is very likely. Do you really want your company represented by a drug abuser? A child molester? A convicted felon?

What about second chances? Some companies are looking toward the recently incarcerated and people with past criminal records (depending on the infraction) to fill employment needs. Knowing a person’s past and working with them and giving them that second chance may produce incredibly productive, loyal and thankful employees. Bringing someone on board that is currently testing positive for drug use, on the other hand, may not be the best option.

Safety & Well Being

Substance use and abuse in the workplace is the leading cause of accidents on the job. More often than not, the injured party is usually a fellow employee of the drug user instead of the drug user themselves. Creating a safe work environment for all employees creates an environment where everyone will be happier. If caring about your employee’s well being is not high on your priority list, how about your customers? Is you customer’s safety important to you. Should electrical systems be installed properly to avoid fires? Who really needs their customers to have correctly working brakes, right? The safety and well being of all of your employees and your customers should be a top priority – always.

Financial Stability

The bottom line is your bottom line. When accidents happen, it costs the company money – in insurance rate increases, time off, production losses, etc. When a user or abuser of drugs is working for you, it can cost you more than you can afford. Substance abusers (drug and alcohol) cost businesses billions of dollars every year! As a result, companies can lose customers, experience decreased productivity, see higher rates of absenteeism and turnover costs, pay higher insurance and worker’s compensation premiums, the list goes on and on.

Conclusion

Just because you absolutely need to fill a position and hire someone, the last thing you want to do is skimp on the employee screening tools available to you such as background checks and drug screens. It would be more cost effective to leave the position unfilled than to allow someone to come on board that could potentially destroy your company. You may want to consider raising your starting pay rates, offering more or better benefits, recruiting good workers from other companies and competitors. Be creative and make your company more attractive to potential employees – do everything you can to attract the best applicants and screen out the applicants that can harm your business and reputation. Companies that are doing these things are raising prices and cutting costs in other areas to be able to offer better wages and benefits and a more attractive work environment.

Medical Review Officer | What is a MRO?

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Craig Bourque

What is a MRO – Medical Review Officer?

MRO in the world of drug testing stands for Medical Review Officer. A MRO is a licensed physician who receives and reviews laboratory drug test results and evaluates those results while taking into consideration the donor’s medical history and prescription usage. These physicians are specially trained in substance abuse testing and provide protection for the donor to ensure that a positive drug test result is not due to legitimate prescription usage.

MRO review, while not always required, is very common in employment drug testing in order to protect both the employee and the employer. MRO review is less common when it comes to legal or court ordered testing.

The MRO Review Process

The MRO review process begins when the laboratory has completed the drug testing process and reports their findings (results) to the Medical Review Officer. The Medical Review Officer’s team examine the entire collection process to make sure the correct test panel was performed and that the correct procedures were followed by the collector to make sure that there is no evidence of tampering or foul play that could disqualify the results.

When a drug test is reported positive by the lab, the MRO will then contact the donor to determine if there is a legitimate medical explanation for the positive lab result. The MRO will ask the donor specific, health history and prescription usage questions and seek to validate any history or prescription information provided by the donor. In some cases. prescription medications or medical treatments can cause a positive lab test result. In these situations, the MRO will obtain verification of a valid prescription or recent medical treatment and then finalize the drug test result and report the result as negative or positive based on their findings.

Using an MRO to review and interpret the laboratory test results provides a professional, scientific, unbiased, third party review of the results. This protects the donor’s health and medical history from parties that do not have the right to that information and also protects the entire process to insure the integrity of the testing process from collection to the final result being reported.

MRO Review For Employment Drug Testing

MRO review is required for all Department of Transportation (DOT) regulated drug testing. For unregulated testing, or non-DOT testing, MRO review is not required, but is strongly recommended given the protections it offers both the employee and the employer.

MRO Review For Legal/Court Testing

MRO review for court ordered or legal forensic drug testing is not as common. The lack of MRO review provides the court the opportunity to see the raw test results direct from the laboratory. Without MRO review, the determination if a drug test is positive due to prescription medication, medical procedures or illegal use gets placed into the hands of lawyers, judges and juries.

To learn more about what drug testing services are best suited for your needs, please call or text 843-972-3287 or email us.

#1 Abused Substance On The Job

Posted on March 7, 2017March 28, 2019 by Craig Bourque

The most widely used and abused “drug” in American workplaces today might surprise you. A common definition of the word “drug” is “a habit-forming medicinal or illicit substance, especially a narcotic.” The only problem is that this “drug” or substance is 100% legal in the United States. In fact, the government makes money from the sale of this substance by taxing it and regulating it. If you haven’t figured it out by now, the number one used and abused substance in the workplace is alcohol.

Alcohol abusers number over 14 million in the United States alone and many of them are gainfully employed in our workplaces. Alcohol is responsible for a large number of workplace accidents and injuries. In addition, alcohol abuse in the workplace leads to billions of dollars in lost revenues for businesses due to absences, lower productivity, employee turnover, rising health costs and more.

Employers are aware of the costs borne by employees with alcohol problems and are implementing strict alcohol use guidelines in their substance free workplace programs. The main objective of these policies is to keep alcohol use out of the workplace through education, supervisor training and testing. Providing educational opportunities for employees on the effects of alcohol use and abuse in the workplace is the first step. Part of that education must include making employees aware of the resources available to them if they do have a problem. Employers should have literature and materials available to all employees about local resources or the company’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Supervisors must be trained in identifying and observing signs of substance use on the job. They must be trained on how to confront the situation properly and how to get the employee tested if need be. The company’s substance free workplace program must include the ability to test employees for alcohol use in situations like reasonable suspicion, post-accident or random testing.

Regulated companies, such as those regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT) must have a substance free workplace policy and program in place that includes drugs and alcohol. Non regulated companies are not required to have such policies and programs in place. However, more and more companies are seeing the value of a substance free workplace program for the health and safety of their employees as well as the cost savings. Making sure that these policies address the number one used and abused substance is critical to a solid substance free workplace program.

Drug Alert: PINK – It’s not just a pretty color

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Craig Bourque

PARENT ALERT: Check Your Mail – Pink Being Shipped To Homes Via US Postal Service

Pink

U-47700, also known as Pink, is a synthetically manufactured opiate that was first invented in the 1970’s and tested in the 80’s on animals. The drug, nicknamed “Pink” because of the pinkish color of the powdery substance and/or pill form has never been approved for medical use, but it has found its way onto the streets of New York and North Carolina in recent months as the nation’s heroin and opiate epidemic rages on. The pills found on the streets resemble manufactured oxycodone immediate-release tabs. The problem, of course is that users, expecting oxycodone like results find themselves battling for their life as “Pink” belongs to a family of deadly synthetic opioids with up to eight times more potency than morphine.

Pink is being manufactured overseas and has been tracked to illicit labs located in China. This drug is toxic to the touch and has been fatal in small doses when ingested. Often found combined with other drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, Pink is an internet search away and available for purchase online creating yet another chemically manufactured drug with truly deadly consequences for those looking to “experiment” with drug use. The US Drug Enforcement Administration has classified U-47700 as a schedule I drug determining the drug to have high potential for abuse and no approved medical use. Pink is just one of several manufactured, synthetic, chemical based drugs commonly referred to as “designer” drugs. We prefer to call them “fatal” drugs. Users experimenting with drugs for the first time can and do come into contact with these types of drugs and death is often the end result.

For more information on the scheduling of Pink, read the DEA news release.

Early intervention and testing is critical to helping those experimenting, using or abusing drugs. For more information or assistance, please call or text 843-972-3287 or contact us.

Post Accident Positive Drug Tests On The Rise

Posted on February 8, 2017March 28, 2019 by Craig Bourque

Post-Accident Positive Drug Test Results Increase Among American Workers

Scientific experts at Quest Diagnostics have analyzed and published annual workplace drug testing data and insights since 1988 in the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ (DTI). When drug testing programs were started by employers in the 1980s, evidence of drug use in the workplace began to decline. Employers saw how substance-free workplace programs deterred employee substance abuse and discouraged job applicants who use drugs from applying for positions at their companies. These declines were also seen in post-accident drug testing scenarios.

It has been several years since the Drug Testing Index reported on trends for a specific reason for testing. In the latest release, Quest Diagnostics, one of the country’s largest drug testing laboratories, noted that over the past five years, there have been slight increases in post-accident drug test results that have led to dramatic changes. When reviewed together, the data shows a significant increase in positive post-accident drug tests for both the federally-mandated, safety-sensitive and non-regulated workforces.

According to the data, post-accident drug testing:

Increased 6.2% in 2015 in the non-regulated workforces compared to 2014 and has increased 30% since 2011
Rose 22% between 2011-2015 for regulated safety-sensitive workforce employees

Year-over-year, positive drug tests for post-accident situations was trending downward in the 2000s. However, consecutive increases in the last five years should give employers something to think about considering the potential impact of drug use and its threat to workplace safety.

Post-incident testing, also known as post-accident drug testing is performed after an employee has been involved in a workplace accident and is used as an aid to assess if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in the incident. Post-accident testing is an important tool for companies, especially those focused on workplace health and safety.

For more information about drug and/or alcohol testing, visit our website or contact us online.

DNA Paternity Testing Without The Father?

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Craig Bourque

There are occasions when a paternity test needs to be conducted and the assumed father is not available for testing due to a variety of reasons such as death, imprisonment, refusal to provide a specimen or other circumstances. Death of the assumed father is really the only instance where a DNA sample may not be available as a court order could remedy most other types of instances. In such cases when the assumed father is not available to collect a DNA specimen or a specimen is not available, there are a few other types of DNA tests that can be conducted to determine paternity of a child.

Grandparentage Tests

The best option when the father is not available for testing is to have DNA specimens collected from the mother and father of the assumed father – that is both of the child’s biological, paternal grandparents. If only one paternal grandparent is available, then the mother of the child should provide a specimen as well to provide more accurate results. Testing of the grandparents to determine paternity is a relationship based test commonly referred to as a grandparentage test.

Avuncular Tests

When the paternal grandparents are not available for testing, the next option would be to collect a DNA specimen from a paternal uncle or aunt of the child along with the mother of the child. Specifically, this a biological brother or sister of the assumed father. Siblings share about 50% of their DNA with each other which means an uncle or aunt would share about 25% of their DNA with the child. Using an accredited laboratory for avuncular testing is of utmost importance to ensure accurate, reliable results.

Siblingship Tests

One final option to determine paternity is to conduct a siblingship test with a known biological child of the assumed father. This test will determine if two individuals share one or both parents. It will need to be noted if the assumed siblings share the same biological mother or not prior to testing being performed. If they share the same mother, the test would be considered a full-siblingship test, whereas if they do not share the same mother, the test is referred to as a half-sibingship test.

Carolina Testing performs all of the above tests in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area and serves the entire Grand Strand region including Horry, Georgetown, Marion, Florence and Dillon counties. With a network of collection site partners nationwide, we can facilitate DNA specimen collections locally, and nationally. Form more information, please call or text 843-972-3287 or CLICK HERE

Pre-Natal DNA Paternity Testing – One Woman’s Story

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Craig Bourque

I’m pregnant?!?!?!

pregnancy-test72 Now what? I sit here staring at the plus sign on the at-home pregnancy test. It’s the same result I got with the three other tests I did (just in case). A range of emotions are flooding my mind as I wrap my head around the reality that there is a baby growing inside me. I haven’t felt quite right for the past few weeks and this explains a whole lot. The father! I need to tell him about this too. When this sinks into my consciousness I feel what could possibly be my first wave of morning sickness rising to greet me. It’s not morning sickness though. It is pure emotional fear and confusion. There is a very real possibility the father could be one of two different men.

Until I know who the real father is, I can’t say anything. This is going to add a lot of stress to my life and to the baby – which is not healthy for either one of us. Once people learn that I am pregnant, they are going to assume the daddy is Jake. After all, Jake and I have been together for years – with the exception of that brief break up last month. That brief break up is exactly where the problem lies. I went out with the girls one night and met Mike at the club where we were dancing. I hadn’t seen Mike since High School when he moved away our Junior year. The drinks were flowing, the night was a blast and Mike and I did something we both agreed was a mistake the next morning. It happens sometimes – I get that, but this just got real! I need to make sure that I know who the real father is and I need to know now!

I know you can find out who the father is through a DNA Paternity Test. I have watched enough daytime talk shows to know this much, but that was after the baby is born. I need to know now! A brief Google search brought up three options available to do a DNA Paternity test before the baby is born. The first two – CVS and Amniocentesis must be approved and should be performed by your OB/GYN due to the risk of miscarriage or other complications. The third option is referred to as a non-invasive prenatal paternity test.

CVS

The first option is through CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) which consists of a thin needle being inserted into the vagina and into the cervix to collect tissue samples from the uterine wall. This type of test is typically performed during weeks 10-13.

AMNIOCENTESIS

This procedure is typically performed during the second trimester and uses a thin needle entering into your uterus through your abdomen. The needle then extracts a small amount of amniotic fluid.

NON-INVASIVE

This procedure is completely non-invasive to the baby and can be performed at any time during the pregnancy after 8 weeks. The process involves a simple blood draw from the mother’s arm and a buccal cheek swab from the possible father(s).

Well, I certainly was not ready to do anything that may possibly harm the baby, so the non-invasive paternity test was the solution. I called Carolina Testing and they walked me through the entire process and answered all of my questions. They arranged for a phlebotomist to come to my home to do the blood draw and Mike went down to their office for his buccal cheek swab. I received the results and a huge sigh of relief in about 10 days. Jake was thrilled to learn that he was going to be a daddy – and we are filled with excitement and anticipation as we wait for the birth of Jake Jr.

Legal DNA Paternity Testing | Myrtle Beach

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Craig Bourque

WHAT IS DNA PATERNITY TESTING?

DNA paternity testing is an important genetic test that determines the biological father of a child. DNA is received from our biological parents — half from our mother and half from our father. A DNA paternity test compares the child’s DNA patterns with that of the alleged father to determine if there is a genetic match confirming or denying paternity.

Choosing a DNA paternity test where the results will be used as a legal document is an important choice. You should make sure that the test being conducted is a Legal DNA Paternity Test. A Legal DNA Paternity Test involves strict documentation and guidelines starting with the specimen collection, transporting the specimens to an accredited laboratory, and the testing process itself. The specimens must be accounted for during every step of the process through legal chain of custody procedures in order to have the results accepted by the courts.

Some common reasons for Legal DNA Testing include:

child support
child custody
birth certificate changes
immigration
will / estate proceedings
court order
adoption
tax forms / dependents

HOW TO PREPARE FOR LEGAL DNA PATERNITY TESTING

At the very minimum, the alleged father and the child will need to have saliva specimens collected via cheek swab in order to complete a DNA paternity test. The mother is encouraged to also provide a specimen to produce faster, more definitive results. All parties do not have to be present for the specimen collections at the same time. Specimen collections can be done locally and nationwide through a network of specimen collection sites in the event that the parties live in different areas of the country. Adults should be prepared to bring government issued photo identification such as a driver’s license, passport, military ID or other state issued photo ID. Children with no photo ID should have a birth certificate or social security card with the child’s name with them at the time of their specimen collection.

For more information about DNA Paternity Testing, please contact Carolina Testing. www.carolinatesting.com

Call or Text: 843-972-3287 Email: info@carolinatesting.com

WHAT ARE BENZODIAZEPINES (BENZOS)?

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Craig Bourque

WHAT ARE BENZODIAZEPINES – ALSO KNOWN AS “BENZOS”

Benzos

Benzodiazepines (“benzos”) are prescription drugs that first came to the market in the 1960’s. These medications are used to treat insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, seizures, convulsions and other nervous system conditions. Today, these drugs account for about one out of every five prescriptions for controlled substances.

Two of the most popular and commonly known Benzos are Valium and Xanax. Introduced to the market in 1969, Xanax has become the fifth most commonly prescribed drug in America, accounting for 37.5 million prescriptions in 2006 alone – up from 29.9 million in 2002. A government survey conducted in 2000 found that approximately 5 million Americans abuse Xanax or other Benzodiazepines. Today, Xanax and other benzos are increasingly being used and abused by younger people seeking a “high.”

HOW DO BENZOS WORK?

Benzos are a depressant to the central nervous system which seems to relax the user and chemically slows down the receptor cells and activity in the brain. Benzos have effects similar to what one would expect when consuming alcohol. Like alcohol, benzos impair mental alertness and physical coordination, significantly impairing response times, while compromising mechanical performance such as driving a vehicle or operating machinery.

WHY IS XANAX DANGEROUS?

Combining the use of benzos and alcohol can have fatal consequences. In addition, because of the effect created by benzos, a large percentage of people entering treatment for narcotic or cocaine addiction also report abusing benzos.

Benzos metabolize quickly and effect brain and physical function in shorter time frame than alcohol. The calming effect of Xanax starts quickly and this is one of the reasons that it becomes so addictive so fast. The effects fade rapidly as well, leading to the user taking more and higher doses to maintain the effect. After a few days to a few weeks, the use of Xanax will have to be increased to compensate for increased tolerance of the drug leading to physical dependence.

Many people who are addicted to Xanax start by taking small doses. Like heroin or cocaine users, they often begin taking more as tolerance builds and start craving the drug when the effects of the drug begin to lessen – which happens relatively quickly. Some reports suggest that people taking larger doses of Xanax become physically dependent in as little as two days. As with most drugs, the larger the dose, the faster one becomes addicted.

You may also be familiar with another benzo called Valium. You should know that .5 milligrams (that is half a milligram) of Xanax is equivalent to 10 milligrams of Valium. When someone says they are taking 5 milligrams of Xanax, that means that they are taking the equivalent of 100 milligrams of Valium, which is a very heavy dose. It also likely means that their tolerance to Xanax has increased markedly. Xanax is one of the two most frequently encountered benzodiazepines on the illicit market and can be found easily on the streets and in schools and colleges.

XANAX WITHDRAWAL

It can take a week or more before the body fully withdraws from Xanax and starts to return to normal levels of chemically balanced brain function. When the initial calming effects of the last Xanax dose wear off in a few hours, withdrawal starts.

Withdrawal from Xanax or any benzodiazepines is difficult and may require medical assistance as well as psychological counseling and support. Withdrawal symptoms include high blood pressure, rapid heart beat, tremors, uncontrollable movement of limbs, confusion, hallucinations, severe panic attacks and seizures that could lead to death depending on the severity.

Early detection of dug misuse and abuse is critical to managing and preventing more serious addictions and abuse of illegal drugs as well as prescription medications. Professional, affordable and confidential drug testing services are available through Carolina Testing. For more information, please call or text 843-972-3287.