Methamphetamine is popularly known as Crystal, Chalk, Meth, Tina, Ice, and Glass. But what is its most popular nickname? Yep, it’s Meth. A highly addictive drug or rather stimulant, most people consume meth by either snorting the powder or swallowing any pill.
However, some people also inject some kind of liquid dissolved in powder. People who consume crystal meth sometimes smoke the same with the help of a pipe. Just because meth is a type of stimulant, it provides people using the drug an immediate rush.
While several people undergo positive emotions, others might feel scared, angry, or even edgy. On average, anyone on meth can start peaking within 15 minutes to a solid 3 hours. However, at the same time, drug tests can detect the same within 2 to 7 days, entirely depending on the type of test and dosage.
Today, let’s find out how long does meth stay in your system and so much more – scroll down to read more!
What Is Meth?
Before we could even start discussing how long does meth stay in your system, we need to understand what is meth. Here we go. So meth can be best described as a stimulant that is potent enough to influence or override the central nervous system. Some other names of meth include monikers like crank, crystal, ice, speed, M, etc. It is a dangerous substance that can wreak havoc if you let it develop into an addiction.
One of the most prominent factors that you need to know about meth is that it is one of the most addictive substances out there. Some studies show that it might be the strongest addictive substance that is out there on the streets. The primary concerns of meth use are the risk of overdosing and addiction. Researchers inferred that the substance can turn any individual into a dependent slave of the substance.
If we look at the history of the creation of the drug we will see that manufacturers initially created this substance from another equally dangerous substance of abuse Amphetamine, as a decongestant medication or bronchial inhalers. But somewhere down the line people realised the scope of substance abuse that this chemical has and started exploiting it. As of now, there is only one legal product that is made using meth, Desoxyn. This is a medication that doctors prescribe to morbidly obese patients.
Nowadays, meth has lost its way as medication and industrial manufacturers are replaced by crude laboratories that ‘cook’ meth. In fact, one of the most prominent and highest-rated TV shows of all time, Breaking Bad, is about a similar venture. The primary component for manufacturing meth includes ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, both of which can be acquired quite easily.
Still, cooking meth is no joke. There are several safety precautions that one needs to remember. Firstly, the overall process of creating meth can be quite harmful to the health as the fumes that are released are quite toxic and inflammable. So, do not try to be Jessie Pinkman or Walter White, be a good boy and get your meth from your neighbourhood’s sketchy meth dealer like you should.
So, How Long Does Meth Stay In Your Body?
Do you know how long do edibles stay in your hair, or for that matter, in your system? It depends on multiple factors and, more importantly, on the type of test you are participating in – for instance, hair tests are only applicable to long-term marijuana users.
Similarly, if you want to know how long does meth stay in your system, it’s not just about how frequently you are consuming the drug, but what kind of drug test you are sitting for – it depends heavily on the type of drug test.
The half-life of meth is about 6 to 15 hours, right after anyone consumes the drug. This is the time when the body removes around half of the active ingredients of the drug.
And that’s not all.
The pace at which a body removes meth relies on the person’s build, dosage, and, obviously, overall health.
For instance, a healthy person who is used to drinking lots of fluids can eliminate meth from their systems so much faster as compared to anyone who has a relatively slower metabolism rate or poor health in general.
Additionally, the impact of meth can be felt faster when you consume the drug orally as opposed to injecting the same into your blood. But it does last longer when you inject the meth instead of orally consuming the same.
Finally, anyone who continually uses meth for multiple days will witness the same showing up on drug tests relatively longer than people who opt for low dosage.
While finding out how long do THC edibles stay in your system, it became obvious the cases are the same for most addictive stimulants. And meth is no different. Keep reading to find out how long does meth stay in your body.
Urine Testing:
Meth users usually end up expelling around 70% of the drug from their bodies within a day. But that does not have any impact on the urine test results for the next four days. After your consumption of meth, you can easily test positive for the next four days if your urine is tested.
Moreover, if you use meth frequently or even consistently, urine tests will easily detect the same in your urine for 7 days afterward.
Blood Testing:
Once anyone starts using meth, its half-life in their bloodstream can last upto 10 hours. And that’s not all. Blood tests can actually detect meth in the blood for 36 to 48 hours after an individual stops using the same.
If you know how long do edibles last in bloodstream, then you will know it’s not very different from meth. The cases are mostly similar – except meth is a stimulant drug that is almost always used in a controlled way.
Saliva Testing:
Saliva tests can help only when it’s done on someone who has consumed meth recently. Typically, the detection window for meth is about 24 hours post a single dose.
But at the same time, certain saliva tests easily detect the drug upto 3 days, especially if the consumer opts for high doses of the drug frequently.
Hair Follicle Testing:
As we mentioned in the very beginning, hair tests are most commonly meant for long-term users. As a result, it is obvious that drug tests can easily detect meth in anyone’s hair follicles relatively longers as compared to other types of tests.
It entirely depends on how frequently or how much you usually consume. On average, anyone who frequently uses meth will test positive for hair tests upto 90 days after their last dosage, or in some cases, even after they stop doing the drug.
However, almost everyone who does meth frequently will text negative for the test about 153 days after their last dosage, even after doing the drug frequently.
Can Any Other Substance Cause A False Positive For Meth?
While finding out how long do weed edibles stay in your system, we found out that sometimes it is possible to get false positives on the rest results due to certain substances. Naturally, we are intrigued about meth as well – you will be surprised to know what we found out!
Multiple substances can definitely cause false positives for meth since the substance metabolizes into amphetamine. Commonly, doctors prescribe these amphetamines to patients as medications. This is because amphetamine is a common ingredient in ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) medications.
Then there are multiple bath salts that can cause false positives. But then again, bath salts are relatively less common since our bodies do not absorb enough of these salts to show up randomly in drug tests.
Additionally, breathing secondhand smoke can also lead to false positives on different drug tests, even though you might not feel the impact of the same.
Certain chemicals that are commonly spotted in different ADHD medications and can often lead to a false positive in the results are as follows,
- Bupropion,
- Labetalol,
- Phentermine,
- Pseudoephedrine,
- Selegiline,
- Amantadine,
- Ephedrine,
- Methylphenidate,
- Ranitidine, and
- Trazadone.
Before you go for any drug test, it is best to check the ingredients in your medication. Then you have to inform the person administering the drug test about your medications and prescriptions. This will help the officials account for any potential false positives.
And It’s A Wrap!
Now that you know how long does meth stay in your system, what are your thoughts? If you are worried about your meth consumption or dosage, it is best to get in touch with expert professionals who can help you to turn your life around for the better. It’s always best to get in touch with a treatment support specialist – that way, you can discuss your substance use.
You can also share your experiences, stories, and opinions on meth usage in the comments below.
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