|
|
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # |
Urine Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA) Drug Screen
Test CodeUTCAT
Alias/See Also
TCA Drug screen, TCA, Tricyclic Screen urine
Preferred Specimen
1 mL urine (0.5 mL minimum)
Instructions
"Submit freshly voided specimen to Laboratory within 2 hours of collection.
Adulterants, such as bleach, or other strong oxidizing agents, added to urine specimens may produce erroneous results regardless of the method of analysis. If adulteration is suspected, obtain another specimen."
Adulterants, such as bleach, or other strong oxidizing agents, added to urine specimens may produce erroneous results regardless of the method of analysis. If adulteration is suspected, obtain another specimen."
Transport Container
Urine collection cup
Specimen Stability
Room temperature: Test immediately, Refrigerated: 2 days, Frozen: if held >2 days
Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)
Specimens >2 hrs old are unacceptable.
Limitations
This is a qualitative test. The amount of tricyclic antidepressants present in human urine cannot be estimated by the test panel. The results distinguish drug-positive from drug-negative samples. Positive results indicate the samples contain the specific drug at a concentration giving a response at or above the cutoff level.
Reference Range
None detected
Clinical Significance
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are a type of prescription drug intended for clinically depressed patients. Unfortunately, they are becoming more frequently abused and are now one of the leading caused of death by drug overdose in the United States. There are two broad chemical classes of TCAs. The tertiary amines-amitriptyline, imipramine, trimipramine and doxepin-boost serotonin levels and are prescribed for insomnia, irritability, and overstimulation. The secondary amines-nortriptyline, desipramine and protriptyline-enhance norepinephrine levels and are prescribed for opposite types of symptoms, such as excessive fatigue, withdrawal, and inertness. Abuse of TCAs may lead to coma, respiratory depression, convulsions, blood pressure deviations, hyperpraxia and severe cardiac conditions. TCAs are excreted in the urine mostly in the form of metabolites for up to ten days.
