How long do drugs/medicine stay in your body?

Drugs are synthetic products which can be used as medicines or narcotics. Drugs are of different types and are differentiated on the basis of their effect on human beings. For e.g., certain drugs and medications are classified as depressants, while some others are stimulants. Prescription drugs are taken for medicinal purposes to overcome depression or physical or psychological disorders. However, certain drugs, mostly, narcotics, are consumed illegally and are termed as drugs of abuse. Do you wish to know how long do drugs stay in your system after taking them? Let us find out.

How Long do Drugs Stay in Your System?

The duration any drug stays in the body varies and it can last for hours to days to even more than a couple of weeks. With the use of modern methods of drug testing, it is even possible to detect whether a person had a drug 2-3 months backs. Drug tests include urine test, blood test and hair test which also help in the diagnosis of the type of drug a person has taken. However, while determining an exact answer on how long do drugs stay in your system, one needs to take several other things into consideration like the amount of drug the person has taken, whether the drug was taken orally or injected in the body, the person's age, gender, etc. Secondly, a person's rate of metabolism (or metabolic rate) also plays an important role in determining the duration the drug stays in the body. If a person has a slower metabolic rate, it takes a longer time for the drugs to get out from the body.

The frequency at which a certain drug is taken (drug abuse) and the drug tolerance capacity of the person also determine the duration of the drug in the body. The following is a chart showing how long do drugs stay in your system in case of prescription drugs as well as drugs of abuse.

How Long do Prescription Drugs Stay in Your System?

Most commonly used drugs like codeine, used to relive cough and pain, can also stay in the body for more than one day. Take a look at the chart to find out the duration prescription drugs stay in the body.

Drugs	Minimum Duration in the Body	Maximum Duration in the Body
Amphetamines	1 day	2 days
Anabolic steroids	1 week	3 weeks
Barbiturates	2 days	3 days
Benzodiazepines	2 days	8 days
Codeine	1 day	2 days
Dilaudid	2 days	90 days
Ketamine	2 days	4 days
Phenobarbital	2 weeks	3 weeks
Suboxone	2 days	5 days
Oxycodone	1 day	2 days
Valium	2 days	7 days

How Long do Recreational Drugs Stay in Your System?

The duration of addictive drugs in the body also differs. The following is the chart depicting how long do these drugs stay in the body.

Drugs	Minimum Duration in the Body	Maximum Duration in the Body
Alcohol	8 hours	12 hours
Cocaine	1 day	2 days
Fentanyl	1 day	90 days
Heroin	1 day	2 days
GHB	1 day	2 days
LSD	2 hours	5 days
Marijuana	2 days	30 days
MDMA	1 day	5 days
Methadone	1 day	7 days
Methamphetamine	2 days	4 days
Methaqualone	9 days	15 days
Nicotine	1 day	2 days
Opiates	1 day	2 days
PCP	1 day	30 days
Quaalude	1 hour	90 hours

As there are severe and even fatal effects of drugs on the body, people are advised not to abuse drugs. It should also be noted that drugs are more addictive as compared to alcohol or cigarette. However, all the three are equally harmful. If a friend, or a partner is found to suffer from drug abuse, he should be encouraged to go to drug rehabilitation where recovery is possible.

Now that you know how long do drugs stay in your system, you might as well be careful before taking any drugs (illegally, without prescription). Drug abuse is a sure way to end life as it is addictive and life threatening. So it is wise to stay away from it. Take care!