Fentanyl Test Strips
Fentanyl test strips (FTS) are a low-cost harm-reduction tool that can be used to prevent overdoses in combination with other strategies. FTS are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in different kinds of drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.) and drug forms (pills, powder, and injectables).
Testing for fentanyl is important because fentanyl is potent—50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Even trace amounts can cause overdose in people without opioid tolerance.
Unregulated drug supply means fentanyl is often hidden in non-opioid substances, like cocaine or counterfeit pills.
FTS empower people to make safer choices—whether that’s using less, not using, or ensuring naloxone is nearby.
Xylazine Test Strips
It’s important to test for xylazine because most people do not know xylazine is in their drugs. Very high doses of xylazine can cause extreme sedation, slowed heart rate, or even slowed or stopped breathing.
Xylazine is a drug used by vets to relax and sedate animals. Although it's not an opioid, it’s almost always found with fentanyl in the drug supply.
Xylazine is commonly found with fentanyl because the effects of fentanyl do not last as long as other opioids (such as heroin). Xylazine may be added to fentanyl to increase how long the effects last.
Xylazine is not an opioid, so naloxone does not reverse its effects. However, xylazine is almost always found with opioids.
If you think someone is experiencing an overdose, give them naloxone and, if you're able to, call 911. Naloxone will reverse the effects of the opioids, even if the person stays sedated due to the xylazine.
Rescue breaths or canned oxygen are a great way to keep oxygen moving to the brain while waiting for emergency responders. If the person is breathing, but remains sedated from the xylazine, put them in the rescue position (lying on their side).
Regular use of xylazine can cause severe skin ulcers and abscesses, even at places other than an injection site. Skin wounds caused by xylazine may get worse more quickly, and take longer to heal than other skin wounds.
Using xylazine regularly also has a risk of withdrawal. Symptoms include irritability, anxiety, feeling uneasy, rapid heart rate, and high blood pressure.
Methods of testing your substance
Best Method: Test everything you intend to consume
Testing everything requires dissolving your entire dose or batch in water.
For drugs consumed orally, you can dissolve your dose and drink the water after testing. (The strips do not contaminate the water.)
Dissolving your dose is a good move if you want to test your drugs right before taking them orally. (Ex. Measuring and testing 120 mg of MDMA before consuming it.)
For drugs like cocaine or meth that people like to insufflate (snort), you can get the powder back by evaporating the water. (Instructions below.)
Dissolving your entire batch is useful and efficient because you can test all of your doses at once, but you’ll need to take the time to evaporate the water back out before it’s usable.
Backup Method: Testing a portion of your drugs
The best method is to test every bit of the drug you intend to consume, but if you can’t, at least test a good cross section. We recommend a minimum of 50 mg.
Before testing, crush any crystals, shards, or rocks into a fine powder.
Next, mix the powder as thoroughly as possible by stirring or shaking the baggie.
This helps distribute any fentanyl that might be clumped up inside, increasing the likelihood that some will be in your sample.
Using the test strips
Fentanyl Test Strips
Prepare & dilute drugs
Crystal or Powder
Use a milligram scale to get the weight of the crystals or powder. If you don’t have a milligram scale, we have 10 milligram microscopes. If you don’t have access to either of those, the size of a grain of rice measures to about 20 ml.
Place your drugs in a small container — You can use a measuring cup, bottle cap, or we offer cookers at our location.
Dilution — Make sure the ratio of powder to water is 10 mg/1ml
Stir the mixture until completely dissolved
Pharmaceutical pills & pressed MDMA (ecstasy) pills
Crush the entire pill into a fine powder
Pour the powder into a small cup
Add approximately 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of water
Stir mixture well
Blotter LSD
Cut off a small corner of the blotter
Soak it in a teaspoon of water for 10 minutes
IV Drugs
After preparing your shot, set it aside and wait to inject
About 1 ml (1 cc) of clean water into the spoon or cooker
Test the substance
Hold the blue end of the test strip (depending on brand the design may vary, refer to instructions on package for specific instructions) and insert the other end into the liquid. Make sure to not go any higher than the max line.
Hold the strip in the liquid for a full 15 seconds.
Remove the strip, set it on a flat surface and wait 3 minutes before reading the results.
Interpret the results
One line is POSITIVE
Two lines is NEGATIVE. Note that the second line may be much lighter than the initial line.
Getting your powder back
Fentanyl test strips do NOT contaminate your drugs. You can dilute your entire batch in water, test it, and then evaporate the water to get the powder back. Use a flat-bottomed, glass baking pan and heat it on low in an oven
Place the pan on the center rack, set the oven no higher than 225 F
Keep the oven door slightly open and wait for the water to evaporate. This process can take minutes to hours, depending on how much water was used.
When all the water has evaporated there will be a like residue at the bottom of the pan. Take it out and let it cool
Scrape up the residue using a sharp flat tool. A straight razor works best, but a credit card or knife will also work.
Don’t leave your dugs in the oven for too long — they won’t burn right away, but they will eventually
Xylazine Test Strips
Prepare sample
Crush your pill. Make sure your pill or powder is crushed finely into a uniform consistency.
Choose your testing method
Test everything
Pour powder into a cup
Use 1/2 cup or 100 ml of water per gram of material
Stir the mixture until completely dissolved
Test bag residue
Crush the entire pill into a fine powder Make sure the contents inside the bag are a uniform powder
Dump contents into another container
Fill the empty bag with water and mix if necessary
Test a micro scoop
Pup one micro scoop of substance into a small cup
Mix 1 teaspoon of water for each scoop of substance
Test your material
Place the test strip wavy side down (depending on brand the design may vary, refer to instructions on package for specific instructions) in the water for 15 seconds. Make sure the water does not go past the max line.
Remove strip from water and place it on a flat surface for 3 minutes
Read the results
A POSITIVE result for xylazine is indicated by ONE RED LINE
A NEGATIVE for xylazine is indicated by TWO RED LINES. Note it’s NEGATIVE result even if the red line is faded