How Long Do Drugs Stay in Your System?
The length of time drugs stay in a person’s system depends on the type of drug or substance they are taking as well as many other genetic and behavioral factors.
Various Drugs Stay in Your System Various Amounts of Time
According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS), in 2018, 31.9 million, or 11.7 percent of the population over the age of 12 in the United States were current illegal drug users. If you include alcohol and tobacco use, the number of Americans who were current substance users in 2018 rises to over 60.2 percent or 165 million people. Those statistics represent a huge amount of the population using and potentially abusing substances.
The amount of time it takes a person’s body to break down a drug varies depending on a lot of different factors. For example, depending on the type of drug taken and their method of ingestion their half-lives will vary. A drug’s half-life is the amount of time it will take for half of the drug to leave your system. Some drugs can stay in your body for days, while others can stay there for months!
There are many reasons why a person may be curious about how long drugs stay in their system. One of these reasons could be because a person may need to take a drug test. The reasons a person might need to take a drug test include employee testing, probation, legal cases, custody, court-ordered testing, and even many athletes need to be screened to ensure they are not using drugs to enhance their performance. There are different methods for drug testing that are used to determine if a person has used drugs or alcohol. Some of these include hair, oral fluids, sweat, and urine. Each test has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, a urine sample is the most common specimen used for performing a drug test. Hair tests require a sample of hair from a person to be tested for drugs. The advantages of taking a hair sample are that it provides the longest window of detection of a substance. Hair samples may be able to detect changes in drug use over time. For example, it may be able to detect from 7 to 10 days after drug use to 3 months depending on the length of hair being tested. A hair sample is able to be directly observed when the specimen is being collected as well as it’s a noninvasive specimen collection. Using only 4 tests can cover a 1 year period and the specimen is easy to store and transport. It is very difficult to adulterate or substitute a hair sample and the sample is readily available depending on the length of hair being tested. The disadvantage of using a hair sample is that it cannot detect drug use within the previous 7 to 10 days of use. It is hard to interpret the results and is costly and time-consuming to prepare the specimen for testing. There are not a lot of laboratories that can perform the test, it is difficult to detect low-level use, and can be biased with hair color because dark hair tends to contain more of some drugs like stimulants and opioids. Also, specimens can be removed by shaving. Oral fluid collection is another form of drug test. In this test, a swab is taken in the mouth to collect saliva that will be tested for drugs. In saliva, drugs can appear within minutes of drug administration. The advantages of this test are that it is noninvasive, easy to collect, low chance of adulteration, the specimen collection can be directly observed, and is able to detect same-day use of some drugs. The disadvantages of using an oral fluids test are that there is limited specimen volume, can be contaminated, there is a short window of detection, and requires supervision of the patient for 20 to 30 minutes before sampling. The advantages of a sweat test are that it can detect recent use (fewer than 24 hours with a sweat swipe) or allows for cumulative testing with the sweat patch (worn for up to 7 to 14 days). A sweat test is a noninvasive specimen collection that is difficult to adulterate. It requires little training to collect the sample and is an economical alternative to a urine sample. The disadvantages of a sweat test are that there are few facilities that are able to do the testing. There is a risk of accidental or deliberate removal of the sweat patch, it can be affected by external contaminants, and requires two visits making for a longer collection period. Urine is the preferred sample for testing and is the most common method used due to its availability in large volumes, contains the metabolite, and requires less invasive procedures in its collection. Urine drug tests can detect drugs in a person’s system anywhere from a few hours to up to 30 days depending on the specific drug used. However, urine drug tests have some limitations. They have a short window of detection, are easy to adulterate or substitute with another person’s urine, might need to have another person observe the collection of urine, and some individuals may feel shy and cannot use the restroom with someone watching them.
Types of Drug Tests
Hair
Oral Fluids
Sweat
Urine
Factors That Determine the Length of Stay in Your System
How long do drugs stay in your system? The length of time a drug will stay in your system depends on a lot of different factors. The first is the route in which the drug or substance was administered. There are also other factors that influence how long are drugs in your system? These include age, race, kidney function, mixing with other drugs or substances, metabolic rate, hydration, body mass, urine pH, and frequency of use.
Route Drug Administered
The first factor that determines the length of stay is the route that the drug was taken. The various routes drugs can be taken are orally (e.g. alcohol), intravenously (injection into a vein, e.g. heroin), inhalation (smoking, e.g. marijuana; snorting, e.g. cocaine; and sniffing, e.g. glue). Drugs that are taken through the oral route tend to absorb the slowest into the body. Drugs that are taken through the intravenous and inhalation routes tend to absorb the quickest. Additionally, the amount of drug that gets stored in the body also depends on the nature of the drug, the quantity taken, duration of ingestion, and the tissue holding the drug.
Age & Race
Age and race are factors because the younger a person is the better their body is able to metabolize drugs. In general, elderly people tend to eliminate the drug much more slowly.
Kidney Function
Kidney function plays a role in how long drugs stay in your system because people who have kidney failure take longer to metabolize drugs.
Combining Substances
Combining drugs or substances also impacts the rate a person is able to get drugs out of their system. For example, taking alcohol with other drugs can slow down the breakdown and excretion of other drugs because they must compete with alcohol to get broken down by the liver.
Rate of Metabolism
The rate of metabolism is another factor because every person has a different rate of metabolism which is determined by their genetics such as age, sex, ethnicity, and liver impairment, and environment. The faster someone is able to metabolize and breakdown the drug, the quicker it can leave their system.
Hydration and Body Mass
Hydration and body mass are two other factors because fatty tissues tend to store chemicals longer than lean tissue, and hydration dilutes and expels the drug.
Frequency of Use
Lastly, the frequency of use plays a role in determining how long ativan stays in a person’s system. For example, a person who is on a high dose of a drug will take longer to get the drug out of their system than someone on a low dose.
Drug Test Detection Times
Most drugs can be detected through drug testing hair, oral fluids, sweat, and urine. While these are all methods used, taking a urine sample and testing that seems to be the most frequently used method.
How long do drugs stay in your urine? Depending on the specific drug or substance taken, drug detection times vary. Urine drug tests are highly reliable, but false positives can occur for some drugs. Urine drug tests are the preferred method because it is available in large volumes, contains the metabolite, and requires less invasive procedures in its collection.
Marijuana
Marijuana can be detected in hair for up to 90 days. It can be detected in oral fluids for up to 24 hours and can be detected in sweat for 7 to 14 days.
Marijuana detection times in urine depend on whether or not a person uses it just once, moderately, daily, or is a long-term heavy smoker. Single-use of marijuana can be detected in urine for 3 days. Moderate use, described as 4 times a week can be detected in urine for 5 to 7 days. Daily use of marijuana can be detected in urine for 10 to 15 days. Lastly, long-term heavy marijuana smokers can have marijuana detected in their urine for 30 days. Therefore, depending on a person’s use, marijuana can be detected in urine anywhere between a few days to many weeks.
Opioids
Opiates such as codeine, morphine, and heroin can be detected in hair for up to 90 days. These drugs can be detected in oral fluids for 1 to 36 hours and in sweat for 7 to 14 days.
Opioids encompass a wide range of opioid drugs such as codeine, heroin, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, and propoxyphene. Codeine can be detected in urine for 48 hours. Heroin can be detected in urine for 48 hours. Hydromorphone can be detected in a urine drug test for 2 to 4 days. Methadone can be detected in urine for 3 days. Morphine can be detected in urine for 48 to 72 hours. Oxycodone can be detected in urine for 2 to 4 days. Finally, propoxyphene can be detected in urine for 6 to 48 hours.
Alcohol
Alcohol cannot be detected in hair or sweat. However, it can be detected in oral fluids for up to 24 hours. Alcohol can be detected in urine for 7 to 12 hours after a person has their last drink.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines can be detected in hair for up to 90 days. They cannot be detected in oral fluids or sweat.
Benzodiazepines can be short-acting or long-acting and this will impact the length of time they can be detected in a urine test. Short-acting benzodiazepines such as lorazepam can be detected in a urine test for 3 days. Long-acting benzodiazepines can be detected in a urine test for 30 days.
Barbiturates
Barbiturates can be detected in hair for up to 90 days. They cannot be detected in oral fluids or sweat.
Barbiturates can be short-acting or long-acting and this will impact the length of time they can be detected in a urine test. Short-acting barbiturates such as phenobarbital can be detected in urine for 24 hours. Long-acting barbiturates such as phenobarbital can be detected in urine for up to 3 weeks.
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens such as PCP can be detected in hair for up to 90 days. It cannot be detected in oral fluids but can be detected for 7 to 14 days in sweat.
PC has a half-life of 7 to 16 hours. They can be detected in a urine drug test for about 2 to 3 days.
Stimulants
Stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine can be detected in hair for up to 90 days. Methamphetamine can be detected in oral fluids for 1 to 48 hours. Cocaine can be detected in oral fluids for 1 to 36 hours. Both methamphetamine and cocaine can be detected in sweat for 7 to 14 days.
Stimulants such as methamphetamine have a half-life of 12-34 hours. They can be detected in a urine drug test for about 2 to 3 days. Stimulants such as cocaine have a half-life of 0.5 to 1.5 hours. Cocaine can be detected in a urine drug test for only a few hours.
Seeking Help For Drug Addiction
If you or a loved one is suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction, finding a high-quality rehabilitation center can help. An active rehabilitation approach can best treat someone wishing to overcome their substance use disorder problem. An active rehabilitation approach combines entry into a substance use disorder treatment center with support, education, and lifestyle changes.
References
- Addiction Treatment Options. Sunshine Behavioral Health.
- Alcohol and Medication Interactions. Alcohol Research & Health.
- Drug Abuse Statistics. NCDAS
- Drug-testing methods and clinical interpretations of test results. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
- Interpretation of Opiate Urine Drug Screens. Health Partners: Institute for Medical Education.
- Interpretation of oral fluids for drugs of abuse. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
- Objective testing- urine and other drug tests. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America.
Medical disclaimer:
Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery.
Licensed medical professionals review material we publish on our site. The material is not a substitute for qualified medical diagnoses, treatment, or advice. It should not be used to replace the suggestions of your personal physician or other health care professionals.
