Addiction to methamphetamine is a growing problem for people across the U.S. Over 2.5 million people reported using methamphetamine in 2021. It’s a dangerous and highly addictive substance.
If you or a loved one is struggling with meth use, there is help and treatment available. Your best option is to seek help from a trusted drug rehab center.
If you have to take a drug test for work or school, you may be concerned with how long does meth stay in urine. Read on to learn more about how long meth stays in your system and what steps you can take to seek help for addiction.
How Long Does Meth Stay in Your System?
The length of time that meth stays in the body after ingestion depends on a variety of factors, including your metabolism, the dosage, and your frequency of use.
To understand the effect meth has on the body, it’s important to consider its pharmacology and the effect this CNS stimulant has on the body.
What Is Methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth, ice, or crank is a powerful Schedule II substance. It stimulates the central nervous system and produces an intense high or euphoric feeling.
These effects don’t last, and soon the user needs more to create a similar effect. Meth is a dangerous substance that can seriously damage your physical and mental health.
It’s a synthetic substance similar to amphetamine in composition and shares similar effects on the body. Meth is consumed in a variety of forms, including clear crystals, white powder, or bitter powder.
It can be smoked, snorted, swallowed, or injected. The different forms of ingestion have different effects on the body and brain.
The Effects of Meth on the Body
When someone uses meth, it affects the brain quickly and initiates the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that affects reward and pleasure. This results in a rush that users find pleasurable and exhilarating. These intense feelings keep users returning to the drug again and again.
Ongoing meth use leads to serious addiction and damage to the brain, heart, and other vital organs. As meth addiction increases, the user may begin to lose interest in things that once mattered to them, including their job, education, family, friends, and hobbies.
Their primary focus can quickly become finding and getting the drug. What often starts for the user as having fun or partying can soon spiral out of control into a full-blown meth addiction.
Some short-term effects of methamphetamine use include:
- Increased physical activity
- Wakefulness
- Decreased appetite
- Nausea
- Excitement
- Panic
- Irritability
- Psychosis
- Erratic behavior
- Sensations of itching
- Muscle spasms
- Dry mouth
- Increased heart rate
- Hyperthermia
- Increased libido
- Seizures
The euphoric feeling of meth wears off quickly, and the resulting crash can be intense. This leads to fatigue, anxiousness, irritability, and depression. Long-term meth use has devastating effects on the mind and body. Long-term use of the drug leads to:
- Rapid weight loss
- Neglect of self-care
- Tooth decay or tooth loss
- Gum disease
- Malnutrition
- Cognitive impairment
- Memory loss
- Hallucinations, delusions, or psychosis
- Organ damage
- Depression
- Sores
- Abscesses
- Epilepsy
- Stroke
- Psychosis
Meth use damages your immune system and increases the chance of acquiring an infectious disease like HIV, hepatitis, and others. Risky behaviors such as engaging in unprotected sex or sharing needles increase the chances of acquiring infectious diseases.
Meth users return to the drug for a temporary escape or euphoric high, but the long-term consequences of meth addiction are devastating. From “meth mouth” to mental health issues to organ damage, meth is a dangerous drug. The toll it takes on a user’s body and mind is devastating.
If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to meth, there is hope and help available to you.
How Long Does Meth Stay in Urine?
Meth appears in urine two to five hours after using the drug, where it metabolizes into amphetamine. A drug test that can detect methamphetamine can also detect amphetamine. Meth can typically be detected in urine for a period of three to five days after ingestion. The time of detection can be longer for long-term users.
Urine tests show higher concentrations of meth than other types of tests because the metabolites are excreted through urine. The liver begins to break down meth, and the kidneys work to excrete it.
The time meth is detectable in urine depends on the dosage, frequency of use, metabolic rate, body mass, physical activity, age, and general health of the user. Someone with overall good health is able to eliminate the drug from their system faster than a less healthy person.
Younger people have higher metabolic rates than older people. This allows them to eliminate the drug faster. Certain drugs can produce a false positive for meth, including some nasal inhalers, antihistamines, and cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine.
How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Blood?
Blood or oral fluid testing is often more accurate than urine tests for meth. The metabolites in methamphetamine can be detected for a few days after ingestion. Blood testing is used less often since it has a lower detection interval than urine testing.
How Long Does Meth Stay in Hair?
Drugs are often detectable in hair long after the last use. Meth can be detected in a hair test for approximately 90 days after ingestion. Hair testing is more common for research or forensic purposes.
This type of testing isn’t commonly performed in a school or work setting. Meth is detectable in fingernails for up to three to six months after the last ingestion.
How Long Does Meth Stay in Saliva?
Saliva testing requires a swab of the tongue or mouth. Meth can be detected in salvia up to two days after the last use.
Meth and Second-Hand Smoke
The research is still unclear about whether breathing in second-hand smoke from meth can lead to someone getting high or developing an addiction. It is known, however, that second-hand smoke inhalation can lead to testing positive for meth.
More research is needed into the dangers of second-hand methamphetamine smoke.
Factors That Influence the Presence of Meth in Your System
There are many factors contributing to the amount of time meth stays in your system. These factors depend on the person and can affect how quickly the drug is metabolized and eliminated from the body.
Dosage and Frequency of Meth Use
The amount of methamphetamine and how often someone uses it affects the length of time it can be detected in the body. High dosages and frequent use can cause the drug to build up in the body.
Metabolism and General Health
Everyone has a unique metabolism. Your metabolism affects how your body processes meth and other drugs. Your age, weight, liver function, and general health all influence how a drug is metabolized and eliminated from the body.
Someone in good health with an efficient metabolism can eliminate meth from their system faster than someone with a less efficient metabolism. Certain medications and health conditions impact how meth metabolizes in the body and can extend its presence.
Drug Purity and Method of Use
The purity of a drug affects the time it remains in the body. A purer form of meth can be metabolized and eliminated more quickly than a less pure form that has been cut or mixed with other substances.
The way someone uses meth also affects the drug’s duration in the body. Injecting or smoking meth delivers it to the brain and bloodstream quickly. These methods of use have a faster effect than swallowing or snorting.
Meth Withdrawal
Meth is a powerful stimulant that has a profound effect on the brain. Withdrawal from meth can be dangerous if it’s not done in a medical detox facility. As you begin the withdrawal process, you want to be in a safe and supportive environment.
Medical detox offers around-the-clock medical and emotional care that can make the process more comfortable and minimize the chances of complications or relapse. Drug detox helps the body overcome its physical dependence on meth and takes around seven to ten days.
Once the detox process is complete, you can begin inpatient or outpatient drug treatment. The intensity of withdrawal symptoms varies and depends on the severity of the addiction and whether other drugs were used.
Drug withdrawal is a difficult process. The symptoms are unpleasant and the user experiences intense cravings for the drug. This is a common cause of relapse as the user returns to the drug to escape withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal symptoms from methamphetamine include:
- Anxiety and depression
- Irritability
- Increased appetite
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Lethargy
- Muscle weakness
- Inability to feel pleasure
- Anger
- Sweating
- Dizziness
- Fever
- Paranoia
- Inability to concentrate
- Suicidal ideations
- Delusions
- Paranoia
- Psychosis
Understanding Meth Half-Life
The body starts breaking down meth almost immediately after use. It begins to go through the bloodstream and pass through your liver and kidneys before being excreted in the urine.
One-third of the meth you ingest can leave your body with the same potency it was at ingestion. In other words, not all the meth that enters your bloodstream is metabolized.
If you have a meth addiction and plan to enter rehab, it’s good to know when you may begin experiencing withdrawal symptoms. For most people, the half-life of meth is about four to five hours in the bloodstream.
It takes around five half-lives to clear the drug fully from your system. It can take up to 25 hours to clear meth from the bloodstream. However, the chemicals in meth can be detected in urine and other bodily fluids for longer than 25 hours.
How to Get Meth Cleared From Your System
There is nothing you can do to get meth out of your system once you ingest it. Avoiding taking any more will help stop it from building up in your system. This will allow your liver to clear the drug from your body.
Stopping meth suddenly after long-term use can cause serious withdrawal symptoms. That’s why if you are suffering from an addiction to meth, your best next steps are to reach out for medical detox and professional drug treatment.
Although you may want to try to detox on your own at home, it’s not recommended by addiction experts. Serious withdrawal symptoms can be very difficult to manage and often require medical assistance.
Treatment Is Essential for Recovery From Meth Addiction
If you or your loved one is dealing with an addiction to methamphetamine, seeking help is the first step toward recovery. Methamphetamine addiction is a serious and difficult cycle to break.
The addictive properties of methamphetamine are linked to dopamine, the feel-good chemicals of the brain. Meth interacts with the brain’s pleasure and reward center.
When high levels of dopamine are released, the result is a sense of bliss or elation. Exposure to meth can quickly lead to addiction. However, if you’re struggling with this type of addiction, you aren’t alone. You can begin the road to recovery with the right support, medications, and treatment.
A meth addiction isn’t something you can tackle on your own. The withdrawal symptoms can be very difficult to weather without proper medical support.
Symptoms such as anxiety, depression, tremors, trouble sleeping, suicidal thoughts, and more are often at their worst 24 to 48 hours after the last use but can last for weeks or even months.
That’s why it’s so important to reach out for professional help to quit meth and treat your addiction. With the right detox and drug treatment, recovery is possible.
Getting Help for a Meth Addiction
If you or a loved one is suffering from a meth addiction, it’s a difficult road. The good news is there is hope for a full recovery from this type of addiction.
If you’re asking how long does meth stay in urine, it’s a good indication you may need addiction treatment. At Reflections, we offer a customized, holistic approach to addiction treatment.
We offer a peaceful healing environment to begin your journey to a happier, healthier future.
Contact Reflections today to learn more about our treatment services and amenities.
