What is the average time benzoylecgonine stays in your system?
As was mentioned, cocaine may stay in your system for a duration of 6 hours. In other words, it takes about 1/4 of a day to eliminate cocaine from your body. If you took a high dose, orally, along with alcohol, the elimination timeline will be extended compared to if you took a low dose, intravenously, without any other substances.
Since drug tests generally check for cocaine’s active metabolite “benzoylecgonine,” most people want to know how long benzoylecgonine stays in the system. Those who took a small amount of cocaine may find that the benzoylecgonine is cleared from the body within 2 days. However, among frequent cocaine users (or those ingesting large dosages), it could take between 5 and 10 days to clear benzoylecgonine.
To further complicate things, if a regular user consumes alcohol with cocaine, it could take up to 15 days to fully eliminate the “cocaethylene” metabolite that is formed. Clearance of benzoylecgonine may be slightly expedited with avoidance of alcohol and/or other drugs, healthy diet, and exercise. Furthermore, staying hydrated by consuming plenty of water is thought to aid in the elimination of benzoylecgonine.
Different types of drug tests to detect cocaine
There are many different types of drug tests (or screenings) that are used to detect whether an individual has recently used cocaine. These tests include: saliva tests, urine tests, blood tests, and hair tests. Among these tests, the most popular is urine testing simply due to the fact that it is considered low cost and is simple.
- Saliva tests: These tests are capable of detecting cocaine metabolites within saliva within just 10 minutes of using the drug. Saliva samples may detect cocaine in your system for an estimated 2 days following complete cessation of cocaine. While not often as accurate as urine tests or blood tests, saliva tests are commonly utilized by some companies.
- Urine tests: Some drug screenings may attempt to detect cocaine via collection of urine samples. Urine tests can detect cocaine usage within just several hours of ingestion. They also can determine whether an individual had used cocaine within a 2-day span.
- Blood tests: A blood sample is among the most accurate ways to screen the body for cocaine and its active metabolite. Blood tests can detect the presence of cocaine within 5 hours of ingestion. Assuming you’ve stopped using cocaine, the results from a blood test will show whether you’ve used cocaine within the past 24 hours.
- Hair tests: Hair tests are best to detect whether someone has used cocaine within the past several months. In some cases, hair samples can accurately determine whether an individual has used cocaine within the past 90 days. That said, new cocaine users may not be caught via a hair test because it often takes up to 7 days (a full week) to detect the drug within hair samples.
Keep in mind that certain organizations may require a combination of saliva, urine, blood, and/or hair tests. Administering a combination of these types of tests ensures that results aren’t subject to inaccuracies. In most cases, an individual will be said to test “positive” for cocaine if levels of the active metabolite (benzoylecgonine) are present at 300 ng/mL (or greater); 150 ng/mL (for GC/MS confirmation).
