TRT and Drug Testing

Key Points

• TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) is unlikely to show up on standard drug tests.
• Drug Test Terminology:
  • Drug test is a social term, often related to employment tests for illicit drugs like amphetamines, narcotics, etc.
  • These tests do not typically include hormone testing.

Hormone Testing

• Hormones, such as testosterone, are not usually included in standard drug tests.
• In rare cases, law enforcement might test hormone levels if involved in a pending investigation.
• Common Hormone Tests:
  • Total Testosterone might be tested, but this is unusual.
  • More specific tests, such as gonadotropin levels or testosterone to epitestosterone ratios, are used in sports contexts.

Sports Testing

• Organizations like USADA and WADA test for testosterone to epitestosterone ratios to detect exogenous hormone use.
• Such sports-related tests are expensive and uncommon.

Employment Drug Tests

• Employment drug tests focus on illegal substances, not hormones.
• The lab order will have a panel code to identify what substances are being tested.
• It is advisable to check the panel code before a test to understand what is being tested.

Conclusion

• Standard employment-related drug tests are more likely to detect substances like marijuana rather than anabolic steroids.
• TRT is typically not a concern in employment drug tests.