Urine Drug Test Concentrations Up for Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Cocaine
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Oct. 29, 2024 -- Absolute concentrations of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine in urine specimens increased from 2013 to 2023, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in JAMA Network Open.
Andrew S. Huhn, Ph.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues analyzed urine drug testing (UDT) results to quantify changes in absolute drug exposure concentrations from 2013 to 2023. The analysis included 921,931 unique UDT samples.
The researchers found that the adjusted fentanyl concentration in urine specimens was 38.23 ng/mg creatinine in 2023, up from 4.61 ng/mg in 2013. The adjusted methamphetamine concentration was 3,461.59 ng/mg creatinine in 2023, up from 665.27 ng/mg in 2013. The adjusted cocaine concentration was 1,122.23 ng/mg creatinine in 2023, up from 559.71 ng/mg in 2013. The adjusted heroin concentration was 58.36 ng/mg creatinine in 2023, down from 146.59 ng/mg in 2013. There was variation in drug concentrations across U.S. Census divisions.
"The findings suggest that exposure to these substances, as well as the illicit drug supply, has fundamentally changed in many parts of the United States, highlighting the need to reinforce surveillance initiatives and accelerate efforts to treat individuals with illicitly manufactured fentanyl and/or stimulant exposure," the authors write.
Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Generative AI Model for Draft Radiological Reporting Improves Documentation Efficiency
THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 -- Clinical use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated draft radiograph reports is associated with improved radiologist documentation efficiency while...
Mitochondrial Genetics Key to Metastatic Melanoma Immunotherapy Resistance
THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 -- For patients with metastatic melanoma, mitochondrial (MT) haplogroup T (HG-T) is associated with resistance to an anti-programmed cell death...
Talking Therapy Reduces Depression, Anxiety Symptoms in Stroke Survivors
THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 -- For stroke survivors, talking therapy is associated with moderate reductions in depression and large reductions in anxiety symptoms, according to a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.