Mushrooms or magic mushrooms contain a hallucinogenic compound called psilocybin, which is consumed by approximately 5.5 million people every year. However, people show different reactions, and this is a reason why it is difficult for researchers to go into depth about the exact effects that these drugs have on people.
In some countries, mushrooms that contain psilocybin are listed as Schedule 1 narcotics because it is the most easily available and frequently abused drugs that have no therapeutic value for humans.
Apart from that, the use of this drug is illegal because if someone consumes and gets tested positive for the use, it can lead to very serious consequences in social as well as personal life.
So, through this article, let us find out whether someone has consumed psilocybin, whether it is diagnosed and detected in the drug test or not, and the methods that can help in the detection.
Types Of Drug Detection Methods
The use of psilocybin can be detected by using a lot of different drug tests that are available on the market. These tests depend upon the form in which the drug has been consumed by the person.
Among the series of drug tests that are available on the market, some of the common ones are scan urine, blood, saliva, or hair samples because these are the things that keep the traces of substances that are consumed by the body.
When a person consumes any food items or drugs, then the acids in the body break down the product, which further helps in digestion. However, when this process of breakdown takes place, some of the debris of the products is left behind in blood, saliva, hair strands, or urine.
So whenever a person is suspected to have been using any kind of drug, these are the most preferred parts of the human body that are taken into the laboratory for a check-up.
But here is the catch: It is not necessary for the drug test to show positive because several factors play a broader role in bringing out the result.
factors that are very important when a person is tested for the consumption of psilocybin
So, the first thing that affects the result of the drug test is its sensitivity and the type because you know that different types of tests are done by laboratory experts. So whether they choose saliva, blood, urine, or hair is very important because the drug may leave its debris on either of them or among any one of them sometimes.
Along with that, it is also important to know what specifically the thing is being tested for because there are many other substances that can be found in these elements. If the concentration of the substance for which the component is being tested is higher, then it will be easier for the testers to derive the result.
Apart from that, the history of the consumption of psilocybin and the amount in which it was taken is also a vital factor that helps in the exact diagnosis and better results of the drug test.
The chances of the result being positive are higher if the drug has been used for a long time, and that too in a very heavy amount. Although the drug gets metabolized easily, the presence of its debris tends to be persistent in the body for a long time.
The drug test that is most commonly administered in various countries is the 5-panel test, in which the person who is suspected of using the drug is asked for a sample of urine, which goes through 5 stages of tests. This urine sample is tested for traces of marijuana, cocaine, PCP, amphetamines, and opioids, and this often overpowers the presence of psilocybin in the body.
Is It Possible To Detect The Presence Of Psilocybin?
It is quite difficult to trace the debris or particles of psilocybin in the body because as soon as you consume the drug, it immediately starts the breakdown process and gets excreted out of the body.
Since it does not leave any dresses behind because of its quick metabolism, the blood and saliva can’t pick up on the magic mushroom use.
Although it is difficult to trace the drug, it is not impossible to do so because it may not be found through blood or saliva tests, but urine and hair keep its traces for a longer period.
So when the hair or urine of the person who takes psilocybin is tested, the result will show positive, and the person will have to go through the consequences of using the drug that is set according to the law of the country.
However, there is one major thing that is necessary for the result to be positive, and that is the test needs to be performed during the detection window while psilocybin is still present in the person’s body.
When the body’s tissue and fluids still contain the essence of the drug, it will get detected in the test otherwise, it will disappear like it wasn’t there because of its quick metabolism property.
Factors That Affect The Detection Of Mushrooms In Drug Tests
One of the main factors that affect the result of a drug test is the time of consumption and the time of performing the testing drug protocols. The body starts the breakdown process as soon as the person consumes the magic mushroom, and so in order to spot its debris, one must be administered between 5 and 24 hours after the last dose.
If the test is conducted after 24 hours, then the results of the test may vary depending upon the amount of drug consumed and the frequency in which the drug has been used in the past few days, months, or years.
Conclusion
Anyone who gets a positive drug test will get into all kinds of trouble because the use of psilocybin is prohibited and illegal in most countries. This may cause an individual to get fired from the current job, have a new job, go through probation or parole, or face disciplinary actions in the case of an army member. So, although it is difficult for rooms to show up on a drug test, it is not impossible to detect the same.
References
- Psilocybin. (2016). Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs: The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions, Sixteenth Edition.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978044453717100158X - Drug testing. (2020).
https://www.samhsa.gov/workplace/resources/drug-testing
