Do you know what it feels like to live in fear of a random drug test? Maybe you’re applying for jobs, and with each one you consider, you wonder if they’ll test for illicit substances.
33,000 West Virginians used meth in 2022. That’s more than the population of Beckley and Point Pleasant – home of Hope for Tomorrow’s two locations – combined. If tested in the right window, all 33,000 of those people probably would’ve tested positive for meth on a drug test, no matter how they used it.
How long does meth stay in your system? How do you know when you no longer have to worry about meth showing up on a random test? The answer to that question is more complicated than you might think.
No matter the method of administration, meth eventually makes it to your liver. There, it’s broken down into metabolites – and metabolites are what show up on drug tests well after the effects of meth wear off. Meth and its metabolites will then leave your body, mostly through urine, but also through sweat and feces.
How long the effects of meth last depend on multiple factors, including how you take it, when you take it, how much you take, and your general health and body composition. That being said, effects usually last anywhere from 6-24 hours, though around 12 hours tends to be the most common.
The “half-life” of a substance is how long it takes for half of the substance to leave your system. Meth’s half-life depends on many factors but is about 10 hours on average. That means 10 hours after you initially consume the substance, you’ll only have 50% of the original dose in your system. However, meth won’t be entirely out of your system within 20 hours. 20 hours after the initial dose, 25% of it will be left in your system, and so on. Think of it as the amount of meth remaining in your body being “halved” every ten hours.
Even though it will feel like meth is out of your system, the metabolites your liver turns meth into stay in your body for a while. Drug tests look for these metabolites, and how long they can detect meth depends on what exactly they’re testing.
Urine tests are the most common drug tests, both because they’re non-invasive and because meth metabolites are excreted in the urine, making these tests especially helpful at detecting them. Meth can be detected in urine for up to 72 hours, but sometimes even longer in people who take meth chronically and in large doses.
Blood and saliva tests are invasive, so they aren’t an ideal choice in most cases. They can’t detect meth long, either – only about 24 hours, on average. One of the benefits of their invasive nature is that it’s impossible to “cheat” them. That being said, they’re still only useful for detecting incredibly recent meth use.
Meth can stay in your hair for a long time: up to 90 days after you last took it. Each strand of hair is a good reflection of your overall health at different points of its growth, including substance use. It’s rarely used for workplace testing, though, and is more ideal in forensics or legal cases.
Similar factors that influence how long the effects of meth last for you impact its half-life and detection time, too. These factors are:
It’s important to know that while your method of meth administration impacts how long the effects last, meth’s half-life will be the same no matter what. That’s part of why mixing substances makes overdose more likely, too – even if it feels like the effects of one substance wore off, it’s still in your system, taking a toll on your body. Adding another substance on top of that increases that burden.
Contrary to what some might say, there’s no scientifically proven way to get meth out of your system faster. No matter how you take it, it’ll take the same time to leave your body. The only way to control meth in your system is by not using it in the first place, which is easier said than done if you have a meth use disorder.
The anxiety that surrounds the potential of a drug test is real. You shouldn’t have to live in fear of others learning the truth about your substance use, or of losing your job to meth. If you have a meth use disorder, though, it’s a concern – and likely one of many. Thankfully, meth addiction treatment is available, and it can empower you to break out of the cycle of meth use and fear. It will change your life.
Hope for Tomorrow is an addiction recovery center serving every West Virginian in need of substance use disorder treatment – and we mean everyone. If you’ve felt overlooked at other facilities, we encourage you to come see us. We’re happy to help veterans, pregnant women, couples, people with additional medical conditions, and anyone in between. Everyone deserves to live life to its fullest. Give us a call at 877-679-8162 to get started.
Treatment today for a brighter tomorrow.
