How Long Does Cocaine Stay In Your System?
When you stop feeling the effects of cocaine, does that mean the drug is no longer in your body? How long does cocaine stay in your system?
What Happens When You Use Cocaine?
When you use cocaine, two processes begin:
- The drug triggers changes in your central nervous system (CNS) that affect how you think, feel, and act.
- Your body starts to break down the drug so that it can be eliminated from your system.
The first process is more obvious, but both can have an impact on how long cocaine remains in your system.
How cocaine Affects Your Body
Cocaine is a CNS stimulant. This means that increases activity within the network of nerve cells that deliver messages between your brain and other parts of your body.
Cocaine accomplishes this by binding to certain proteins that help to regulate levels of three neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These chemicals are associated with feelings and functions such as pleasure, learning, memory, reward, and alertness.
In a healthy, nonimpaired CNS, here’s what should happen:
- Neurons (nerve cells) communicate by releasing serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and other brain chemicals into the synapses, which are extremely small gaps between the cells.
- The neurotransmitters cross the synapses and activate the receiving neuron.
- Once the neurotransmitters have delivered their message, proteins called transporters carry them back to the originating nerve cell.
- The originating nerve cell reabsorbs the neurotransmitters and stores them for later use.
Cocaine disrupts this process by preventing the transporter proteins from doing their job. This results in a buildup of the neurotransmitters in the synapses, which has the effect of amplifying their message. This causes a temporary boost in mood, energy, alertness, and various other characteristics.
When these effects wear off, you may experience a physical and psychological crash. To fend off this crash, you may feel the urge to use cocaine multiple times in a short period, which is known as a binge.
Binges can extend the amount of time that cocaine remains in your system and increase your risk of developing an addiction.
How Your Body Processes Cocaine
While cocaine is affecting how your CNS functions, your body is working to get the drug out of your system. This process is referred to as metabolization, and it occurs primarily in your liver.
Cocaine is carried throughout your body by your bloodstream. When blood containing cocaine molecules passes through the liver, enzymes break them down into metabolites, which are substances that will no longer activate the central nervous system.
The two main metabolites of cocaine are ecgonine methyl ester (EME) and benzoylecgonine (BE). They are primarily eliminated from your body through urination.
How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System?
The answer to the question, how long does cocaine stay in your system, can be influenced by several factors, including:
- Your weight and metabolism
- How much cocaine you used
- If you smoked, snorted, injected, or swallowed the drug
- If you have a history of frequent cocaine use
If you are asking about how long cocaine stays in your system because you will be taking a drug test, the answer can also depend on what type of sample you need to provide for the test.
Half-Life of Cocaine
The speed with which your body eliminates cocaine and other substances is measured in half-lives.
One half-life is the amount of time it takes for half of the drug to be removed from your system. It typically takes four to five half-lives for a substance to fall below a clinically significant level.
Cocaine has a half-life of one to four hours. This means it can take four to 20 hours for the drug to become undetectable.
However, cocaine metabolites may remain in your system for a longer period. And since specific metabolites are associated with specific substances, the presence of a cocaine metabolite is proof that you have recently had cocaine in your system.
Type of Sample Analyzed
As noted earlier, cocaine is transported in blood and primarily eliminated in urine. Its metabolites may also show up in other parts of the body as well for varying lengths of time. Thus, your likelihood of testing positive for cocaine can depend on which type of sample you are required to provide
The four most common types of drug screens for cocaine involve analyses of blood, urine, saliva, and hair:
- Blood – You may test positive for cocaine for up to 48 hours (two days) after you last used the drug.
- Urine – A urine test may find evidence of cocaine use for up to 96 hours (four days) after your most recent use.
- Saliva – As with blood tests, saliva tests have a typical detection window of about 48 hours.
- Hair – Cocaine metabolites are absorbed into hair follicles, where they can remain for an extended period. Drug screens that involve an analysis of hair follicles may return a positive for cocaine for as long as 90 days (three months) after you stopped using the drug.
Learn More About Cocaine Addiction Treatment in Jacksonville
The best way to ensure that you won’t test positive for cocaine is to never use the drug. The second-best way is to stop using it today and wait for it to be eliminated from your system.
If you can’t stop using cocaine on your own, Design Recovery is here to help.
Treatment options at our drug rehab in Jacksonville include detox, a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), an evening IOP, and a virtual IOP. We’ll work closely with you to determine which programs and services best align with your history, needs, and treatment goals.
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
