How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Your System?
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can be 50 to 100 times more potent than other opioids like morphine or heroin while remaining just as addictive.
While fentanyl can be used in controlled medical settings as a painkiller to treat severe pain, illicit fentanyl can be incredibly dangerous, coming with a myriad of side effects and dangers to a person’s physical and mental health.
Illicit fentanyl also has a high risk of overdose, even in small doses, and can be cut with other drugs and substances like cocaine and heroin to various cleaners and caffeine.
Fentanyl is tasteless and can also be cut into other drugs without a person knowing. Cutting fentanyl into marijuana to increase its effects and addictive properties can be common. This can quickly develop into substance abuse, addiction, and opioid use disorder (OUD) even without a person knowingly using the drug in the first place.
While fentanyl can be administered via a lozenge, transdermal patch, or through intravenous injection for use in pain relief in a medical setting, illicit fentanyl can be found as a white or off-white powder, dissolved into liquid, pressed into pills, some of which may masquerade as other drugs, or even sold as a nasal spray.
Professional substance use treatment to address fentanyl addiction is necessary, and Harmony Grove Behavioral Health can help you take your first step today.
How Does Fentanyl Work in the Body?
Fentanyl is a powerful drug that binds to opioid receptors in the body, blocking pain signals while triggering the release of the reward chemical dopamine, bringing feelings of euphoria.
It is also a powerful central nervous system depressant, slowing down the body’s natural processes and resulting in respiratory depression, making fentanyl incredibly dangerous.
Due to its potency, fentanyl use can lead to devastating and life-threatening overdoses, especially when taken in higher doses or without a person’s knowledge.
Why Does Fentanyl Stay in Your System Longer Than Other Drugs?
Fentanyl can stay in the body for days due to how the liver breaks it down, dividing into metabolites that are then processed and excreted by the kidneys – a process that can take several days.
It is also easily absorbed by fatty tissue in the body, where it can accumulate and then be released over longer periods, staying in your system longer and increasing the detection window.
Factors That Affect How Long Fentanyl Stays in Your System
How much fentanyl is used, how frequently you engage in substance use, and the method of use can all affect how long fentanyl stays detectable in your system since your last use.
Long-acting methods of administration like patches slowly release fentanyl over time, helping to manage pain, but also making fentanyl stay in your system longer. Those using illicit fentanyl may use more of the drug before their last use has been fully processed, building traces of fentanyl in the body over time.
How Does the Half-Life of Fentanyl Impact Detection Time?
The half-life of fentanyl can vary depending on how it is used, and can thus affect how long fentanyl is detectable in the body through drug screens.
Shorter half-lives come from injection, where a half-life can be only a few hours, while a longer half-life can result from long-release patches. However, the drug will have to go through multiple half-lives to be truly broken down and processed by the body.
Throughout this process, the body’s fatty tissue can absorb the drug and then release it over time, further extending the period during which it can be detected in the body.
What Role Do Liver and Kidney Function Play?
The primary role of the liver is to break down fentanyl into metabolites, which are then processed and excreted by the kidneys.
Your kidneys and liver work closely together to clean the body and eliminate these toxins.
However, extensive drug use can damage the liver, slowing liver function over time. Focusing on personal health and nutrition can keep the liver and kidneys healthy and able to process traces of these drugs while exploring professional treatment for drug addiction, managing cravings, and more.
A damaged liver or slowed liver function can also mean that fentanyl can stay in the body even longer.
Do Hydration and Body Mass Affect How Long Fentanyl Stays in Your System?
Proper hydration can help the kidneys process and excrete the metabolites of fentanyl from the body.
However, body mass also plays an important role. As fentanyl can be readily absorbed by fatty tissue, increased body fat can result in more of the drug being stored in the body, resulting in longer detection times. Healthy dieting, proper hydration, and working to lower body mass as necessary can all help reduce the amount of time that fentanyl stays in the system.
Understanding How Long Fentanyl Stays in Your System
The effects and traces of fentanyl use continue to persist, even after the immediate effects of the drug wear off.
Fentanyl can have many lasting effects, and understanding how long it stays in your system can inform the best approach to healing from fentanyl addiction.
How Long Does Fentanyl Trigger Different Drug Tests?
The way that you test for fentanyl can also affect detection times, with traces of the drug persisting for varying periods of time, depending on the test used.
How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Urine?
Testing for fentanyl use via a urine test can typically yield positive results from one to three days after use.
How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in the Blood?
A blood test can yield positive results for up to 12 hours following last use.
How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Saliva?
Saliva tests can yield positive results for one to three days following fentanyl use.
How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Hair?
Traces of fentanyl use can persist longest in the hair, with a hair test yielding positive results following fentanyl use for up to three months after last use.
While these times can be a guideline for how long fentanyl stays in the system, signs of the drug can persist longer if a person is repeatedly using fentanyl or is compromising their ability to effectively process the drug. Repeated and heavy use of fentanyl can lead to longer detection periods alongside a myriad of other health risks, especially if taking the drug illicitly.
Signs and Symptoms of Fentanyl Withdrawal
While fentanyl is used in dedicated medical settings for specific severe pain challenges, illicit fentanyl can be incredibly dangerous when used outside of this directed, monitored setting.
Addiction is a powerful disease, and it can affect anybody. Recognizing common withdrawal symptoms can be a major sign of addiction, empowering those using the drug and their families to explore a professional addiction treatment program to address fentanyl addiction.
What Are Common Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms?
Withdrawal symptoms can be challenging, especially fentanyl withdrawal, with a myriad of physical, mental, and emotional effects when stopping the use of the drug.
The most common physical withdrawal symptoms include:
- Sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Shaking and chills
- High blood pressure
- Aches and pains
- Insomnia
- Cramping
However, these physical withdrawal symptoms are often accompanied by mental and emotional challenges that make withdrawal challenging to navigate without professional help and support.
This includes symptoms like:
- Intense anxiety, paranoia, and panic
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Intense cravings for more drugs
- Difficulty focusing
- Irritability and anger
- Nightmares
Each of these challenges can be difficult to navigate. With fentanyl being such a potent and powerful drug, many of those beginning their healing journey from addiction may find themselves returning to the substance just to get these symptoms to stop, even if they are aware of the larger health risks and consequences.
Professional detox and recovery programs are crucial for not just navigating withdrawal from fentanyl but maintaining your sobriety while developing coping skills, life skills, and new routines to facilitate an ongoing sober life.
How Long Do Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms Last?
The most intense withdrawal symptoms can set in within hours of last use, depending on the intensity and frequency of fentanyl use, and can be most intense during these first few hours to a couple of days.
Withdrawal symptoms will then begin to lessen over time, with symptoms lessening over the next week or so, but still presenting unique challenges for those just beginning their healing journey. Overcoming withdrawal and the challenges during this time is difficult, and professional support is necessary.
While most withdrawal symptoms typically subside within about two weeks, that does not mark the end of recovery. Rather, transitioning to inpatient or outpatient care is paramount to learn new skills and building a new life in sobriety.
What Can Help Ease Fentanyl Withdrawal?
Depending on the intensity of withdrawal symptoms, buprenorphine may be used to lessen the intensity of these symptoms.
However, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) using buprenorphine is not a replacement for other forms of therapy or care. Hydration and proper nutrition, healthy physical activity, proper sleep routines and schedules, and therapeutic support are all part of easing some of these challenges during withdrawal and transitioning to further levels of care.
Dangers of Fentanyl Misuse and Dependence
Fentanyl is an incredibly dangerous drug, and misuse of fentanyl can have drastic and even life-threatening consequences.
With high potency and risk of overdose, taking fentanyl in ways not prescribed or listed on the label, and especially illicit fentanyl taken recreationally, the drug can have lasting effects on a person’s health, as well as the well-being of family members and entire communities. Understanding fentanyl and its effects is crucial for prioritizing treatment and healing.
Why Is Fentanyl So Addictive?
Fentanyl is highly addictive, with the body developing a dependence on the drug as it binds to opioid receptors in the brain.
With a short duration and strong cravings, even using small amounts of fentanyl can quickly develop into addiction, even in those using the drug under the guidance of a medical professional.
Likewise, the body and mind can quickly adapt to the presence of fentanyl. Thus, the rapid onset of withdrawal symptoms is also common, making stopping the use of fentanyl incredibly challenging.
However, help is always available, and talking with a medical professional or addiction specialist at Harmony Grove Behavioral Health can help you find the treatment you need to challenge this highly addictive drug.
What Are the Risks of Fentanyl Overdose?
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid, and overdose is possible with only a few milligrams, especially in those using the drug unintentionally or unsuspectingly.
Respiratory depression can slow or even stop breathing patterns, as well as lead to unconsciousness, pale skin, and more. Because of fentanyl’s fast-acting nature and high potency, overdose symptoms can set in quickly, making identifying symptoms of overdose and contacting emergency services crucial.
What Are the Long-Term Effects of Fentanyl Use?
Fentanyl can have many lasting effects that continue to affect daily life, even long after its initial effects wear off, including:
- Anxiety, paranoia, and panic
- Depression
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Damage to the kidneys and liver
- Disturbed sleep patterns
- Compromised physical health and personal hygiene
- Difficulty forming or recalling memories
- Comprmoised decision-making skills
These symptoms do not account for the other destructive ways fentanyl addiction can impact daily life.
Damage to personal relationships with friends, family, and loved ones, loss of job or job opportunities due to the effects of addiction, and financial and legal challenges stemming from fentanyl use can all continue to impact daily life in unique ways, making addressing fentanyl addiction and working with professionals to manage its long-term effects in sobriety paramount.
Treatment Options for Fentanyl Addiction
Despite fentanyl’s addictive nature, there is always help available, and nobody is ever “too addicted” that they are somehow beyond a healthy, sober future.
What Happens During Fentanyl Detox?
During detox, professionals use a variety of therapies, support, and medication where necessary, over about two weeks to help overcome intense withdrawal symptoms, as well as learning more about addiction, its effects, and create personal coping strategies before transitioning to further levels of care.
What Types of Addiction Treatment Programs Are Available?
Each treatment program is unique, with the most effective addiction treatment programs combining evidence-based therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and more with holistic healing opportunities, new experiences, and community engagement to meet others navigating their own challenges while celebrating sobriety and change.
What Is the Role of Aftercare and Support Groups?
Overcoming fentanyl and opioid addiction is a lifelong journey, and aftercare programs and support groups provide ongoing care, new ideas, and support while overcoming the daily challenges of balancing sobriety with the stresses of daily life.
Many of these programs offer a place of belonging and understanding, helping develop new skills while addressing new stresses at any stage of recovery, preventing relapse, and prioritizing accountability, ongoing sobriety, and celebrating each new milestone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fentanyl and Drug Testing
Can fentanyl show up on a standard drug test?
Sometimes.
Not all tests check for the same things, and while some tests may detect fentanyl, others may not. However, there are specific tests to detect fentanyl.
What is norfentanyl, and why is it important in drug tests?
Norfentanyl is the metabolite created from breaking down fentanyl.
While fentanyl is broken down, norfentanyl can stay in the body, and testing for norfentanyl can accurately detect use.
Can prescription fentanyl cause a positive drug test?
Yes. Fentanyl, even prescribed fentanyl, can still cause a positive drug test, and taking prescribed fentanyl still comes with restrictions.
Talking to a medical professional about prescription fentanyl, restrictions, and expectations is paramount. Even receiving a prescription does not mean that a person can use the drug wherever or under any circumstance.
What should you do if you suspect a fentanyl overdose?
Contacting emergency services immediately, administering Narcan if available, and helping to encourage breathing are all important.
Turning a person on their side while calling emergency services, clearing airways of obstructions like vomit, and updating emergency personnel on location, new signs and symptoms, and paraphernalia can all help emergency services arrive quickly and prepared to use life-saving measures.
Can a loved one help someone struggling with fentanyl addiction?
Of course! Learning about addiction, researching addiction treatment facilities, and making changes at home to approach the situation with sympathy instead of blame are all important.
Working with professionals to process feelings of resentment and anger may be necessary to address addiction as a disease and develop effective communication and supportive strategies.
Does insurance cover fentanyl addiction treatment?
Yes, addiction is a disease and is covered by insurance.
However, exactly how much is covered will depend on your unique plan, in-network or out-of-network care, and other factors. Contacting your healthcare provider or talking to a professional at Harmony Grove Behavioral Health can help you navigate the world of insurance before beginning any treatment program.
Fentanyl addiction is a devastating disease, but there is always help and support. Take the first step toward your healing with professional support and care in Houston, Texas, with Harmony Grove Behavioral Health. With evidence-based care, dedicated outpatient support, and a focus on communal healing, we champion each step you take toward a fentanyl-free life. Call us today to learn more at (713) 564-6468.