The half-life of the drug represents the amount of time it takes for levels of the drug to be reduced by half of their original concentration. According to one study, the average half-life of cocaine is about 1.5 hours in blood, 1.2 hours in saliva, and 4.1 hours in urine. This means our systems require around 60 minutes to absorb cocaine. On the other hand, extended cocaine use might result in longer half-life periods, enabling laboratory drug testing to identify the substance in the bloodstream for a prolonged time.

Cocaine can damage the heart muscle as well as cause inflammation of the inner heart tissues. Cocaine is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance with a high potential for abuse and addiction. The highly addictive drug is ingested in white powder form, either by snorting it through the nose or rubbing it on the gums. Some will dilute the powder in water and then inject it into a vein. Others may smoke a rock crystal form of cocaine, called crack, and inhale the drug into the lungs. If you suspect yourself or a loved one has ingested too much cocaine, call immediately.

Healthcare Professional Credentials – What Do They All Mean?

The blood test for cocaine has the shortest detection window, which is typically a few hours for cocaine itself, and between five to eight hours for cocaine metabolites. This means that the blood test for cocaine is usually only used to detect if someone is currently under the influence of cocaine rather than if they have used it in the past. The half-life of cocaine determines how quickly a person will stop feeling high or begin feeling withdrawal symptoms. New cocaine users may find that the high weakens within a couple of hours, while habitual cocaine users may already begin feeling withdrawal within a few hours after their last dose. However, most urine tests look for cocaine metabolites rather than coke itself. As a result, many tests can accurately detect benzoylecgonine and cocaethylene for up to two days after using.

• Cocaine is a fast-acting central nervous system stimulant that can cause a short-term rush and euphoric high that lasts from a few minutes to less than an hour.
• In some studies, BE is detectable for up to 106 hours or 4.5 days after the last ingestion of cocaine.
• Garcia-Bournissen F., Moller M., Nesterenko M., Karaskov T., Koren G.
• Blood tests can detect cocaine in your system for up to 2 days after the last use.

This may seem like it should only apply to police, but it’s been estimated that 90% of dollar bills in circulation contain detectable amounts of cocaine. And before you get outraged, false positives are a serious problem. Though determining factors can be talked sober house about as ‘rules-of-thumb’, the specifics of an individual user will vary greatly. Cocaine detox is the process of removing a substance and its toxins from your body. Cocaine is a powerful and addictive stimulant drug derived from the leaves of the coca plant.

Blood Test

Crack cocaine is incredibly addictive as it is an extremely high concentration. Cocaine is metabolized faster than a lot of other drugs, but it’s hard to say exactly how long it stays in your system because there are so many factors at play. While cocaine withdrawal can be uncomfortable, it’s usually something you can manage at home. If you snort or gum cocaine, you feel the effects within 1 to 3 minutes.

Thérèse received her Master’s degree in Counseling from Montclair State University in 2013 and holds a post-Master’s certificate in Advanced Counseling from Montclair State University. Thérèse is both a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) with the state of New Jersey. In addition, she is a Grief Recovery Specialist® and a Nationally Certified Counselor.