How Long Do Drugs Stay In Your System? | Half Life & Drug Test Detection Times

Commonly used drugs such as fentanyl, amphetamines, and marijuana stay in your system for anywhere between less than one hour to multiple days. 

Drug detection times depend on factors such as the specific drug taken, how the drug is broken down by your body, and your overall health.

Drug tests in Ohio can detect recent drug use for anywhere between 1 to 90 days after the last dose. The most common drug screening method, the urine drug screen, has an average detection window of 1 to 5 days.

Other types of tests include oral fluid tests, hair tests, and blood tests.

If you have a positive test result for opioids, cannabis, stimulants, or other common drugs of abuse, you may be referred to an Ohio substance use treatment program.

Factors That Affect Drug Metabolism & Detection Windows

Half-life is the amount of time it takes for a drug to decrease to half of its peak concentration. Half-life is used to estimate how long a drug stays in your bloodstream. After about five half-life cycles, most drugs are likely eliminated from the bloodstream.

Drugs with shorter half-lives may have shorter detection windows. You may also feel the side effects of drugs with short half-lives for a shorter amount of time.

Other factors that can affect how long a drug stays in your system include your body fat, taking multiple drugs at once, your route of administration (swallowing, snorting, or injecting drugs), and your frequency of use.

Types Of Tests For Prescription & Illicit Drug Use

Urine drug tests, saliva tests, blood tests, and hair tests may all be used to test for drug use in Ohio. Some Ohio employers may use the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs, which can have regulated cutoff levels for positive results and other standards.

The most common form of drug testing is the urine test, which can test for multiple prescription and illicit drugs in one urine sample. Urine tests may be used by Ohio employers, treatment providers, and law enforcement.

Different types of drug tests have different detection times. Saliva and blood tests have shorter detection times than urine tests, while hair tests may detect drug use over 90 days after your last use.

How Long Opioids Stay In Your System

Opioids can stay in your bloodstream for an average of 1 day. The average half-life of opioids is between 3 to 8 hours. Opioids such as fentanyl and oxycodone are widely abused in Ohio, which may increase the need for drug testing and prevention methods.

Opioid metabolites are present in urine samples for an average of 1 to 4 days. 

Short-acting opioids, such as heroin and oxycodone, have shorter detection times compared to long-acting opioids.

The average detection window of opioids in urine specimens is as follows:

• fentanyl: 1 to 3 days
• oxycodone: 1 to 3 days
• hydrocodone: 1 to 3 days
• codeine: 1 to 3 days
• heroin: 1 day
• methadone (long-acting): up to 2 weeks
• buprenorphine (long-acting): up to 2 weeks

Opiate addiction treatment programs may include regular urine tests.

How Long Cocaine Stays In Your System

Cocaine and crack cocaine can stay in your bloodstream for an average of 5 hours after the last use. Unchanged Cocaine and crack cocaine have short half-lives, and may be difficult to detect on drug tests.

Ohio drug tests may look for benzoylecgonine, the main metabolite of cocaine. Benzylecgonine can stay in your system for about 30 hours after the last use, and can be detected in urine for an average of 2 days after the last dose.

How Long Prescription Stimulants Stay In Your System

Prescription stimulant drugs can stay in your system for an average of 10 hours to several days.

Stimulant drugs of abuse include amphetamines (methamphetamine, dextroamphetamine) and non-amphetamine prescription drugs (methylphenidate). These drugs can be abused to improve energy or productivity in the short term.

Average detection times of stimulant drugs in urine is as follows:

• dextroamphetamine (Adderall): 1 to 5 days
• amphetamine: 1 to 5 days
• methamphetamine: 1 to 5 days
• methylphenidate: 1 day

How Long Marijuana Stays In Your System

Cannabis products stay in your system for about 3 days after your last dose. Urine samples can contain cannabinoids for more than a month after your last dose.

A metabolite of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be detected in urine drug tests. Other metabolites of marijuana and THC products may not be tested for in Ohio.

How long cannabinoids stay in your system can depend heavily on your frequency of use. If you smoke marijuana every day, your detection period may be longer than someone who does not.

How Long Benzodiazepines Stay In Your System

Benzodiazepines can stay in your system for anywhere between 30 hours to 2 weeks after your last dose. Most benzodiazepines, including Xanax, Valium, and Ativan, are long-acting compared to other prescription and illicit drugs.

The average detection window for benzodiazepines in urine is as follows:

• diazepam (Valium): up to 1 week
• alprazolam (Xanax): up to 4 days
• lorazepam (Ativan): up to 1 week
• clonazepam (Klonopin): up to 4 days

Ohio Recovery Center

If you are concerned about testing positive for drug use, you can talk to your Ohio doctor or local treatment centers about your addiction treatment options.

Following the guidelines of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) can help you coordinate a rehab program with your employer and give you job security while you attend rehab.

At Ohio Recovery Center, we offer inpatient addiction treatment programs in Van Wert that listen to your specific needs. Contact us today to find out if our opioid, stimulant, benzodiazepine, and illicit drug treatment programs will work for you or your loved one.