Urine
Morphine
Morphine and metabolites in urine; medication monitoring or use.
€ 35,00
All tests
Metals, toxins and medication · Urine
Codeine (urine)
A urine test for codeine shows whether codeine has recently been in the body, for example from a painkiller or cough syrup.
At a glance
- Measured in urine
- In 1 test panel
- Check the preparation
Explanation
Codeine (urine): what is measured?
The analysis looks for codeine and its breakdown products in urine. Codeine is an opiate used as a painkiller and as a cough suppressant. In the liver, part of the codeine is converted into morphine; how quickly that happens differs greatly between people and depends on an inherited enzyme. As a result, codeine use can also lead to morphine in the urine.
What can it detect?
- The presence of codeine in the urine, after use of painkillers or cough medicines containing codeine, or of other products from the poppy plant
Result
What does the result mean?
Positive result
A positive result means that there is codeine or a breakdown product in the urine above the laboratory's cut-off. According to the Dutch Society for Clinical Chemistry (NVKC), opiates can be detected for about 2 to 3 days after use. The most common explanation is a prescribed or over-the-counter product containing codeine. Poppy seeds, which come from the poppy plant, can also give a positive opiate test. Because codeine is partly converted into morphine, morphine can be found at the same time without morphine having been used. A positive result shows that a substance is in the body; it is not a diagnosis and says nothing about dependence, the amount or the time of use.
Negative result
A negative result means that no codeine was found above the laboratory's cut-off. This does not completely rule out use: after a few days the substance has gone, and just after intake the result can still be negative. Urine diluted by drinking a lot can bring the value below the cut-off.
After an abnormal result
With a positive result that may have consequences, the laboratory has the result confirmed with a method that can distinguish codeine from morphine. The GP then goes through the medicines and food of the past few days.
Reliability
How reliable is the test?
A urine test for codeine shows that codeine was present, but not whether it came from a medicine, from poppy seeds or from another source. The Dutch Society for Clinical Chemistry (NVKC) states that a positive result of a screening test must be confirmed with a second, different analysis method; a simple opiate test does not distinguish codeine from morphine. Without an overview of the medicines someone uses, a positive result cannot be interpreted. This text does not cover medical assessments or agreements with an employer; other rules and procedures apply to those.
What can affect the result?
- Painkillers and cough medicines containing codeine give a positive result; that is simply medicine use.
- Poppy seeds can give a positive opiate test without any drugs or medicines having been used.
- Codeine is partly converted into morphine, at a rate that is inherited; the ratio between the two substances therefore varies greatly between people.
- Fluid intake determines how concentrated the urine is; diluted urine can give a negative result.
Preparation
- Do not eat poppy seeds in the 3 days before collecting, not even on bread or in pastries. Poppy seeds can give a positive result.
Who it is for
Who is the test useful for?
Useful for
Useful when a healthcare provider has a medical question, for example in addiction care or when poisoning is suspected. In people without such a question, the result adds little. A result can only be assessed if it is known which medicines someone uses and what they have eaten.
How common is it?
In the Netherlands, codeine is prescribed as a painkiller and, less often than in the past, as a cough suppressant. For an ordinary cough due to a cold, no cough medicine is recommended, because it does not help.
Farmacotherapeutisch Kompas and Thuisarts.nl
Drawbacks and risks
- An ordinary medicine containing codeine or eating poppy seeds can lead to a result that is wrongly read as drug use.
- A result without a confirmation test can have major consequences that are out of proportion to the certainty of the test.
Get tested
Codeine (urine): test panels
Codeine (urine) is part of these test panels. You order online and have your blood drawn at a collection point or collect the sample at home.
Evidence
Sources
This explanation is based on Dutch guidelines and independent information. It is general information, not a diagnosis. Discuss an abnormal result with your GP.
More about risks and resultsMore explanations
Other tests: Metals, toxins and medication
- Arsenic (blood)
- Arsenic in hair
- Cadmium (blood)
- CDT
- Cotinine (blood)
- Cotinine (urine)
- Lead
- Lead in hair
- Lithium (blood)
- Mercury (blood)
- Mercury (urine)
- Mercury in hair