Fingernail Drug Testing

Highly stable, simple to collect, and easy to ship and store, fingernails provide a test sample at the cutting edge of drug and alcohol testing. Fingernails are made up of keratin, the same material that hair is made of. As the nail grows, substances can pass from the blood vessels below the nail into the keratin fibers, where they become trapped. Fingernails are four times thicker than the typical strand of hair and often capture more substance than hair can. Drug and alcohol biomarkers may be detectable in fingernails for up to approximately 3-6 months. Environmental exposure to illicit substances can be detected immediately in nail samples. When drugs or alcohol are ingested, biomarkers can be found in nails as early as 1-2 weeks after. The time period during which drug or alcohol ingestion can be detected depends on the substance used, the amount used, and personal metabolism. Fingernail specimens are clipped and collected by the donor in front of a trained collection staff member. A clipping of 2-3 mm long (about the width of a quarter) from all ten fingernails will give about 100 mg of specimen, the ideal amount for screening and confirmation. Larger profiles may require more. We recommend weighing the specimen on a jeweler’s scale.

D/L Methamphetamine Isomer Testing is available upon request for specimens that test positive for methamphetamine.

Drug Panels

For a printable PDF click here.

19 Panel
17 Panel
16 Panel
14 Panel

Amphetamines

amphetamine, MDA, MDEA, MDMA, methamphetamine

Cannabinoids

carboxy-Δ9-THC

Cocaines

benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, cocaine, norcocaine

Opiates

6-MAM, codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, norhydrocodone

Phencyclidine

phencyclindine (PCP)

Benzodiazepines

alprazolam, diazepam, midazolam, nordiazepam, oxazepam, temazepam

Barbiturates

amobarbital, butalbital, pentobarbital, phenobarbital, secobarbital

Methadone

EDDP, methadone

Propoxyphene

norpropoxyphene, propoxyphene

Oxycodone

noroxycodone, oxycodone, oxymorphone

Meperidine

normeperidine

Tramadol

tramadol

Fentanyl

acetyl fentanyl, acetyl norfentanyl, fentanyl, norfentanyl

Sufentanil

alfentanil, norsufentanil, sufentanil

Ketamine

ketamine, norketamine

Buprenorphine

buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine

Zolpidem

zolpidem (e.g. Ambien®)

Kratom

7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine

Gabapentin

gabapentin

*Click the green and white plus sign beside each drug class to view the substances within each class.

Add-Ons Available

Diphenhydramine

diphenhydramine

High-Potency Opioids (HPOs)

6-β-Naltrexol (naltrexone metabolite), butorphanol (e.g. Stadol®), nalbuphine (e.g. Nubain®), naloxone (e.g. Narcan®), naltrexone (e.g. Revia®)

EtG (Direct Ethanol Biomarker)

ethyl glucuronide (EtG)

Propofol Glucuronide

propofol glucuronide (e.g. Diprivan®)

Kratom

7-hydroxymitragynine, mitragynine

Gabapentin

gabapentin

Cotinine

cotinine, nicotine

Collection

Collection Instructions

Client Services

By Phone: 1.800.235.2367

Business Hours (CST)

Monday 7am-7pm
Tuesday 7am-7pm
Wednesday 7am-7pm
Thursday 7am-7pm
Friday 7am-7pm
Saturday 8am-5pm

Contact Client Services

Testing Details

Panel Name: Nail Testing

Panel Description: Nail Testing Drug Panel

Type: Profile

Matrix: Nail

Collection Container: Foil and tamper-evident sealed envelope

Specimen Requirements: For all tests below a 10-panel, specimen volume should be at least 100mg of specimen. This is equal to at least 2mm of fingernail (the width of a quarter) from all 10 fingers. For EtG, add-ons, and/or any tests 10-panel and above, at least 150mg of specimen should be submitted. We recommend weighing the specimen on a gem scale.

Storage Conditions: Room Temperature

Transport Conditions: Ambient

Method: Initial screen and confirmation

Turnaround Time: Generally, the standard turnaround time for reporting negative screening test results is the next business day, with an additional 1-2 business days for specimens that require confirmatory testing. Turnaround time begins from receipt of the valid specimen –accompanied by a properly documented valid order– into the laboratory. Some tests require additional time to process and will fall outside the standard turnaround time window.