Yes. 6-MAM is one of the 76 compounds in the LabX LC-MS/MS confirmation panel, reported as detected at or above 20 ng/mL. It is a breakdown product of heroin. The LabX 12-panel screen includes a 6-MAM (heroin) line designed to pick up 6-MAM. A screen is presumptive; adding laboratory confirmation identifies 6-MAM specifically.
6-MAM (6-monoacetylmorphine) is a compound the body makes only after heroin is used. Heroin is broken down very quickly, first into 6-MAM and then into morphine. Because morphine can also come from codeine, prescription morphine or even poppy seeds, 6-MAM is the marker laboratories use to tell heroin use apart from other sources of morphine.
Also known as or found in: heroin marker.
6-MAM has no medical use. Heroin itself is not an approved medicine in the United States.
6-MAM is measured by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), which separates the compounds in a sample and identifies each one by its mass. That is different from a rapid screen, which reacts to a family of drugs and can occasionally react to a related substance. The laboratory reports 6-MAM as detected when its concentration is at or above the cut-off of 20 ng/mL, within a reportable range of 20–50 ng/mL. It is one of 16 compounds in the opioids and their metabolites family on the 76-drug confirmation panel.
The laboratory's confirmation report lists an approximate detection window of <8 hours for 6-MAM. Treat that as a rough guide only: how long any compound stays measurable varies with the amount taken, how often it is used, body composition, metabolism, kidney and liver function, and hydration. A laboratory result cannot be used to work out when a substance was taken.
The LabX 12-panel screen includes a 6-MAM (heroin) line designed to pick up 6-MAM. A screen is presumptive; adding laboratory confirmation identifies 6-MAM specifically.
6-MAM clears from urine faster than morphine, so it is often absent even when morphine is present. A result without 6-MAM does not rule out heroin; a result with 6-MAM points specifically to heroin rather than codeine, prescribed morphine or food sources.
Prescription opioid pain medicines, heroin markers and the compounds the body makes from them. Measuring metabolites alongside parent drugs shows a drug was actually processed by the body.
Yes. 6-MAM is one of the 76 compounds in the LabX LC-MS/MS confirmation panel, reported as detected at or above 20 ng/mL. It is a breakdown product of heroin. The LabX 12-panel screen includes a 6-MAM (heroin) line designed to pick up 6-MAM. A screen is presumptive; adding laboratory confirmation identifies 6-MAM specifically.
LabX reports 6-MAM as detected at or above 20 ng/mL, and the method's reportable range is 20–50 ng/mL. A result below the cut-off is reported as not detected; it does not prove none was present.
The laboratory lists an approximate window of <8 hours, but it varies with dose, frequency of use, metabolism and hydration, and cannot be used to tell when something was taken.
The LabX 12-panel screen includes a 6-MAM (heroin) line designed to pick up 6-MAM. A screen is presumptive; adding laboratory confirmation identifies 6-MAM specifically.
6-MAM has no medical use. Heroin itself is not an approved medicine in the United States.
6-MAM is a breakdown product of heroin. Laboratories measure it because it shows the parent drug was actually processed by the body.
Terms on this page: metabolite · cut-off · detection window · presumptive result · confirmation test. More questions: LabX answers.
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