Do Detox Kits Work for Drug Tests?

Getting Answers and Treatment Options at Icarus in Nevada

Have you found yourself faced with a drug screen, knowing that you probably were going to fail? You meant to refrain from drinking or using, but the temptation was just too much. Maybe you’re struggling to stay sober, or the temptation of friends was too great for you to refuse. Or, maybe you’re looking for a way to still partake in using and are weighing your options for cheating the drug test.

If you’ve ever wondered: “Do detox kits work?”, Icarus Behavioral Health in Nevada has all the answers you need!

Many people are looking to get clean and sober and consider using drug detox kits to speed up the withdrawal and detoxification process. Whatever your scenario may be, we’ve got answers and resources to help!

If any of these situations describe something you’ve experienced – you’re not alone. It’s fairly common to find yourself in a situation like the one above if you regularly use drugs or alcohol. Situations like this happen all the time – creating a fairly large market for at-home drug detox kits. Many detox kits claim they completely flush your system, leaving your body void of all traces of any substance.

Some advertise that you have a three-to-four-hour window after using the drug detox kit to pass a drug screen. If this is a decision you’ve been wrestling with, you might want to read this article in its entirety to get answers as well as treatment options that can help you put worries about drug tests in the past for good!

What Are Drug Detox Kits?

Drug detox kits are products usually marketed online, at smoke shops, and certain gas stations, promising to help rid your body of all traces of drugs or alcohol so you can either pass a drug test or start the recovery process on your own.

These detox kits come in multiple forms, from simple detox drinks to full-on detox programs. But are they as effective as they claim to be, and can they help you pass a drug test in Nevada, or anywhere else for that matter?

What are the Types of Drug Detox Kit?

There are multiple types of detox kits available – and acquiring them is as easy as ordering something from eBay or Amazon, and even easier when you consider that many ‘head shops,’ convenience stores, and even places like pharmacies sell them as well.

Detox Drinks

Detox drinks normally come in 16-20 ounce servings, and most often claim to help you pass a drug test for THC. Most of the time, these detox drinks provide simple instructions on how to properly use them. Users are instructed to drink the formulation as quickly as possible, then proceed to rapidly drink an entire gallon of water, followed by another gallon that they slowly consume about an hour before their drug test.

As a result, you’re supposed to have a three-to-four-hour window that allows you to pass a simple on-site drug test. The problem with most of these detox kits – however, is that if the test is sent off to a laboratory, it’s probably going to come up as a diluted specimen – in which case, you’ll probably be marked as a fail. And that’s if you even pass the initial on-site drug test.

Full Detox Kit

There are also full kits that might consist of a mixture of detox drinks and a bag of random pills or supplements. Generally, these aren’t harmful – but the results are questionable.

With these kits, you’re also encouraged to drink a massive amount of water, potentially leaving you in the same predicament as with the detox drinks.

Additional Types of Kits to Help You Pass a Drug Test

Not every drug test is created equal. What do we mean by this? Sometimes your drug screen isn’t always a urine test. In some cases, you might be ordered to do a saliva swab or a hair follicle test.

Did you know they made products that claim to help you beat these alternative types of drug tests as well?

• Kits to Beat a Hair Follicle Test. Companies make special types of shampoos that claim to remove any type of evidence of the presence of drugs in your system. These shampoos claim to work by stripping the hair of any trace amounts of drugs that grow into the root of the hair.

This is how hair follicle tests work. A strand of hair is pulled from your body, and by testing this strand, workers in the lab can go back as far as six months to uncover evidence of drug use. Like the detox drink kits, most of these shampoos don’t work nearly as effectively as promised.

• Drug tests are also available that require a simple mouth swab from the inside of your cheek. At the lab, this sample is tested and can detect recent drug use (usually within a matter of days). Mouthwashes are advertised that claim to help customers pass mouth swab tests for drugs and alcohol. However, much like the others, these claims are questionable.

The 3 Top Downsides of Drug Detox Kits

If you’re thinking about using any of the products mentioned above or any other detox programs, there are several negative issues that you might encounter.

Some of these consequences can be dramatic, so you may want to read carefully before you risk your health for the sake of a negative drug test.

1) Water Toxicity

The rate at which you’re instructed to consume the miracle concoction is quite dangerous. It could be fatal. Drinking too much water in a short period can cause water toxicity. When this happens, the kidneys become too saturated and unable to process the amount of water you’ve consumed.

The sodium content in your blood becomes less concentrated, leading to what’s known as hyponatremia. There are multiple documented cases of these incidents becoming fatal.

2) Diluted Test

When a test is returned as “diluted,” usually it’s an automatic fail and often considered the same as a positive test result for substances. That’s because the companies that examine the specimens understand these drinks exist, and the lengths some people go to when attempting to cheat urine samples. THC Detox kits commonly lead to diluted results – which could be why they instruct you to drink so much water in the first place.

The only time that these products help with the detox process and pass a urine drug test is when the specimen is tested on-site only and not sent off to a lab for further review.

3) Completely Fail Outright

In many cases, these drinks don’t help with the detox process at all. They’re complete snake oil products, causing you to fail the drug test altogether. This can be extremely humiliating, especially if you told the individual providing the test that you were sure you’d pass.

If you’re taking the drug test as a result of probation or some other court-ordered treatment requirement – there’s a chance that you could end up doing jail time if you’ve violated probation.

How Long Do Certain Drugs Stay In Your System?

Not all drugs stay in your system for the same amount of time. For example – marijuana detox can take up to 30 days to fully eliminate itself from the fatty cells in your body. Cocaine and methamphetamine can take anywhere from 2 to 4 days, with similar durations of detection for opiates and opioids on urine drug tests.

Certain factors influence these figures, such as your weight, level of use, and metabolism. The faster your body metabolizes, the faster these substances exit your system.

Do Detox Kits Work: Withdrawal Symptoms and Drug Testing

If you consume one of these products that does clean your system before a urine test – you may experience withdrawal symptoms. When someone’s body is used to regularly having a certain substance or alcohol present in the blood at all times and suddenly refrains from using and rapidly flushing the body, withdrawal symptoms may set in.

The strength of the withdrawal symptoms depends on how heavy of a concentration of the drugs was in your system, how often you used them, the last time you used them, and several other factors.

If you experience any of the following, you could be going through withdrawal:

• Intense, profuse sweating
• Sweating but feeling cold
• Goosebumps but feeling hot
• Stomach cramps/nausea
• Diarrhea
• Frequent yawning
• Watery eyes
• Muscle aches
• Restless legs
• Anxiety
• Rapid heartbeat
• Increase in blood pressure
• Depression
• Difficulty concentrating

If you believe that you’re experiencing withdrawal, you must get the proper assistance to overcome your symptoms and avoid further health complications. Icarus Behavioral Health Nevada offers a full medical detox program that can help you refrain from drug use and segue into the addiction treatment you need.

So, what does our medical detox treatment program consist of? The next section outlines the average experience during detox at our addiction treatment facility in Las Vegas.

The Medical Detox Process: Overcome Withdrawals in Safety

If you’ve attempted to pass a urine test and used home detox kits and want to stop tempting fate – or you just simply want help getting clean, the most important thing you can do is get a stable and firm foundation for recovery. Icarus in Nevada offers just such a setting.

During the supervised medical detox, we have professionals from the healthcare industry who are trained in helping clients overcome the withdrawal process – ensuring that you experience as little discomfort as possible. They take the following measures to ensure your safety and security:

• Medical professionals on-call 24 hours per day to help monitor you and keep you stable. It’s important to stay hydrated during the withdrawal and detoxification process, as your body loses fluids at a heavy rate during this time. You’ll likely be hooked to an IV to maintain your hydration levels, helping you avoid cramps and get much-needed rest.
• You’ll have mental support along with physical support. Members of our rehab will stop by to discuss your next move after detox. We strongly encourage our clients to move from detox directly into our Las Vegas-based inpatient rehab. This ensures that you follow through with recovery and decrease your chances of relapsing.
• You’ll have privacy and a comfortable place to rest.
• The doctor can write prescriptions for certain medications to help alleviate some of the most intense symptoms during withdrawal. This might include medication to help settle your stomach, muscle relaxers to relieve the restless legs that take place, and even anti-anxiety and antidepressant medication to help with the mental aspect of detox.

Stop Trying to Pass a Drug Test and Get Help at Icarus Now

At Icarus Behavioral Health Nevada, we understand how stressful life is as someone who suffers from substance abuse disorder. Constantly trying to maneuver around the system and hide the fact that you suffer from this terrible disease seems like it puts the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Fortunately, our experts can help you make that brave step towards recovery – so you can simply pass a drug test – and quit trying to pass them – by using snake-oil drinks, shampoos, and other items.

We offer several different options for levels of care, including inpatient, outpatient, and partial hospitalization. For more information, contact a member of our admissions team now, and let’s get you on the path to recovery and rediscovery!