Medical Test Overview: What This Test Is, How It Is Performed, and What Your Results Mean for Your Health

This test is a laboratory evaluation that helps your doctor check how well your body is working and look for signs of illness, infection, inflammation, or other health conditions that may require closer monitoring or treatment.

The Hair Amphetamine test is a laboratory analysis that detects the presence of amphetamine and methamphetamine in a hair sample. When these drugs are consumed, they enter the bloodstream and become incorporated into the hair shaft as the hair grows, creating a permanent record of drug use.

The test is usually performed on a small sample of your blood, urine, or other body tissue, which is collected by a trained health professional in a clinic, hospital, or laboratory and then sent to a lab for careful analysis.

A small sample of hair, typically from the scalp, is collected and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The hair is washed, processed, and tested using sensitive techniques to detect even small amounts of amphetamine or methamphetamine. About 100-120 strands of hair, or a similar amount of hair from other body areas, are usually sufficient for testing.

Your results show whether your values fall within the normal reference range for this test; results within range generally suggest no problem, while abnormal values may point to a condition your doctor will discuss with you and may order follow-up testing.

A positive result indicates that amphetamine or methamphetamine has been used within the past several weeks to months, depending on the length of hair tested. A negative result suggests no detectable drug use during the period represented by the hair sample. However, this test cannot determine the frequency, amount, or exact timing of drug use, or whether the results are due to environmental exposure.