Cocaine is a highly potent stimulant drug that is known to be extremely addictive. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 27,788,000 people in the United States have abused cocaine at some point in their lives.
If you have abused cocaine, you know how addictive the energizing and euphoric effects can be. You might have even binged on the drug before, which is a sign that you are experiencing a substance use disorder.
Cocaine can be snorted, smoked, or injected. No matter how you misuse it, long-term abuse will lead to cocaine addiction. If you abuse cocaine, you might be wondering how long it stays in your system.
Cocaine only has a half-life of one hour. This means the drug leaves your system within 4 to 5 hours. However, drug tests can detect cocaine or its metabolites for a longer period.
For example, drug tests can detect cocaine in urine for up to 3 days while hair tests have a detection window of 90 days.
How Long Do the Effects of Cocaine Last?
Cocaine is typically snorted which causes the effects to come on rapidly. However, the symptoms of cocaine are usually short-lived.
The effects of cocaine might include:
- Increased energyÂ
- Decreased appetiteÂ
- InsomniaÂ
- Agitation and irritabilityÂ
- Overconfidence and impulsivityÂ
- Heightened body temperatureÂ
- Increased heart rate and high blood pressureÂ
- Excessive sweatingÂ
- Seizures or strokesÂ
When you snort cocaine, the effects will begin within 3 to 5 minutes and last for up to 30 minutes. Injecting the drug causes instantaneous effects that might subside after 20 minutes.
Because the effects of cocaine are short-lived, you might be tempted to binge on the drug. It is important to note that using large amounts of cocaine can lead to a life-threatening overdose.
Factors That Affect How Long Cocaine Stays in Your Body
Cocaine has a half-life of one hour. It takes about 4 to 5 half-lives for a drug to be completely removed from your system, so cocaine should be out of your body 5 hours after you last consumed it.
With that being said, certain factors can affect how long cocaine stays in your system. These factors include:
- The dose and frequency of cocaine use
- The method of administration (i.e., smoking, snorting, or injecting)
- The presence of other substances like alcohol
- Your age and BMI
- The speed of your metabolismÂ
- Overall health
- The functioning of your kidneys and liver
- How much fluids and nutrients you have consumedÂ
If you have been abusing cocaine for years, it might stay in your system longer than a first-time user. Additionally, people with liver or kidney conditions cannot process drugs as fast as a healthy individual.
How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System?
While cocaine leaves your body within 5 hours, it leaves behind metabolites in your system that drug tests look for. This means cocaine can be detected by drug tests for a longer period. The type of drug screen being used will influence how long you test positive for cocaine.
Urine
Urine tests look for the presence of cocaine metabolites in your urine. Usually, cocaine can be detected in your urine for up to 3 days. However, if you have been using cocaine long-term, you might test positive for a longer period of up to 2 weeks.
Blood
Blood tests are often used in hospital settings to determine if drugs are affecting your symptoms. They offer a short window of detection, making them ideal for this use. Blood tests can find cocaine in your system for up to 2 days after your last dose.
Saliva
Saliva tests are not as accurate as blood or urine tests. Some jobs might require a saliva drug test before offering employment. If you are taking a saliva drug test, they can find cocaine for up to 2 days after your last dose.
Hair
Hair tests are not commonly used for two reasons. First, they are expensive to send off to the lab. The other reason is that there has been proof that there is color bias in hair testing, making them unfair. Hair follicle drug tests can detect any drug in your system for up to 90 days after your last dose.
Find Help for Cocaine Abuse and Addiction
If you or a loved one abuse cocaine, it’s time to consider attending cocaine addiction treatment. Long-term abuse of cocaine can lead to a range of health issues, including cardiovascular damage and life-threatening overdoses. Attending a drug rehab program will ensure that you recover before you develop permanent damage.
At The Living Room, we believe in offering compassionate and discreet addiction treatment services. Additionally, we provide a combination of holistic and evidence-based treatments, ensuring all of our patients get the type of help they need.
Nestled in the bucolic setting of Princeton, NJ, The Living Room is a first-of-its-kind behavioral healthcare facility. Designed by a world-renowned Disney Imagineer and staffed by the industry’s most dedicated professionals, The Living Room at Princeton is an invitation to a life of freedom, compassion, and purpose specifically available to those of us who have known the struggles of addiction and mental health concerns.
Contact us today for more information on our cocaine rehab programs.