Urinary screening for alprazolam, triazolam and their metabolites with the emit® d.A.u.™ benzodiazepine metabolite assay

Alprazolam (Xanax® and triazolam (Halcion®) are relatively new triazolobenzodiazepines that are anxiolytic and hypnotic. This study assesses the reactivity of these drugs and their major metabolites in the EMIT® d.a.u.™ benzodiazepine metabolite assay. Analytical standards of drugs and metabolites and urine specimens from patients receiving these drugs were analyzed by EMIT. Alprazolam and α-OH alprazolam gave an equivalent response to the EMIT low calibrator between 0.2 and 0.3 µg/mL. Triazolam and o-OH triazolam were reactive between 0.3 and 0.5 µg/mL. The assay was positive in 24 out of 27 random urine specimens from alprazolam-treated patients and in 8 out of 19 urine specimens from triazolam-treated patients. Positive urine results were confirmed by measuring the major urinary metabolites α-OH alprazolam and α-OH triazolam by HPLC. The study demonstrates that the EMIT assay can detect significant amounts of alprazolam and metabolites in the urine. The assay was negative in 58% of the specimens from individuals receiving triazolam, however.