How Long does Cocaine Stay in Your System, Urine Test

How long is Cocaine Detectable in a Urine Test

Urine testing for the presence of drugs and any other banned or illegal substances is very common. This is due to the fact that urine analysis is simple, fast, accurate and very cheap. A potential employer, for example can collect a urine sample and receive results in less than a day. This makes a UA, “Urine Analysis”, the go to drug screening for employers, workplace accidents, welfare or any other situation that requires testing on a large scale.

Unless informed otherwise, most Urine tests check for the presence 5 different metabolite. This is call a 5 panel test or screening. Cocaine is of course one of the 5 drugs that are tested.

How long is Cocaine in Urine

In most cases cocaine is only detectable in urine for 12 to 72 hour after it was used. Of course there are exceptions to the rule. Besides the obvious time, amount and duration of use, we must consider how drugs have evolved over time and how screenings have advanced to work around these issues.

First, all drugs have increased in potency. This is because stronger more potent drugs are more in demand and drive sales. This has also lead to the development of synthetics. Dealers are known to taint a batch with cheaper synthetic compounds that enhance the potency of cocaine. Some of these synthetics linger longer in the body than cocaine itself.

Second, due to new synthetic drugs and adulterants, labs have widened the spectrum of urine tests to introduce the tested of metabolites that do not directly indicate drug use, but do trigger false positives.

Cocaine itself has a very short half life. On average, Cocaine is usually completely metabolised within an hour of use. This doesn’t mean that it’s out of your system as quickly, the metabolites can linger for much longer and variables like, use, amount and frequency play a major role in detox times.

Benzoylecgonine the major indicator of use can be detectable from 6 hours to 6 days after last use in urine. With binge or heavy use detectable for 10 days or more after use:

“benzoylecgonine persists in urine at detectable concentrations from 2-4 days. Chronic, heavy use of cocaine can result in detectable amounts of benzoylecgonine in urine for up to 10 days following a binge.” – NHTSA.gov

It’s important to note that these detox times are after one time use. For example, a bump of coke can be detectable in UA for 2-4 days. A night of heavy use or a one night binge on cocaine is detectable for 10 days. But a week of cocaine use can leave a higher concentration of metabolites that will extend detox time over the 10 day / 2 week period.

So, a regular cocaine user can test positive for coke for over a month if no there was no effort to detox

This is important for anyone recovering from cocaine addiction to realize. It’s important to keep a positive but realistic view on events. Don’t expect to pass a urine drug test for cocaine too quickly. This can lead to false expectations and even relapse. It’s important to give yourself time to heal and your body the time and nutrition it needs to recover.

When Will Your Urine Test Clean

Of course the only truly guaranteed way to pass a urine test is not to do drugs. In some cases, you may have decided to quit but have not been given the time required to detox your system. If you think this may be your issue, let’s look deeper into your situation.

How often have you used Cocaine?
If you regularly snort coke, meaning more than once a week, it may take longer to clean out cocaine metabolites. Regular use, over time will result in a buildup, or a stacking effect that can increase the detox time by weeks, even months.

How much Cocaine have you used?
Large amounts of cocaine use will result in higher saturations of cocaine metabolites. Of course this means more time is needed to detox. If you don’t normally use coke or had a one time “binge”, expect 2-3 days before it drops below detectable levels.

Are you active?
Staying active and well hydrated can speed up the process. Sweating and frequently urinating helps your body expel toxins. If you’re constantly peeling body fluids and replacing them, the quicker you will be able to test clean of any drug use.

How To Detox Cocaine For a Urine Test

As mentioned the only real way to test clean for cocaine use is not to do coke. Other ways is to drink plenty of water, exercise and lead a generally healthy lifestyle. If time is an issue, you can use a number of drinks, pills or cocaine detox kits to speed up the process.

One of the most effective 1 hour detox drinks is This one here. It’s known to act fast and within an hour after use. You can increase the effectiveness by drinking a lot of water before using. In most cases it best to drink water until your urine is clear and continue drinking until one hour before giving the urine sample. At that time a detox product can be used to replenish the body of any naturally produced minerals that are usually present in urine.

Cocaine is known to be one of the most addictive drugs, along with crack a freebase form of the same drug. This strong stimulant is most commonly snorted but it can also be inhaled and even injected.

What makes Cocaine so addictive is its effects on the brain’s reward system. Within a minute or two of just a small dose. This stimulant triggers a dramatic change in the brain’s chemistry. Spiking the naturally occurring “reward” hormone, well past the natural levels. This is turn drops and leads to cravings. With just a short use period, the risk of developing dependence or addiction is high.

How is Cocaine Detected

Once used, Cocaine is metabolised by the body and made available to the blood stream. Two of the most commonly known metabolites is Norcocaine and Benzoylecgonine. These two metabolites along with a few others are know to be “markers” for cocaine use. This is because no other drug can metabolise into them.

Norcocaine, a minor metabolite of cocaine is also an active by-product. It is also being investigated for medical use. Detection for drug testing purposes is somewhat controversial. The presence of Norcocaine can indicate that the person is currently high on cocaine, or has come in contact with the drug, residual.

Benzoylecgonine, on the other hand is the primary indicator of cocaine use. Its presence in urine is an accurate indicator of Cocaine use. No other drug can is converted into benzoylecgonine. This makes it the perfect metabolite for detection in urine.

Faster Cocaine Detox

Specifically for urinalysis, detox times can be cut short by a number of detox methods. From drinking more fluids, exercise or by the use of detox products. The method that works best for you is determined by your needs and how quickly you need to eliminate cocaine metabolites.

One of the simplest and quickest ways to test clean after cocaine use is a one hour detox. Most detoxes can come in pill, powder or ready to drink form. These product may increase the detox rate, but are more of a mask, that can hide metabolites for a short time.

It’s always best to follow a health regime of exercise, diet and drinking plenty of fluids.

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