If you want to find out how long cocaine stays in your system, simply keep reading this article to discover the truth. In the next few minutes, you will learn about the different kinds of screening tests used for cocaine and the factors that affect the duration cocaine stays in your system.
Cocaine has a half-life of less than an hour and completely metabolizes from your system in less than a day. Hence, most drug tests check for metabolites like benzoylecgonine, which has a half-life of 12 hours.
It can take from four to six days for these metabolites to altogether leave your body. Other factors like dosage, body mass, age, overall health, and frequency of drug use can result in metabolites staying in the system for up to 2 weeks.
A medical doctor can prescribe cocaine as a topical anesthetic for ear, throat, and eye surgery, but its medicinal usage is tightly regulated. Cocaine is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance because of its high potential for abuse.
Most doctors refrain from prescribing it as its side effects can potentially be very dangerous for a lot of patients. However, many illicitly seek out cocaine as it increases dopamine production and mental acuity.
How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System?
Cocaine stays in your system for up to two days, but its metabolites remain there for much longer. Metabolites refer to by-products of cocaine, formed after it is broken down in the liver.
These by-products are excreted through your urine and feces. Benzoylecgonine is the metabolite most commonly tested for as it has a urine concentration that is fifty to a hundred times greater than cocaine.
To learn more about the duration of cocaine, you should know the functions of the four following drug tests:
Blood
A blood test is the most intrusive of the four and is only used if a healthcare provider suspects drug abuse. Your average job employer or insurance provider will never ask you to perform this test for cocaine. A blood test can detect cocaine in the blood for a screening period of 24 hours and benzoylecgonine for up to 48 hours.
Urine
A urine test is the most common type of test for cocaine as it is the cheapest and somewhat accurate, with prices ranging from $30 – $60 per test. A urine sample will test positive for one to five days since your last dose of cocaine. However, for heavy users, it can test positive for up to two weeks.
Other commonly used medical drugs or food products do not contain cocaine and its by-products, ruling out the chance of a false positive. It’s widely accepted that the urine immunoassay test isn’t entirely dependable for certain drugs like opioids since consuming poppy seeds can lead to a false positive result.
However, there will never be any risk of this for cocaine, which is why many administrators favor this test for drug checks in their companies.
Saliva
Saliva tests are becoming increasingly popular because they are less difficult to cheat and provide a false negative compared to a urine test. This is as you will be standing right in front of the facilitator when you take your test.
Saliva tests detect recent drug use from the 24 to 48h range. Although they are more expensive than urine tests, they are still less costly than blood or hair tests.
Hair
Also known as a follicle test, hair tests have the most extended range of detection since last use, testing positive for cocaine and its metabolites for up to 90 days. Hair tests are frequently used in specific industries like the trucking industries, as these require being extremely attentive while on the job.
However, hair tests can also show false positives very quickly. If you don’t take cocaine but accidentally come into contact with someone by holding a tainted banknote, this will show on a hair test. Certain medications might also result in a false positive.
What Factors Determine How Long Cocaine Will Stay in Your System?
There are a variety of factors that determine how long cocaine will stay in your system. Here are some of the factors that can impact your metabolism and, consequentially, your drug test results:
- Alcohol: Cocaine takes longer to metabolize when taken in conjunction with alcohol, forming a metabolite called cocaethylene. Cocaethylene has a half-life of five times that of cocaine. It can also be fatal.
- The purity of the drug: Cocaine is frequently cut with other substances like baby powder, fentanyl, and cornstarch. If there is a higher concentration of cocaine present, it will take longer to be metabolized and stay in your system for longer.
- Frequency of use: Chronic users will have the drug stay in their system for a long time as, after repeated use, cocaine starts to be stored in the body’s fatty tissues.
- Age: Metabolism decreases with age. Hence, cocaine will stick around longer in the systems of older users.
- Health: As the liver and kidneys metabolize cocaine, individuals suffering from liver or kidney disease will have cocaine staying in their bloodstream for a more significant duration.
Will Cocaine Show Up On Drug Tests?
Absolutely, cocaine will show up on a drug test. It is part of the standard 5-panel test used by major drug testing organizations and third-party labs. Other drugs that are routinely tested for include the following but are not limited to:
- Opioids
- Amphetamines
- Marijuana
- PCP
- Heroin
What Substances Can Cause a False Positive for a Cocaine Drug Test
If you are taking any of the following substances, they might cause a false positive. These include:
- Topical cocaine-derived anesthetics
- Coca-leaf tea and herbal supplements sourced from the coca plant
- Poppy seeds
- Antidepressants
Health conditions such as diabetes and liver or kidney conditions could also result in false-positive tests. Therefore, ensure that you inform your tester of any health conditions or medications taken before going for any drug test.
How to Quickly Remove Cocaine From Your System?
To eliminate cocaine from your body, cease its use and employ a reliable cleansing kit. Infrequent users metabolize it within days; regular users may take over a week. To hasten detox, abstain from caffeine and alcohol, stay hydrated, exercise, and maintain a balanced diet. This accelerates natural detox and reduces adverse symptoms.
Side Effects of Using Cocaine
Even if your party-goer friends might recommend cocaine to you, citing its meditative and soothing effects, remember that cocaine is an illicit drug for a reason. It comes with a list of side effects, including:
- Anxiety: Excessive cocaine use results in elevated dopamine levels with changes to your dopamine reactor sensitivity. Thus, going without cocaine triggers fear and general anxiety.
- Loss of muscle control: Cocaine affects the Central Nervous System (CNS), which sends nerve signals to the muscles.
- Weight loss: Although the reason is undetermined, cocaine results in increased fat regulation.
- Heart problems: Cocaine causes vasoconstriction, which results in arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, and a slew of other conditions.
- Increased risk of stroke and seizures: Despite the exact reason being unknown, there is a correlation between cocaine use and an increased risk of stroke.
- Loss of smell: Damage caused to the nasal membranes results in a loss of smell.
- Depression: This is due to a permanent shift in brain chemistry, resulting in less dopamine released when not taking cocaine.
- Pulmonary disorders: When snorted, cocaine causes injuries to the lungs and alveoli, resulting in airway injury, asthma, etc.
- Insomnia: Cocaine inhibits the reabsorption of released dopamine into the body, keeping one energized and preventing sleep. When this high diminishes, it interrupts your circadian rhythm.
Cocaine is a drug that is harmful to human consumption if abused in excessive amounts. The adverse side effects outweigh any positive results, and they can stay in your system anywhere from four days to months. Therefore, if you use cocaine and are worried about a drug test, stop using it and buy a detox kit that’s guaranteed to work at Tooslick.com
