What Does BAR Mean on a Drug Test? (Barbiturates)?
Evidence-based answer reviewed against SAMHSA cutoffs and FDA assay documentation · Updated August 2026
Quick answer: BAR is the laboratory abbreviation for Barbiturates. BAR is the legacy downer strip (phenobarbital family ~250–300 ng/mL).
Reading your cup or lab report
Multi-panel cups print 2–4 letter codes beside each strip line. One line per drug class; a visible control line plus absent drug line = negative for that class. Faint lines still count as present (they're competitive-inhibition assays) — the classic misread.
About Barbs
Expanded urine: 200–300 ng/mL (long-acting equivalents).
Barbiturates ride along on 10/12-panel cups as the legacy 'BAR' strip. Prescriptions are uncommon today (butalbital migraine combos like butalbital migraine tablets persist).
Detection windows
| Test type | Typical Barbs detection window |
|---|---|
| Urine | short_acting: 1–3 days (secobarbital); long_acting: phenobarbital: up to 3 weeks |
| Saliva (Mouth Swab) | any: ~1–3 days |
| Hair Follicles | up to 90 days |
| Blood | any: 1–4 days (phenobarbital longer) |
Related codes on the same cup
Cups group codes logically: AMP/mAMP (stimulants), OPI/MOP/OXY/BUP (opioid family), BZO/BAR (depressants), COC/THC/PCP (classics), plus validity markers like creatinine printed on lab reports rather than cups.
Certified labs nationwide · Results in 1–2 days
Need a test? Order online, test same-day →People also ask
Do prescriptions count against me?
No — verified prescriptions report as negative through the Medical Review Officer. Declare medications at collection and answer the follow-up call.
Sources & further reading
- SAMHSA — Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (cutoffs, MRO process)
- DOT — 49 CFR Part 40 procedures for transportation workplace testing
- Brahm NC et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2008;83(1):66–76 — false-positive cross-reactivity reference
- FDA — drug-of-abuse test device labeling (detection window conventions)