Worldwide, an estimated 22 million people use cocaine, with that number rising all the time. This illicit drug creates a euphoric high that can be hard to beat, making it incredibly addictive despite its harmful effects.
If you’ve ever tried cocaine, however, you may be wondering what happens after the dopamine boost wears off. How long does coke stay in your system, and when will it show up on a drug test? Here’s what you should know about cocaine’s clearance from the body.
How Long Does Coke Stay in Your System?
Depending on how you ingest it, the subjective effects of cocaine will often be around for anywhere from 10-30 minutes. Some people experience lingering, less intense effects for longer, even several hours after ingestion. The unpleasant effects of the comedown, including irritability and restlessness, can take days.
However, cocaine is detectable in your system for days or even weeks through different tests.
Blood tests are good at detecting recent use. They can detect cocaine within one or two hours of use, and they can also detect it within two days after use.
Urine and saliva tests can detect cocaine for around two to four days after use. For long-term or heavy use during a cocaine addiction, these tests can sometimes detect the drug for up to two weeks.
Hair follicle tests have the longest detection range and can identify cocaine use within the past 90 days or longer.
Keep in mind that every person and test is different, so these are just approximations.
Factors Affecting How Long Coke Stays in the Body
As you might be able to tell from the testing descriptions above, there are a few things that affect how long cocaine stays in the body. Cocaine might stick around for longer in someone struggling with drug addiction as opposed to someone who’s only used it once. Here are the factors that affect how long coke stays in your system:
- Age
- Gender
- Dosage
- Biological factors like body mass and physical activity levels
- Liver or kidney impairment
- Frequency of cocaine use
- Presence of other substances
As with any drug, there’s a lot of nuance in how the body accepts, uses, and clears cocaine.
What to Do When Struggling With Coke Use
If you want to get cocaine out of your system, think about more than beating your next drug test.
Cocaine use can lead to a frustrating drug addiction that can take a serious toll on the body. This can put stress on the body’s essential systems and lead to dangerous chronic conditions. It may also have an impact on your cognition, anxiety, and memory.
Working with a drug rehab clinic can help you safely and successfully detox. If you’re in the Scottsdale area, consider reaching out to a local specialist for addiction recovery help.
Get Coke Out of Your System
If you’ve been asking yourself, “How long does coke stay in your system?” we hope this article has put your mind at ease. If you or a loved one is struggling with drug abuse, make sure to seek addiction treatment to start the recovery process
