Disposition of Hydrocodone in Hair

Abstract

The use of prescription drugs, including synthetic opiates, is increasing in the U.S., with emergency room reports showing a dramatic rise in prescription opiate abuse. As part of an ongoing study, the hair of admitted opiate users was analyzed for hydrocodone and hydromorphone, as well as codeine, morphine, and 6-acetylmorphine in order to determine if there was any correlation between self-reported frequency of opiate intake and the concentration of drug detected in hair. The hairs were confirmed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry following screening by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Twenty-four hair specimens collected from volunteers showed the presence of hydrocodone (130-15,933 pg/mg); four of those also contained hydromorphone (59-504 pg/mg). The specimens were also analyzed for morphine, codeine, and 6-acetylmorphine. Hair specimens from five self-reported codeine users showed concentrations of hydrocodone between 592 and 15,933 pg/mg. In addition, codeine was present at concentrations of 575-20,543 pg/mg, but neither morphine nor hydromorphone were present in any of those hair specimens. Though the analysis of some opiates in hair has been previously published, this is the first study where the hydrocodone and hydromorphone concentrations have been measured following self-reported opiate intake.

Analysis of pain management drugs, specifically fentanyl, in hair: Application to forensic specimens

“…Of the nine samples tested for pain management drugs, one sample screened positively for carisoprodol (9200 pg/mg); four tested positively for methadone (two had insufficient sample remaining to confirm, two had concentrations of 1235 and 2389 pg/mg); five samples were positive for opiates, which were confirmed using previously published methods at concentrations of codeine (72 pg/mg); oxycodone 10,175 and 707 pg/mg; and hydrocodone at 882 pg/mg [3]. One sample had insufficient sample remaining for analysis.…”

“…Hadidi et al reported a case of the detection of tramadol in hair [1], while others have reported on the determination of oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone and benzodiazepines [2][3][4][5]. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid with similar properties to morphine yet up to 200 times more potent.…”

Human Cannabinoid Pharmacokinetics

“…Day et al reached a detection limit of 10 pg/ml for THC-COOH in oral fluid by GC/MS/MS [174]. Moore et al developed a GC/MS method using a micro-fluidic Dean's switch for two-dimensional (2D) chromatography to sufficiently improve signal to noise, allowing the monitoring of THC-COOH concentrations of ≥ 2 pg/ml in oral fluid [175]. Extraction efficiency for THC-COOH from the Quantisal™ (Immunalysis, Pomona, CA) oral-fluid collection device was 80% at a concentration of 10 pg/ml, with a coefficient of variation of 8.23%.…”

Laboratory Testing for Prescription Opioids

“…One of the major challenges for oral fluid analysis is the generally small specimen size and consistent collection [89], which limits the ability to perform multidrug testing and especially limits the definitive identification of drugs following positive screening tests. This is often compounded by the mouth dryness that accompanies use of many drugs including opioids [90].…”