Drug Tests: 5-Panel vs. 10-Panel, and What to Bring

The difference between a 5-panel and a 10-panel drug test is simply how many drugs or drug classes the test screens for: a 5-panel test usually covers five common ones, and a 10-panel test adds five more. If an employer, court or probation officer is asking for the test, they choose the panel and usually where you get tested, so check their paperwork first.

Before you book with us: an AfterOurs drug screen is a 10-panel rapid urine test for personal use only, and the result goes to you. It isn't a chain-of-custody test, so it can't be used for pre-employment, workplace, court, probation, DOT or post-accident testing.

What does a 5-panel drug test check for?

A standard 5-panel test typically screens for:

• Marijuana (THC)
• Cocaine
• Amphetamines, including methamphetamine
• Opiates, such as codeine and morphine
• PCP (phencyclidine)

What does a 10-panel drug test add?

A 10-panel test usually includes the five above plus several prescription and other drugs, commonly:

• Benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety and sleep medicines)
• Barbiturates
• Methadone
• Two others that vary by lab, often from a list including propoxyphene, methaqualone, oxycodone and MDMA

Panels aren't fully standardized, so the exact list depends on the test your employer or the requesting organization has chosen. If you need to know precisely what's included, ask them.

How our personal urine drug screen works

At AfterOurs, a drug screen is a 10-panel rapid urine dip test done in the clinic. The result is read during your visit and given to you, and only you. It is not a chain-of-custody collection (the sealed, documented, lab-processed test that employers, courts and DOT require), and we don't offer that kind of test.

You'll provide a urine sample in a cup in the clinic restroom. Try not to urinate right before your appointment, and don't drink a large amount of water beforehand, since a very dilute sample can be hard to read.

What to bring to your drug test

• A photo ID.
• A list of your prescriptions. Some legitimate medicines can show up on a rapid screen. Let us know what you take, and don't stop anything you're prescribed. A rapid screen is a screening result, not a lab-confirmed one.

If an employer, court or probation officer needs the test

Go where they send you. Pre-employment, workplace, court-ordered, probation, DOT and post-accident tests need a chain-of-custody collection reported to whoever asked for it. AfterOurs doesn't do those, including for employers who use our occupational medicine services, and a personal result from us won't be accepted in their place.

One Colorado-specific note: recreational marijuana is legal here, but many employers still include THC in their testing, so check your employer's policy rather than assuming it's left off.

What it costs

If you want to know your own result, a 10-panel rapid urine drug screen at AfterOurs is a flat $50 self-pay, the same whether you walk in or book online. The full list of flat-fee services is on our cost and insurance page.

Call 911 or go to the ER if… someone may have overdosed or been poisoned: they're very hard to wake, breathing slowly or not at all, have blue or gray lips, are having a seizure, have chest pain, or are severely confused or agitated. If opioids could be involved and naloxone (Narcan) is available, give it and call 911. For poison questions that aren't emergencies, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Where to find us

Four clinics across metro Denver, all ages welcome, se habla español:

• Hampden (Southeast Denver): 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Littleton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Thornton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Highlands: Mon–Fri 5–11 PM, Sat–Sun 8 AM–11 PM

Walk in, or book online.