STUDY: HOME DRUG TEST KITS MOSTLY UNRELIABLE

Home testing kits commonly sold on the Web are not the best route for
anxious parents trying to find out if a child has a drug problem, says a
Children's Hospital pediatrician who recently studied several popular kits.

``Drug testing is too complicated to do at home,'' said Dr. Sharon Levy, who
directs the adolescent substance abuse program at Children's.

``Parents may end up misinterpreting a drug test and make problems worse for
the child,'' she said.

Concerned about the large amount of products on the Internet that have not
been regulated or scientifically reviewed, Levy decided to study eight
popular home drug testing kits that require parents to collect a sample of
their child's urine, hair or saliva.

The study appears in the April issue of Pediatrics.

Levy said the material that comes with the kits is often confusing and that
the tests can produce false negative or positive readings.

For instance, she said a teen may use cocaine on a Friday night, but if a
parent doesn't test until Monday, the urine test may not show anything
because the drug is usually flushed out in 24 to 48 hours.

``The parents could miss the fact that the child actually does have a
problem,'' she said.

Or parents could get a false positive result, she said, indicating a child
is taking amphetamines when he or she is actually drinking a lot of
caffeinated drinks or taking cold medications.

Levy suggests concerned parents seek advice from medical experts to handle
such sensitive issues.