Hydromorphone

Unique interpretive challenges arise with hydromorphone, a potent semisynthetic opioid and Schedule II controlled substance prescribed for moderate to severe acute and chronic pain, because it can appear in urine both as a directly administered drug and as a CYP2D6-mediated metabolite of hydrocodone. Careful evaluation of concentration ratios is required to distinguish compliant use from undisclosed opioid consumption in pain management programs, forensic toxicology investigations, and drugs of abuse testing. UTAK’s comprehensive pain management and drugs of abuse panels contain hydromorphone in urine and whole blood matrices at multiple concentration levels, supporting both immunoassay screening and LC-MS/MS or GC-MS confirmatory methods used for opioid analyte confirmation. Stock and custom QC solutions can incorporate related opioids such as hydrocodone, morphine, codeine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, fentanyl, methadone, buprenorphine, and other commonly monitored analytes to support comprehensive pain management and controlled substance QC panels.