ADHD is handled with the drug Adderall, which works by stimulating the central nervous system. Adderall leaves the body through the urine, but drug tests may still be able to pick it up sooner or later, based on the test.
Adderall is also used to treat narcolepsy and some other sleep problems. Off-label, it can be used to help with severe depression.
Adderall has a high chance of being abused by people who take it. People who don’t have medication from their doctor can take it to help them focus and pay attention better.
Read on to find out how this medicine works, how long its benefits usually last in the body, and what side effects it might cause.
What is Adderall?
Adderall is a prescription drug that is often given to people with narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is a drug that speeds up the activity of the central nervous system. The two main ingredients are amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Both of these chemicals affect the brain by making more dopamine and norepinephrine. This helps people with ADHD pay more attention, stay on task, and control their urges.
Adderall is a drug that is regulated because it has a high risk of abuse and addiction. Adderall, like other prescription stimulants, should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor who knows you and your situation well. The dose should be taken exactly as written on the prescription.
How Does Adderall Work?
Adderall works because it speeds up the central nervous system. People with ADHD don’t have enough dopamine in their frontal areas or their brain’s reward center. So, they try to find ways to trigger their reward center and feel the rush of dopamine in their bodies right now. This makes them want or act on impulse, and they are easy to get off track.
Adderall works as a stimulant in the central nervous system to increase the amount of dopamine that can be used in the frontal area. People with ADHD can put more effort into their work because this treatment keeps them from looking for things to do.
Medication is often just one part of a full treatment plan for ADHD, which usually also includes behavioral therapy, help with schoolwork and planning, and tips for living a healthier life.
How Long Does Adderall Stay In Your System?
Adderall is taken in through the digestive system and then broken down by the liver or passed out of the body in the urine. About 20% to 25% of the Adderall in the body is turned into metabolites, which are small amounts of the drug that can be found in drug tests. So, Adderall might leave the body through pee, but it works all over the body and can be found in different ways.
The half-life of Adderall is a big part of how long it stays in the body. Depending on how it is made, Adderall has a half-life of anywhere from 9 to 14 hours. This means that it can take between 9 and 14 hours for the body to get rid of half of the drug. This means that Adderall only stays in the body for about three days or 72 hours.
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Lab Drug Tests That Can Detect Adderall in Your System
Adderall is taken in by the body through the digestive system. After that, your liver breaks it down, and it leaves your body through your pee.
Even though Adderall leaves the body through pee, it works all over the body, so it can be found in a few different ways.
Blood Tests
More and more people are using blood tests to find Adderall because they are more accurate than urine tests. Blood tests can correctly measure the amount of Adderall in your body for up to 24 to 36 hours after you take it. This is very helpful for doctors and nurses who need to know if a patient is taking their medicine correctly or if they are abusing alcohol or drugs.
Urine Tests
One of the most popular ways to check for drugs, like Adderall, is with a urine test. These tests look at pee samples to see if amphetamines like Adderall are in the body, which they can do up to two days after use.
This test is often used in workplaces and other places where security is important to check for drug use among workers and visitors. 72 to 96 hours after taking Adderall, a person is likely to test positive for it.
Hair Tests
Up to 90 days after the last time someone took Adderall, it can still be found in their hair cells. Even though hair tests are not a popular way to find out if someone has used Adderall, they can give a more accurate picture of their drug history.
Saliva Tests
Saliva tests have become a safe and easy way to find out if someone is using drugs. Adderall is a drug for which a breath test works very well.
Because of how it works, this stimulant can be found in a person’s breath for up to 50 hours after they’ve taken their last dose. This makes it one of the best ways to test for drug use in people who might not want to answer or might forget what they said.
What Can Affect How Long It Stays in Your Body?
The bodies of different people break down and get rid of Adderall at different rates. There are a number of things that can change how long Adderall stays in your body before it’s broken down.
Body Composition
How long Adderall stays in your system can be affected by things like your weight, how much body fat you have, and how tall you are. This is because bigger people often need bigger amounts of medicine, so it takes longer for the medicine to leave their bodies.
There is, however, some proof after taking into account the amount based on body weight, drugs like Adderall, which are broken down by the liver in a certain way, leave the body faster in people who are heavier or have more body fat.
Metabolism
Drugs like Adderall are broken down in the liver by enzymes that everyone has. Your metabolism can be affected by a lot of things, like how active you are or what sex you were when you were born. It can also be affected by other medicines you take.
How long a drug stays in your body depends on how fast it breaks down. The faster it breaks down, the faster it leaves your body.
Dosage
Adderall comes in a range of doses, from 5 mg to 30 mg in the form of tablets or capsules. The longer it can take for your body to fully get rid of Adderall, the more of it you take. So, the bigger the dose, the longer it will stay in your body.
Adderall also comes in both fast-acting and slow-acting forms, which break down at different rates in the body. This could change how long the drug stays in your body.
Age
As you age, it can take longer for drugs to leave your body. This is because of a few things.
- As you get older, your liver gets smaller, so it can take longer for it to fully break down Adderall.
- Urine production goes down as people age. Conditions that come with getting older, like heart disease, can also make kidney performance worse. Both of these things can make it so that medicines stay in your body longer.
- As you get older, your body’s make-up changes, which can change how quickly your body breaks down and gets rid of medicines.
Organ Function
Adderall is taken in through the stomach and intestines. The liver then breaks it down and the kidneys get rid of it. If any of these organs or processes aren’t working right, Adderall can stay in your body longer.
What Are the Signs of Adderall Misuse?
Misuse and addiction to Adderall can happen quickly and quietly, making them hard to spot. There is no one-size-fits-all list of signs that someone is abusing Adderall, but here are a few:
- Dry mouth
- Insomnia
- Weight loss
- Headaches
- Anxiety or irritability
- Decrease in appetite
- Changes in behavior or mood swings
- Increased heart rate or blood pressure
- Increased risk-taking
Abusing Adderall for a long time can also have serious effects and side effects, such as:
- Mania
- Aggressive or violent behavior
- Depression
- Psychosis
- Hallucinations
- Cardiac issues
There are ways to get the help you or someone you know needs if you or they are abusing Adderall. To lessen the long-term effects of taking too much Adderall, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Does Adderall Build Up in Your System?
When you take a lot of Adderall for a long time, your body can get used to it and stop reacting to it as much. If you take Adderall to treat the signs of ADHD, you may feel like the drug isn’t working as well as it used to. Your doctor may tell you to take a little more if you need to.
But tolerance can also be a sign of a problem with drug use, especially in people who only use the drug for fun.
Concomitant Effects
There are many bad things that can happen if you take too much Adderall, and some of them are very dangerous.
Also, if people take too much Adderall, their bodies may become dependent on it. If a person tries to cut back on or stop taking it, they might get withdrawal signs. In addition to strong urges for Adderall, you may also have the following withdrawal symptoms:
- fatigue
- agitation
- depression
- problems falling asleep
- excessive daytime sleepiness
- vivid nightmares.
- increased desire to eat
- Slowed movement
- a reduced rate of heartbeats
These signs and symptoms could last for up to two or three weeks.
Adderall Abuse Adderall, like all amphetamines, has the potential to be abused because it is so easy to get. People who don’t have a prescription for amphetamine can try to use Adderall to improve their ability to focus or stay awake for a long time.
What Happens When You Stop Using Adderall?
When someone stops taking Adderall, their body needs time to get used to working without the drug. People who use drugs often go through withdrawal, which can cause problems like trouble sleeping, depression, headaches, lack of drive, and tiredness.
As the body adjusts and neurotransmitter levels return to normal, it may take some time for people to feel like themselves again as their natural energy level returns. Many people also gain a new respect for life when they don’t have to use stimulants or nootropics to stay focused.
Doctors and mental health workers who know how the body works and how drugs like Adderall affect it are the best people to talk to before stopping its use.
Get Treatment for Adderall Addiction Today
There’s nothing you can do to help your body get rid of Adderall faster, and the only way to pass a drug test is to stop taking it. If you’re hooked on something, it can be scary to stop. Treatment is the only way for many drug users to stop using drugs for good.
The way you get help for an amphetamine problem is based on what you need. Your care team will look at your medical background and use of drugs to help you choose the right treatment plan.
Options in Treatment
- Inpatient treatment: Inpatient treatment gives people a safe place to get off drugs, which can be painful enough to stop treatment if they don’t have medical help. In this setting, patients can get care around the clock, which includes managing their symptoms and keeping an eye on them.
- Outpatient treatment: After finishing hospital treatment, many people move on to outpatient treatment. Others never go to inpatient care because they choose outpatient treatment from the beginning. Outpatient care is a good choice for people who are stable and can take care of their health on their own.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In this therapy, which is also called CBT, a therapist helps you figure out how your actions and thoughts work. This is the most popular type of treatment for drug abuse because it is so good at helping people see the patterns that lead to drug use.
- Group therapy: This kind of therapy lets you talk about your healing with people who know what you’re going through in a safe place. It can help you find people who know what happens to you when you use stimulants.
- Family therapy: Having a strong support system at home can help you heal a lot. Family therapy gives you and your family a chance to talk about the things that make you different.
Don’t wait to get help if you’re addicted to Adderall. You don’t have to let amphetamines run your life when there is a treatment that is safe and works. Call a licensed treatment center right away to get started on the road to sobriety.
Conclusion
Adderall is a strong drug that can cause people to become addicted and dependent on it. How long Adderall stays in your body relies on many things, like how much you took, how fast your metabolism works, your age, how well your organs work, and other things. If you have questions or worries about Adderall, you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about How Long Does Adderall Stay in Your System
How Long Does Adderall Stay in Your Blood?
Adderall leaves the system faster than most other things in the body. You start testing positive for Adderall 12 to 24 hours after using it, and you only stay positive for 24 hours.
Blood tests aren’t usually used for Adderall because the “window” in which they are useful is so small. But there are special blood tests that can check for the drug Adderall.
How Long Does Adderall Stay in Your Hair?
Even though it takes about a week for a hair test to show that someone has used Adderall, it is the longest-lasting test. A hair test can show that you used Adderall up to three months after the last time.
Since hair tests work for a long time, they are often used by companies and probation offices to check for Adderall and other amphetamine use.
Will Adderall Show Up In Routine Blood Work?
No, if you go to the doctor for a normal checkup, Adderall will not show up on routine blood work. Routine blood work usually includes a complete blood count (CBC), which looks at the parts of your blood, and either a comprehensive or basic metabolic panel (CMP or BMP), which checks your electrolytes, kidney, and liver health. Before giving a sample for lab work, read any papers you sign or ask questions to find out what you are agreeing to.
