Short, straight answers to the questions people ask most about LabX drug tests, confirmation, at-home STI testing and our laboratory — each linked to a full explanation.
A 12-panel drug test screens one sample for 12 drugs or drug classes at once, such as cocaine, opioids, fentanyl, amphetamines and benzodiazepines. LabX offers a 12-panel test on urine for $89 or a fingerstick blood sample for $99, with optional laboratory confirmation.
Confirmation is a second, definitive laboratory test that identifies exactly which compounds are present. LabX's confirmation uses LC-MS/MS to test for all 76 compounds on its panel, whether or not the screen flagged anything. It adds $89 to a 12-panel urine or blood test.
The LabX confirmation measures 76 compounds by LC-MS/MS, grouped into opioids, fentanyl and kratom, opioid treatment medicines, stimulants, benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, antidepressants, antipsychotics, muscle relaxants and sedatives, and dissociatives with alcohol and cannabis markers. The full list is published on the confirmation panel page.
A screen is a fast presumptive test that detects drug classes and can occasionally react to related substances. A confirmation identifies specific compounds by mass using LC-MS/MS. A screen result alone is presumptive; confirmation is the laboratory's definitive method.
The LabX laboratory's confirmation report lists an approximate detection window of 1 to 4 days for fentanyl and its metabolite norfentanyl. Real windows vary with dose, frequency of use, metabolism and hydration, and a result cannot be used to work out when a substance was taken.
The LabX laboratory lists an approximate detection window of 3 to 30 days for THC. The metabolite measured is stored in fat and released slowly, so the window depends heavily on how often and how much cannabis is used. A result does not indicate impairment.
Alprazolam (Xanax) belongs to the benzodiazepine class, which is a line on the LabX 12-panel screen, though screens detect individual benzodiazepines with varying sensitivity. LabX's LC-MS/MS confirmation measures alprazolam and its metabolite alpha-hydroxyalprazolam specifically.
Standard drug screens do not detect kratom. LabX's LC-MS/MS confirmation measures mitragynine, the main kratom alkaloid, and 7-hydroxymitragynine. Kratom is not an FDA-approved medicine, and its legal status varies by state.
Gabapentin is not detected by standard drug screens. It is one of the 76 compounds in LabX's LC-MS/MS confirmation, which is how it is identified when a clinician or program needs to know.
Standard drug screens do not detect xylazine, a veterinary sedative found as an adulterant in the illicit fentanyl supply. LabX's LC-MS/MS confirmation measures xylazine specifically.
LabX's tests use ETS (ethyl sulfate), a metabolite of alcohol, as a marker of recent drinking. The laboratory lists an approximate window of 2 to 5 days. ETS shows exposure, not how much was consumed, and incidental exposure can produce low levels.
Yes. Many prescribed medicines, such as ADHD stimulants, opioid pain medicines and benzodiazepines, are on drug panels, and some medicines can cross-react with screening tests. Confirmation identifies the specific compound, and a licensed physician or Medical Review Officer interprets results with prescriptions.
LabX's 76-drug confirmation includes several sedatives that have been reported in spiking cases, but it does not test for GHB, Rohypnol or scopolamine, and many drugs clear within hours to days. Seek medical care and contact law enforcement; this is not a forensic test.
LabX's at-home tests are performed in a CLIA-certified laboratory, and confirmation identifies specific compounds, but at-home collection is not a chain-of-custody forensic test. For legal, court or regulated workplace requirements, ask the requesting party what collection method they accept.
LabX ships at-home drug tests and at-home test kits to every U.S. state except New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and California, where they are not currently available.
A cut-off is the concentration at or above which a laboratory reports a substance as detected. A negative result means the substance was below the cut-off at collection, not that none was ever present. LabX lists each confirmation compound's cut-off on its drug pages.
Specimen validity testing checks a urine sample's pH, specific gravity, creatinine and oxidants to show whether it is genuine and undiluted. These checks are what make a negative drug result meaningful, and they appear on LabX lab reports.
Results are released to your secure LabX account as an interactive lab report plus the signed laboratory PDF. Emails and texts only tell you a result is ready; they never include the result itself.
You can order LabX's urine At-Home STI Panel online and collect the sample yourself. Blood STI kits use a Tasso collection device that requires authorization, which the order page explains. Either way, review your results with a licensed physician, especially if anything is reactive.
LabX at-home STI samples are tested in a CLIA-certified laboratory using standard laboratory methods, such as PCR for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Results also depend on collecting correctly and on timing, because very recent infections may not be detectable yet. Review results with a licensed physician.
The urine STI panel uses PCR to test for chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum and parvum, Gardnerella vaginalis, the syphilis organism Treponema pallidum, and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2. It does not include HIV or hepatitis.
Hepatitis B and C are tested only on blood. The LabX urine panel includes a PCR test for the syphilis organism during active infection, but it does not replace blood testing, which is the standard way to find past or latent syphilis.
No. LabX STI panels do not include HIV testing. You can ask your provider for an HIV test or find free and low-cost testing through the CDC's testing locator at gettested.cdc.gov.
Every infection has a window period before tests can reliably detect it, and it differs by infection and test. If you were exposed very recently, a licensed physician can advise whether to test now and again later so an early infection is not missed.
A reactive result is not a diagnosis. LabX confirms reactive blood screens on a second method before reporting. Contact a licensed clinician for treatment, tell recent partners, and know that laboratories must report certain infections to the state health department confidentially.
LabX reports STI panel results in about 2 to 3 business days from when the sample reaches the laboratory. A reactive blood screening result is confirmed on a second method first, which can add a day.
Ureaplasma and Gardnerella are often found in people with no symptoms or illness, so a positive result does not always mean treatment is needed. A licensed physician should interpret the result together with any symptoms.
No. The LabX urine panel detects herpes virus DNA only if the virus is being shed at the time of collection, so a negative result does not rule out herpes. It does not include herpes antibody testing. See a licensed physician if you have sores or symptoms.
LabX Diagnostic Systems is a CLIA-certified (CLIA 10D2067145), COLA-accredited laboratory at 5313 Johns Road, Suite 201, Tampa, Florida, directed by Xiaohui Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. You can reach the laboratory at (800) 240-2074.
Vantage is the at-home testing brand of LabX Diagnostics. Vantage kits are processed by LabX Diagnostic Systems, a CLIA-certified, COLA-accredited laboratory in Tampa, Florida.
No. LabX provides laboratory testing only. Results are not a diagnosis or medical advice, and LabX does not prescribe or treat. Always review results with a licensed physician or qualified healthcare provider.
LabX handles health information under HIPAA. Results are available only in your secure account, and notification emails and texts never contain results. Laboratories are required by law to report certain infections to public health authorities confidentially.
You order online, receive a kit, collect your sample following the instructions, and mail it back in the included packaging. The laboratory tests it and releases results to your secure account, usually within a few business days of receipt.
Yes. Laboratory results are not a diagnosis. Review your results, and any symptoms or medicines you take, with a licensed physician or qualified healthcare provider. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911.
LC-MS/MS stands for liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. It separates the components of a sample and identifies each compound by its mass, which is why laboratories use it for definitive drug confirmation.
A metabolite is a compound the body makes when it breaks down a drug. Laboratories often measure metabolites, such as norfentanyl for fentanyl, because they last longer or show the drug was actually processed by the body.
A Medical Review Officer (MRO) is a licensed physician who reviews drug test results, including legitimate prescriptions, before they are reported in many workplace testing programs. LabX does not currently offer MRO review; results are reviewed by licensed and trained Medical Technologists, and employers can speak with a LabX toxicologist about a result.
Medical disclaimer. LabX Diagnostics and Vantage provide laboratory testing only. Test results and information on this site are for informational purposes and are not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a licensed physician or other qualified healthcare provider about your results and before making any health decision. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911. Read the full disclaimer.
Learn: 76-drug confirmation list · Drug library · STI testing · Answers · How it works · Is LabX legit? · Glossary