Cocaine, sometimes referred to as coke, is a potent stimulant substance that can easily cause someone to get addicted. Because cocaine produces a tremendous but temporary high, those who abuse it frequently do so to maintain the fleeting effects. But when their tolerance grows, many people eventually struggle with a dangerous dependency.
How long does cocaine last in your system? This may be a question you’ve ever wondered if you’ve realised you or someone you know is struggling with cocaine consumption.
How Is Cocaine Metabolised in the Body?
Cocaine is processed in the liver and blood by enzymes. Benzoylecgonine is its primary urinary metabolite, followed by ecgonine methyl ester.
Benzoylecgonine can be detectable in urine for up to 4 days, depending on how frequently someone uses it, their metabolism, and the dose.
The primary cocaine metabolite utilised in drug testing is benzoylecgonine because its concentration in urine is 50–100 times higher than that of cocaine.
The Immediate Effects of Cocaine
Cocaine is an extremely quick-acting stimulant of the central nervous system that causes a strong but fleeting euphoric high. Depending on how it is used, the effects of cocaine last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.
The way you use cocaine affects how quickly its effects start to take effect and how long they last overall:
Snorting: Results are noticeable within three to five minutes and last for up to 20 minutes.
Smoking: The effects start to take effect within 5–10 seconds and can last up to 20 minutes.
Intravenous use: Effects start to take effect in 5–10 seconds and last for up to 20 minutes.
Oral consumption: effects start to take effect within 10–30 minutes and last for up to 90 minutes.
While most methods of use merely result in a high, injecting or inhaling cocaine can generate both a rush and a high. It’s typical for people to consume cocaine repeatedly in a short amount of time to stay high. This is known as bingeing. A nasty crash often follows binge consumption. They might seek out more of the drug to prevent the crash. Cocaine use over time can easily result in higher tolerance and even addiction.
How Long Does Cocaine Stay In Your Body?
When you consume cocaine, your body metabolises it immediately into different compounds. Tests used to discover cocaine in your system can detect cocaine metabolites, which stay in your system for a while.
How much time does cocaine remain in urine? Cocaine can be found in your urine up to 4 days after consuming it.
What is the blood retention time of cocaine?
Up to two days after using cocaine, your blood might still show signs of the drug.
What is the duration of cocaine in hair?
Up to 90 days after using cocaine, its presence in your hair samples can still be seen.
How much time does cocaine remain in saliva?
A saliva test can show cocaine presence up to as long as two days after using cocaine.
What Factors Affect How Long Cocaine Stays in Your System?
While the details above offer some insight into the probable duration of cocaine’s stay in your system, this could vary depending on a number of factors, including:
How much cocaine you’ve consumed – the more cocaine you’ve taken, the longer it can stay in your bloodstream.
How frequently you use cocaine – the more frequently you use cocaine, the longer it can stay in your system.
The route of administration – cocaine that is snorted or dabbed onto your gums may stay in your system longer than cocaine that is smoked or injected.
Whether you drank alcohol at the same time as taking cocaine – it has been shown that if you drank alcohol at the same time as taking cocaine, the cocaine would stay in your system for longer.
Your weight and metabolism – the more body fat you have, the longer cocaine can stay in your system.
Method of Use and Cocaine Absorption
As previously mentioned, the way a drug is used impacts how rapidly it enters the brain. The same holds true for how long cocaine remains in a person’s system.
In addition to helping treat hundreds of patients every day with specialised treatment plans, Compare Rehab UK not only comprehends the disorder and its related mental health components. We are ready to take your call and are committed to working with you to find the best drug addiction treatment for the condition that is negatively affecting your life.
Cocaine and Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol and cocaine use can lead to a number of issues for users, including:
Cocaine can exacerbate alcohol’s effects on driving, psychomotor function, and learning.
Heart rate can rise as a result of the combo.
Cocaine levels in the blood can rise by up to 30% when used in conjunction with alcohol or after drinking alcohol.
Cocaethylene, a metabolite that the combination can create, may intensify the cardiotoxic effects of cocaine and alcohol.
Cocaethylene tends to be removed more slowly than cocaine, and cocaine seems to be eliminated more slowly when mixed with alcohol:
Cocaethylene seems to be removed more slowly than cocaine, according to a human investigation.
Cocaethylene and cocaine were both eliminated by the body at a pace that was around 20% slower when they were mixed with alcohol, according to a different study that employed dogs.
According to another study, the rate of cocaine elimination was delayed by repeated alcohol use in rats.
How Long Do the Effects of Cocaine Last?
The typical duration of a cocaine high is 20 to 30 minutes, which motivates users to consume more cocaine; however, the after-effects can last for a while longer.
Physical anomalies such as a high body temperature, nausea and vomiting, high blood pressure, high heart rate, sweating, breathing issues and possible stroke
Feeling a lack of life control (as if cocaine has taken over life)
Lack of capacity to stop using cocaine, despite the willingness to do it
The day after consuming cocaine, you can also experience what’s known as a cocaine crash. The signs of a comedown might vary depending on how much cocaine is in your system, but the most prevalent sign is extreme exhaustion. Along with physical symptoms like a stomach ache, you could also feel psychological symptoms like anxiety and despair.
Cocaine Drug Tests
Cocaine is immediately absorbed into your blood plasma when you ingest it.
Cocaine is broken down by liver and blood enzymes into many metabolites, including benzoylecgonine, which is excreted in the urine. Additionally, when your hair develops, your blood accumulates cocaine and its byproducts in it.
Your blood plasma, urine, and hair can all be used in drug testing to find cocaine and its metabolites.
Blood and Urine Tests
A substance’s half-life determines how long it will remain detectable in your blood or urine. The time it takes for a substance’s concentration to fall by half is known as its half-life.
Cocaine’s typical half-life in blood plasma is one and a half hours. For approximately two days following your last usage, you can typically test positive in a blood test.
Although the half-life of cocaine in urine is typically four and a half hours, its metabolites may have substantially longer half-lives. Benzoylecgonine’s metabolite usually remains detectable in urine for 48 to 96 hours after consumption.
According to research, cocaine use over time causes a buil-dup in your body. Up to two weeks after their last use, a heavy user may show positively in a urine test. This could prolong the duration that cocaine and its metabolites remain in your body.
Hair Follicle Test
The goal of hair follicle tests is to identify cocaine use during the last three months, albeit they frequently pick up cocaine use earlier than this. Blood stains in your hair allow for the detection of cocaine and its metabolites. However, your environment might also deposit cocaine on your hair, which could cause follicle tests to produce misleading positive results.
False Positives
Blood and urine testing rarely yield false-positive results.
You can confirm a false positive if you think you have one with a different test, such as a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
Hair test false positives are more frequent. Cocaine metabolites and particulates from the environment may spread into your hair and be detected in a drug test. Before testing, the hair sample should be thoroughly washed to lower the possibility of false positives.
Avoiding A Positive Result
There is a likelihood that you are anxious about an upcoming drug test if you are reading this.
If cocaine badly impacts your life, but you cannot stop using it, you may require treatment.
Recovery from cocaine addiction can appear terrifying or even impossible. However, anyone can beat addiction with dedication and help. Stopping the use of cocaine is the only approach to avoid a positive test result.
Detoxification and then therapy at a rehab facility are typically required for cocaine recovery.
Cocaine Addiction Rehab
Cocaine abuse and addiction are significant issues that can wreak havoc on many different aspects of your life. You don’t have to suffer in silence, though. You may overcome your cocaine addiction with the right treatment.
You may find top-notch cocaine rehab through a nationwide network of addiction hospitals, clinics, and wellness centres with the aid of Compare Rehab UK.
The programmes for treating cocaine addiction can offer:
A free, no-obligation assessment for addiction.
Detoxification, including the management of withdrawal symptoms with medical assistance.
Depending on the type of help you require for your cocaine abuse, there are residential, day-care, and outpatient treatment options available.
Programmes for individual 1:1 treatment, family therapy, and group therapy.
A variety of therapy methods.
Access to 12-Step support groups both on- and off-site.
Free follow-up care for 12 months after treatment (this depends on the chosen organisation, and it can be provided for life if you receive treatment at some organisations).
Free after-treatment family counselling for a full year (this depends on the chosen organisation and it can be provided for life if you receive treatment at some organisations).
Contact our addiction professionals for additional details on the specialised addiction treatment and therapy programmes we can refer you to. Call us on 0800 999 1083 for confidential help today.
Last Edited: September 14th, 2022
Clinically Reviewed: July 4, 2022
Clinical Reviewer
Michael
BACP accredited psychotherapist with 16 years experience working in mental health specialising in psychodynamic person-centred therapies treating those with a range of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, OCD and Addiction.
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