How Long Does Cocaine Stay In Your System? - Medical News Today

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SubscribeCocaine: How long does it stay in your system?Medically reviewed by Jillian Foglesong Stabile MD, FAAFP, DABOM — Written by Zawn Villines — Updated on May 19, 2025

• How long?
• Metabolization
• Risks
• Seeking help
• Summary

The length of time cocaine stays in a person’s system depends on the dosage, how often a person uses it, and other factors. Cocaine has a shorter half-life than other drugs, though.

A shorter half-life means that the body metabolizes cocaine more quickly. Within a few hours, the dose is half that of the initial dose. Within several days, it is no longer present in blood, urine, or saliva.

A hair drug test for cocaine may be positive for months, though. If a person has any symptoms of an overdose, they must seek emergency help.

Read on to learn more about how long cocaine stays in the system, including the duration for different drug tests.

How long does cocaine stay in the system? 

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Cocaine has a short half-life of around 1 hour. This means that, within an hour of taking a dose, the body will have metabolized around half of the original dose. Within a few days, the body metabolizes all of the cocaine.

However, the exact time it takes to eliminate cocaine depends on several factors. These include the size of the dose, the speed of a person’s metabolism, and whether a person is a frequent user.

The mechanism by which a person takes cocaine also matters. Topical cocaine, for example, has a shorter half-life than other methods of administration, such as snorting.

The length of time cocaine stays in the body and causes effects also differs from the length of time it will show up on a drug test.

This is because drug tests look for cocaine metabolites. These are the chemicals the body produces when breaking down cocaine. A person may no longer feel high. However, they can still test positive on a drug test due to these cocaine metabolites.

Whether a person tests positive for cocaine depends on several factors, including the type of drug test. The metabolite cutoff level will also determine the odds of a positive test. Different manufacturers determine different cutoffs. Smaller cutoff numbers mean a person is more likely to get a positive result.

Urine cocaine test

Urine tests may test for cocaine itself or its metabolite, benzoylecgonine. A urine test can directly test for cocaine within 1 to 5 hours, but will detect cocaine metabolites for 2 to 4 days.

Prolonged use, large doses, and very pure cocaine may have a slightly longer detection window.

Hair cocaine test

Hair tests have the longest detection window, beginning at 7 to 10 days from drug use and persisting for at least 3 months. A 2022 paper reports that there is evidence of cocaine in the hair 6 months after use.

However, hair testing poses some reliability issues. It may not detect low-level use, such as a single use of cocaine. People who cut their hair can also expect a shorter positive testing window, since they may cut out the portions of the hair that will test positive.

It is also possible for the hair to contain traces of cocaine if the substance touches the hair, meaning a person could test positive even if they do not use cocaine themselves.

Saliva cocaine test

Saliva tests for cocaine can measure the presence of cocaine for 1 to 36 hours after a person’s last use. The purity and quantity of the cocaine, as well as a person’s metabolism, determine how long it is present in the system. People who take repeated doses of cocaine may take longer to metabolize it.

Blood cocaine test

Blood tests can look for cocaine or its metabolite in the blood plasma. This test is only useful for detecting recent use, as it has a short detection window of around 2 to 12 hours.

Doctors typically use blood tests for cocaine in emergencies.

How is cocaine metabolized? 

Cocaine metabolism mainly takes place in the liver. Chemicals known as pseudocholinesterase (PChE) and carboxylesterase type 2 break down cocaine into ecgonine methyl ester, which is an inactive metabolite of the drug.

Next, enzymes break cocaine down into benzoylecgonine. This is the chemical most cocaine tests look for.

The metabolites created by the metabolization process travel to the urine, hair, saliva, and bloodstream, eventually leaving the body.

A person’s natural levels of PChE may influence the rate at which their body breaks down cocaine. Lower levels of this chemical may increase the risk of overdose and other negative cocaine effects.

Risks and dangers of cocaine use

Cocaine is a stimulant drug, which means that it increases activity in the central nervous system. This can make a person feel more energetic, but it may also cause anxiety or aggression.

The other risks of cocaine use include:

• cocaine use disorder
• paranoia
• irritability
• nausea and vomiting
• high blood pressure
• rapid heart rate
• sleep difficulties
• loss of appetite

Long-term use of cocaine may cause:

• damage to the heart and liver
• death
• lung damage from smoking
• damage to the nose from snorting the drug
• organ failure
• weight loss or malnourishment
• conditions such as HIV from injecting cocaine

Cocaine use can result in overdose and, ultimately, death.

»Learn more: The risks and dangers of cocaine use

Seeking help for cocaine use

A person who needs to know how quickly cocaine leaves the body may need help with their cocaine use.

This is because cocaine exits the body quickly. A person who is unable to abstain for a few days or who has concerns about withdrawal may have a substance use disorder.

Some other signs a person might need help include:

• difficulty stopping cocaine use despite trying
• using cocaine to feel “normal”
• needing more cocaine to achieve the same effects
• experiencing health problems associated with cocaine
• experiencing serious relationship, financial, legal, or workplace difficulties because of cocaine use
• relying on cocaine to manage the symptoms of a mental health condition or to mask physical pain

Substance use disorder is a medical problem, not a personal failing. It requires medical treatment, including support to manage withdrawal symptoms and any underlying issues, such as depression, that may contribute to a person’s cocaine use.

A doctor, mental health professional, or emergency department can help a person find the assistance they need.

People must also seek help immediately if they think they have taken too much cocaine or if someone else has. The signs of a cocaine overdose include:

• fast heartbeat
• high blood pressure
• high body temperature
• sweating
• restlessness or agitation
• headache
• paranoia
• delirium
• hallucinations
• shortness of breath
• nausea
• vomiting or diarrhea
• dilated pupils
• blurry vision or vision loss
• blue-tinged fingers or toes
• chest pain
• seizures
• difficulty breathing

Help is available

Seeking help for addiction may feel daunting or even scary, but several organizations can provide support.

If you believe that you or someone close to you is showing signs of addiction, you can contact the following organizations for immediate help and advice:

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): 800-662-4357 (TTY: 800-487-4889)
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988

Summary

Cocaine is a powerful drug that can damage a person’s health and well-being. Its short half-life means that a person who quits using cocaine can expect to experience withdrawal very quickly.

People concerned about cocaine drug testing should avoid cocaine for as long as possible. It is also important to consider that, if cocaine interferes with work or school, this could be a sign that a person has become dependent.

A compassionate, knowledgeable health professional can help a person find treatment. Recovery is possible, and can help a person enjoy a better quality of life.

 

• Uncategorized
• Public Health
• Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

• Cocaine. (2024).https://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/cocaine
• Fluyau D, et al. (2024). Drug addiction.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549783/
• Hadland SE, et al. (2016). Objective testing – Urine and other drug tests.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4920965/
• Jeromel L, et al. (2022). Molecular imaging of human hair with MeV-SIMS: A case study of cocaine detection and distribution in the hair of a cocaine user.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0263338
• Kale N. (2019). Urine drug tests: Ordering and interpretation.https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/0101/p33.html
• Richards JR, et al. (2023). Cocaine.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430769/
• Richards JR, et al. (2023). Cocaine toxicity.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430976/
• Roque Bravo R, et al. (2022). Cocaine: An updated overview on chemistry, detection, biokinetics, and pharmacotoxicological aspects including abuse pattern.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9032145/

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Medically reviewed by Jillian Foglesong Stabile MD, FAAFP, DABOM — Written by Zawn Villines — Updated on May 19, 2025

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