Recent research suggests that more people are addicted to Suboxone today than ever before: therefore, it’s not surprising that many companies are enforcing drug policies and conducting pre-employment drug screenings. Without further ado, let’s crack the research vault and discover how long does Suboxone stay in your system?
Suboxone is a formulation of buprenorphine, a semi-synthetic opioid prescribed to treat opioid addictions such as hyrocodone and herion. According to a 2018 publication in NCBI, Soboxone doesn’t offer the illicit-high associated with prescription-strength opioids; however, it is the most abused prescription medication in the United States.
Unfortunately, receiving news of a drug test can be a nightmare for those who like their Sobos. If you’re taking Oranges, Bupe, and Stops and are worried about your drug test, keep reading to discover what research is saying about how long Suboxone stays in your system.
How Long Does Suboxone Stay in Your Body?
Treatment centers across America all agree on one thing: the effects of just one dose of Suboxone last for 24 hours. With that being said, you can expect Suboxone to stay in your body for a little while longer than other types of drugs.
When considering how long it stays in your system, the half-life of Suboxone is 12-42 hours. As you can see, this is a significant amount of time when compared to the average half-life of other commonly used drugs that have a half-life of 4-6 hours.
The time it takes for a drug to metabolize impacts the duration its detectable in your body as well as each person’s body chemistry. In general, Suboxone takes 4-5 half-life’s to fully leave your system; therefore, you can expect Suboxone to stay in your system for 120-150 hours (5-8 days).
But keep in mind, if you’re living with kidney and liver disease, it may take a few more days before there are no traces of it in your system.
Here are four types of drug tests commonly used by employers and corporations as well as the amount of time Suboxone stays in each one of them:
- Blood Test
Blood tests are typically used for detecting recent drug use and usually fall short after 24 hours; however, Suboxone has a longer half-life than other drugs and 36 hours may be the more logical number.
- Urine Test
Urine tests are the most commonly used test for drugs, but the panel must specifically test for Suboxone, which can stay in your urine between 48-78 hours depending on use.
- Hair Test
Hairs tests may be your worse adversary because they are extremely accurate and can detect the presence of buprenorphine between 90 to 100 days or longer.
- Saliva Test
Saliva tests are similar to blood tests with a detection rate of 24-36 hours for Suboxone. Since the window is relatively short, this type of test is only good for recent use and is generally ineffective after 36 hours after your last dosage.
Factors That Determine How Long Suboxone Stays in Your System
A drug’s half-life typically determines how long drugs stay in your system. Since Suboxone has a longer half-life, it can remain active in your system longer than other commonly used drugs such as cocaine, methadone, and amphetamines. Other factors that impact the duration of Suboxone in your system include:
- Your weight
- Your metabolism
- Your health
- Other medications
- Other illicit drug use
While some drugs are expelled from the human body in as little as a day, certain drugs such as Suboxone can take several days or weeks to be fully removed from your system.
Will Suboxone Show up on a Drug Test?
The good news, Suboxone doesn’t not show up on expanded or routine opiate drug tests because the lab must specifically test for buprenorphine. However, if you are under suspicion of using Suboxone, your drug screening will be looking for your use of Sobos, so knowing the type of drug test you have to take is vital to choosing the right body detox kit combined with remaining abstinent.
How to Quickly Remove Suboxone From Your System
Since Suboxone metabolizes slower than other drugs, your best option is to immediately stop taking it and detox your body. You can do this by drinking water all day combined with eating foods such as kale and broccoli that help your body metabolize the toxins faster, increasing your odds of passing a drug test.
For those who are faced with taking a drug test on short notice, one of your best options is to buy a detox kit such as detox drinks, hair shampoos, or synthetic urine coupled with abstinence and eating foods that speed up your metabolism.
Using Synthetic Urine to Pass a Suboxone Drug Test
Using synthetic urine is one of the most effective options available to pass a drug test for Suboxone, but getting caught comes with severe penalties because many states have made it a crime. Employers today are well-aware of the number of people using synthetic urine to pass a drug test, but little can be done to stop the sheer number of people using it and passing their drug screenings.
Synthetic urine looks and smells like the real deal, but getting it ready so you don’t get caught requires a little homework on your end. There are plenty of reputable vendors that sell authentic synthetic urine kits complete with the belt, but there are also some who sell bunk.
To avoid this and get high-quality synthetic urine kits, you can trust the following products:
Clear Choice Incognito Synthetic Urine Belt
The Urinator
Quick Fix Pro Belt Kit
WizClear’s Synthetic Urine Belt
Monkey Whizz Synthetic Urine Belt
For those who need a more definitive answer on the amount of time Suboxone stays in your body, we recommend using a home drug test kit before you take your exam. These kits are rather inexpensive and can tell you if what you’re doing is working or not.
Using the above tips and tricks can help you pass a drug test for Suboxone, but it is paramount to remain drug-free while detoxing your body for a drug test specifically screening for Sobos.
