How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System?

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System? – Effective Cocaine Detox

If you have ever asked, ‘how long does cocaine stay in your system?’, this may be because you’ve noticed that you or a loved one has a problem with cocaine abuse. Anyone who is concerned about testing positive for cocaine should know the dangers of cocaine addiction and consider stopping use. If they find they are unable to stop using, they may have a cocaine use disorder. Those who struggle with cocaine addiction should seek substance use disorder treatment as soon as possible.

Cocaine addiction is a major health problem. Individuals with acute cocaine toxicity presenting to the emergency department (ED) may need urgent treatment for dysrhythmia, tachycardia, hypertension, and coronary vasospasm, which may lead to pathological sequelae such as acute stroke, coronary syndrome, and death.

What is the half life of cocaine? How long cocaine stays in the body depends on its half-life. The half life of cocaine is roughly one hour. Its peak concentration in the blood, saliva, and urine is around five to ten minutes after taking the drug. The “half life cocaine” in the saliva is two hours, which means that it can be detected for only about one to 2 days after use.

What is Cocaine?

Cocaine is also known as benzoylmethylecgonine [1]. Benzoylecgonine and cocaethylene (substances formed in the liver when cocaine and alcohol are mixed) are the compounds tested for in most substantive drug and alcohol tests. Powder cocaine is highly addictive and can change the brain’s structure and function if used repeatedly. Treating cocaine withdrawal symptoms can involve cocaine detox and therapy in hospitals, therapeutic communities, or inpatient drug rehab settings. 

What is Cocaine made out of? Cocaine is an extremely addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant. It increases the natural chemical messenger (dopamine) levels in brain circuits related to the control of movement and reward. No matter how much cocaine is taken, it is dangerous. Some of the most common serious problems include heart attack and stroke. Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug used by 14-21 million people worldwide [2]. In 2018 there are 874,000 new cocaine users.

Aside from powder cocaine, another popular form of this illegal stimulant drug is crack cocaine. Crack cocaine is the hard form of cocaine that develops when the drug is combined with water and other solvents and then cooked into a hard, rock form. There are no pharmacological differences between powder cocaine and crack cocaine. This means that they are nearly identical and produce similar results. Crack cocaine can be more potent than powder cocaine. It causes physical dependence to set in more quickly and is far more dangerous than the powder counterpart.

How Long Does It Take to Feel the Effects of Cocaine?

The method by which cocaine is administered—whether it’s smoked (inhalation), injected (intravenously), snorted (intranasally), butt-chugging or boofing (a slang term used to ingest a drug through the anus), or taken orally (rub the drug onto their gums)—can impact the effects’ duration and intensity. For example, snorting cocaine can give a relatively slow onset of the high, lasting from 15 to 30 minutes.

This is because it has to get through mucus, skin, and other tissues before hitting your bloodstream. Smoking cocaine, on the other hand, will result in more rapid effects that last five to 10 minutes. But this high is typically instantly followed by a crash that can cause anxiety, tension, agitation, depression, and exhaustion. It’s this quick cycle that makes cocaine so addictive.

How Long Do the Effects of Cocaine Last?

Cocaine “high” can affect individuals differently. However, generally, a high begins almost immediately and can last up to a few hours. It may sound simple, but a lot is happening behind the scenes. Once someone ingests cocaine, whether, by snorting, smoking, or intravenously, it instantly affects the brain. Cocaine disrupts the brain’s normal communication between neurons. Therefore, this causes a surge of the “feel-good” chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin.

Cocaine is a very fast-acting central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that produces an intense but short-lived euphoric high, lasting for only a few minutes to an hour, depending on how it is used. Extreme dopamine build-up causes the intense feeling of euphoria that we call high. It also serves as a stimulant, boosting excessive energy and excited talking.

In addition to affecting the person’s brain, cocaine can also negatively affect the body as a whole. The duration of the effect depends on many factors, including the person’s health condition, duration of use, and purity of the substance. The speed of onset of cocaine’s effects, as well as the total duration of action, is influenced by the method of use:

• Snorting Cocaine: Effects felt within 3-5 minutes and persist for up to 20 minutes
• Smoking Cocaine: Effects felt within 5-10 seconds and persist for up to 20 minutes
• Oral ingestion of Cocaine: Gumming Cocaine – gumming cocaine is eating it or rubbing it on your gums. Effects felt within 10-30 minutes and persist for up to 90 minutes
• Intravenous use of Cocaine: Effects felt within 5-10 seconds and persist for up to 20 minutes

Cocaine abuse can permanently alter the reward circuit and other brain functions, resulting in addiction. Over time, the cocaine’s increased dopamine causes the reward circuit to adapt, gradually losing its sensitivity. As a result, cocaine abusers take stronger and more frequent doses to feel the same high they did initially and to obtain relief from cocaine side effects and withdrawal.

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Learn More:

• How Long Does Crack Cocaine Stay in Your System?
• How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Urine?
• Cocaine Addiction Treatment
• Cocaine Detox
• Cocaine and Alcohol
• Cocaine Overdose
• Can You Drink Cocaine?
• Can You Eat Cocaine?
• Is it Safe to Mix Cocaine and Alcohol?
• Cocaine Side Effects

Cocaine Addiction Statistics

Cocaine is a highly addictive illegal drug used by 14-21 million people worldwide. In 2018 there are 874,000 new cocaine users. Users can be from all economic statuses, all ages, and all genders. Since cocaine is combined or ‘cut’ with other chemicals, people have no idea if the dose will be weak or strong. Among people aged 12 or older, 1.9% (or about 5.2 million people) reported using cocaine in 2020. Among people aged 12 or older, 0.5% (or about 1.3 million people) had a cocaine use disorder in 2020. In 2020, approximately 19,447 people died from an overdose involving cocaine.

What Cocaine Does to the Body?

Cocaine impacts the central nervous system (brain and the spinal cord) and can cause effects that range from mildly irritating to extremely dangerous. And since it’s both fast-acting and short-lasting, the symptoms can be unexpected and quick. The severity of cocaine and crack effects depends on how often you use it and how much you take at once. If used to excess, it could put you in the emergency room.

Long-term use of cocaine may cause:

• Cocaine overdose. In general, cocaine overdose depends on a person’s tolerance to cocaine. it takes a different dose of cocaine to cause an overdose in any person. Anything higher than five grams has been proven to cause heart attacks.
• Cocaine and the heart. Cocaine use is always potentially deadly. The effects of crack cocaine increase your heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. All of these changes strain your cardiovascular system.
• Cocaine effects on the brain. Heavy cocaine use can lead to seizure disorders and other neurological conditions. Cocaine use slows the glucose metabolism in your brain as well. That can cause the neurons in your brain to work more slowly or die off.
• Cocaine and the liver. Long-term cocaine use increases the risk of overdose, and an overdose of cocaine floods the body with toxins the liver cannot filter, resulting in liver damage. 
• Cocaine and sex. Cocaine is a potent dopamine agonist, and chronic crack abuse may result in hyperprolactinemia or a dopamine deficiency with sexual dysfunction. Crack cocaine and alcohol often leads to decreased libido and performance.
• Cocaine and erectile dysfunction. After prolonged use, cocaine can alter the nervous system, leading to permanent erectile dysfunction. Cocaine contains toxins that harm healthy cells. 
• Cocaine and depression. Cocaine use can cause damage to mental health. Cocaine directly interferes with dopamine being reabsorbed by neurons. One of the symptoms of a crack cocaine comedown is severe depression. 

Even sporadic use can lead to health complications such as high blood pressure, hardened arteries, bowel gangrene, and loss of gray matter in the brain due to the expansion of the brain’s reward center. Because cocaine eliminates appetite, many who use cocaine are also malnourished.

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Factors That Determine How Long Cocaine Stays in the System

How long does cocaine stay in your system for? Many factors, such as the length of your drug addiction, can affect how long cocaine stays in your system. Frequency of use and amount of use are two of the biggest factors that determine how long a drug screening can detect cocaine. But there are others to consider.

Method Of Administration

The method of cocaine drug use can determine the effects of crack cocaine on your brain. In other words, the faster it gets to your brain (like when you smoke or inject it as opposed to snorting it), the faster you feel the high or rush of the drug. But the manner of ingestion also affects the time it remains in your body. The quicker it gets into your system, the quicker it leaves. Some methods of crack cocaine use can shorten the window of detection.

Body Fat Composition

One of the cocaine metabolites is benzoylecgonine, which generally is stored in fat. So, the more fat tissue a person has, the more storage room, as it were, there is for benzoylecgonine.

Cocaine Metabolites

Cocaine metabolites are the compounds that result from cocaine being metabolized into the bloodstream. The metabolites eventually work their way into the urine. A few things can slow the exit of metabolites through your urine. One is dehydration. The more dehydrated you are, the longer crack cocaine will stay in your system. The second is drinking alcohol or caffeine while using cocaine. If you take either of these things with cocaine, they can slow the metabolization of cocaine.

Cocaine Drug Test

How long does cocaine stay in your system drug test? Cocaine drug tests work not by searching for the presence of cocaine but for proof that the body has recently metabolized (proving the ingestion of) cocaine. While cocaine takes roughly 6-24 hours to leave the body, the product created when the body metabolizes cocaine, benzoylecgonine, can be detected up to 5 days after the last consumption. Metabolites are substances that our bodies create after metabolizing a certain toxic substance. The process of metabolizing cocaine usually takes between 6 and 24 hours, depending on the height, weight, and metabolism speed of an individual.

How long does cocaine stay in your system if you mix cocaine with alcohol?  Another factor that plays an important role in cocaine drug testing is the consumption of alcohol during and after the consumption of cocaine. Unlike most other drugs, cocaine reacts with alcohol to create a new substance called cocaethylene.

This substance has a longer half-life than benzoylecgonine, meaning it will be detectable in one’s system for a longer period of time. In most cases, it takes up to seven days for cocaethylene to be completely cleaned out of a person’s body, provided they do not consume more cocaine or alcohol and remain properly hydrated during this period.

Common reasons for performing a drug test include:

• Pre-employment drug testing
• Drug-free workplace programs
• Prescription drug monitoring
• Court-mandated drug testing
• Suspicion of illicit drug use

A doctor may order a blood drug test if you have a history of substance abuse and are showing signs of cocaine use.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System Lick Test? Cocaine Urine Drug Test

How long does cocaine stay in your system urine test? A urine test is the most common one and is usually performed as a routine test in a company. Its non-invasiveness and ease of administration have made it an industry standard when it comes to company-wide scheduled drug testing. It is quite accurate, with most urine tests being able to detect levels of 300ng/l.

How long does cocaine stay in your system urine? A urine test will usually give positive results if the person being tested has ingested cocaine 2-5 days prior to the test giving a urine sample.

How long does cocaine stay in your system pee test? Cocaine drug tests look for evidence that the body has recently metabolized (indicating the ingestion of) crack rather than the substance itself. While benzoylecgonine, a byproduct of the body’s metabolism of crack cocaine, takes 6–24 hours to exit the body, it can still be detectable up to five days after the last use.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System? Cocaine Saliva Drug Test

How long does cocaine stay in your system saliva test? A saliva test has the shortest detection time but is the easiest and least invasive one to administer. The sample is taken with a cotton swab from the area between the gums and lower cheek, and it takes around 10 minutes to produce a result. The saliva test is rising in popularity among employers as it can be administered at random and on the spot. However, the downside is that it can be adulterated relatively easily, and its detection time rarely exceeds two days when testing for cocaine use.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System? Cocaine Blood Drug Test

How long does cocaine stay in your blood system? A blood test is the most accurate if administered during a detection period. However, it requires an invasive method to collect a sample, and the samples provided are generally small, which means that confirmation testing usually isn’t possible. Another benefit to this method is that it is virtually impossible to adulterate a sample for a blood test.

How long does crack cocaine stay in your blood system? Crack cocaine, also known as freebase, can be detected in blood samples for up to 48 hours after your last use. A positive result for crack cocaine use may be a sign of drug abuse or addiction. It can be detected by screening samples of blood collected in a clinical setting.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System? Cocaine Hair Drug Test

A hair sample test has the longest detection time, usually up to 90 days. However, it normally takes five to seven days for traces of cocaine metabolites to start accumulating in the hair. Another downside to this method is that the hair cocaine drug test requires specialized equipment, so it cannot be completed on the spot.

How to Detox Cocaine?

There are no medications FDA-approved for cocaine detoxification at the moment. This means no medicines will be administered to the user while detoxing to lessen cravings. Some effective medications can still treat other cocaine withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, paranoia, or despair. During cocaine detox, doctors may prescribe various medications to help the addict feel better.

How to get cocaine out of your system faster? No matter how severely addicted you may be to cocaine, assistance is available! Choosing a cocaine detox program to assist you in sobriety is the first step in your recovery. Despite the odds, you have a number of options at your disposal to assist you in achieving and maintaining sobriety. First, consider the intensity of your addiction; if you often use cocaine, a residential facility or a cocaine detox program that includes 24-hour care may be suitable for you.

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Cocaine Addiction Treatment

First and foremost, if you think a loved one is abusing cocaine, you should research the substances and their associated addiction to understand better what you loved one needs.  Next, you must plan an intervention to provide your loved ones with options to battle the effects of cocaine addiction in a safe and supportive environment. During this intervention, offer compassion and support instead of judgment. Lastly, show your support throughout the entire treatment process.

In addition, prolonged drug use can have severe physical and psychological effects on you, so it is essential to seek treatment as soon as possible. Inpatient drug rehab offers intensive care that can help you promptly get through the early stages of cocaine withdrawal. 

Cocaine Detox

Medical detox is often considered the first stage of treatment. It will help you navigate the complicated cocaine detox withdrawal but doesn’t address patterns of thought and behavior contributing to drug use. Various treatment approaches and settings can help provide the ongoing support necessary to maintain long-term sobriety after you complete the cocaine detox.

Cravings are very common during drug detox and can be challenging to overcome. This often leads to relapse. Constant medical care provided during inpatient treatment helps prevent relapse. Clinicians can give medication and medical expertise to lessen cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Inpatient Cocaine Addiction Rehab

There isn’t one treatment approach or style that will suit everyone. Treatment should speak to the needs of the individual. Inpatient rehab and addiction treatment aren’t just about drug use. the goal is to help the patient stop using cocaine and other substances, but drug rehab should also focus on the whole person’s needs.

Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior. When someone or their family is considering different treatment facilities, they should account for the complexity of addiction and the needs of the individual. The objective of attending an inpatient rehab center for addiction treatment is to stop using the drug and re-learn how to live a productive life without it.

Following a full medical detox, most people benefit from inpatient rehab. Inpatient drug rehab can last anywhere from 28 days to several months. Patients stay overnight in the rehab facility and participate in intensive treatment programs and therapy. Once someone completes rehab, their addiction treatment team will create an aftercare plan, which may include continuing therapy and participation in a 12-step program like Narcotics Anonymous.

Psychotherapy 

Many rehab programs will also have early morning classes or programs. Group sessions occur during inpatient rehab, as do individual therapy sessions. Family therapy may be part of inpatient rehab when it’s feasible. Alternative forms of therapy may be introduced during inpatient rehab, like a holistic therapy program, yoga for addiction recovery, or an addiction treatment massage therapy.

Several different modalities of psychotherapy have been used in the treatment of mental health disorders along with addiction, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – is an effective treatment that involves changing both the patterns of negative thoughts and the behavioral routines which are affecting the daily life of the depressed person for various forms of depression.
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy – is a comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment program whose ultimate goal is to aid patients in their efforts to build a life worth living. The main goal of DBT is to help a person develop what is referred to as a “clear mind.” 
• Solution-focused therapy is an approach interested in solutions that can be quickly implemented with a simple first step leading to further positive consequences.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Drug abuse and mental health disorders often co-occur. Traumatic experiences can often result in mental health disorders and substance abuse. Dual-diagnosis rehabilitation treats both of these issues together. The best approach for the treatment of dual diagnosis is an integrated system. This strategy treats both the substance abuse problem and the mental disorder simultaneously. Regardless of which diagnosis (mental health or substance abuse problem) came first, long-term recovery will depend mainly on the treatment for both diseases done by the same team or provider.

Medication Assisted Treatments (MAT)

Medication-Assisted Treatments (MAT) for substance use and mental health disorders are commonly used in conjunction with one another. This includes the use of medications and other medical procedures. During your rehab, the staff from your treatment facility will help you identify what caused your addiction and teach you skills that will help you change your behavior patterns and challenge the negative thoughts that led to your addiction. Sometimes, the pressures and problems in your life lead you to rely on substances to help you forget about them momentarily.

Please, do not try to detox on your own. The detox process can be painful and difficult without medical assistance. However, getting through the detox process is crucial for continued treatment. We Level Up provide proper care with round-the-clock medical staff to assist your recovery through our opioid addiction treatment program medically. So, reclaim your life, and call us to speak with one of our treatment specialists. Our counselors know what you are going through and will answer any of your questions.

Cocaine Rehab Near Me

Cocaine addiction is a condition that can cause major health problems, such as an overdose. We Level Up NJ rehab treatment & detox center can provide you, or someone you love, the tools to recover from this with professional and safe treatment. “How long does cocaine stay in your system?” is a question that many abusers of the drug may have.

Our counselors know what you are going through and will answer any of your questions. Feel free to call us to speak with one of our counselors. We can inform you about this condition and clarify issues like cocaine withdrawal symptoms. Our specialists know what you are going through. Please know that each call is private and confidential.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in your System, Urine, Hair & Blood Video