Fentanyl addiction in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. And while it shares many similarities to other opioids, it is vastly more potent and has unique characteristics. How long does fentanyl stay in your system? Evoke Wellness at San Marcos can address this question and more. We have a comprehensive understanding of fentanyl addiction and the effects it has on the body. Call our fentanyl rehab in Texas at 888.450.2285 for more information, and start your path to recovery today.
Fentanyl Half-Life
The first step in answering the question, “How long does fentanyl stay in your system?” is understanding the half-life of the drug. A drug’s half-life is the time it takes for 50% of the substance to be removed from your body, and it plays a critical role in drug detection times.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the half-life of fentanyl is between three and seven hours. This means that if you take 100 mcg of fentanyl, your body will contain only 50 mcg after three to seven hours. Fentanyl is primarily excreted through the urine.
How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Urine?
Urinalysis is the most common method of drug test for detecting fentanyl addiction. A urine test for fentanyl is a chemical test designed to look for traces of fentanyl or its metabolites in the urine, which is where the body eliminates most of the drug.
A urine test for fentanyl can typically detect fentanyl use as quickly as two to three hours after you’ve used fentanyl. Fentanyl can continue to be detected for one to three days after just a single use of the drug.
How Long Does Fentanyl Remain in Blood?
Another method of detecting fentanyl use is through a blood test. Though less common, this is still an accurate way of measuring the levels of fentanyl in the body. A blood test for fentanyl use can detect intravenous use for up to 20 hours, and it can detect oral fentanyl use for up to three days.
How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Hair?
A hair drug test has the longest detection time of all types of detection methods. While a hair test may not be able to detect if you’ve used fentanyl just once in the past day or two, fentanyl use in the last 90 days can be detected through these tests.
Factors That Influence Fentanyl Detection
Each person metabolizes drugs differently, and most drug detection methods have a window of when they can or cannot detect fentanyl use. Some factors that may prolong the period of fentanyl detection or cut it short include:
- Age – Younger people tend to metabolize substances quicker
- Body fat percentage – People with a higher proportion of body fat relative to their overall weight can test positive for fentanyl longer than people with low body fat
- Dose – Taking higher doses of fentanyl increases the time that it can be detected
- Duration and frequency – Using fentanyl frequently or for a long time can extend the time fentanyl stays in your system
- Health – Certain medical conditions, such as poor liver or kidney function, can lead to slower elimination of fentanyl and its metabolites
The number of factors that influence how long fentanyl stays in your system can make it difficult to give an exact timeframe of how long fentanyl can be detected.
Call Evoke Wellness at San Marcos to Start Fentanyl Abuse Treatment
If you are still wondering, “How long does fentanyl stay in your system?” and are concerned about your fentanyl use, it may be time to seek help. Our opioid addiction treatment program uses several evidence-based treatments to help people overcome each aspect of fentanyl addiction, from physical withdrawals to mental health treatment to holistic lifestyle changes that can spark a lifetime of recovery.
Fentanyl addiction can be complex, but recovery is possible. Call our team at 888.450.2285 or contact us online to get started with fentanyl rehab in Texas today.
