How Long Does Fentanyl Stay In Your System?

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fentanyl definition

When a person takes fentanyl, it takes a while for their body to break down the drug and eliminate it. How long does fentanyl stay in your system, and what types of drug tests can detect it?

Call Bright Future Recovery today at 831-245-1623 to begin drug and alcohol rehab in Northern California.

What Is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic (lab-created) opioid that is extremely powerful and can quickly lead to addiction:

  • According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl can be as much as 50 times more potent than morphine and up to 100 times stronger than heroin. 
  • The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has classified fentanyl as a Schedule II controlled substance. This classification means that the DEA has determined the drug has “a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence.”

Uses of Fentanyl

The primary medical uses of fentanyl are to treat patients who have been experiencing severe pain and to supplement anesthetics before or during surgery. Depending on the context in which it is being used, fentanyl may be administered by injection, in a nasal spray, through a transdermal patch, or as a dissolvable film or lozenge.

Unfortunately, since fentanyl is relatively easy to create and transport, it has become a popular option for some illicit drug manufacturers. People who engage in recreational substance abuse may unintentionally ingest fentanyl without realizing it, because the drug is sometimes surreptitiously added to heroin, cocaine, and other street drugs.

Effects of Fentanyl

As with other opioids, fentanyl acts as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. This means that is slows the delivery of messages between the brain and other parts of the body, which can cause effects such as:

  • Deep relaxation
  • Euphoric mood
  • Easing of pain
  • Slowed heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration

Less pleasurable effects can include disorientation, nausea and vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, cramping, dizziness, and muscle weakness.

The Dangers of Fentanyl 

Unless it is administered by a qualified professional for a legitimate medical purpose, fentanyl use can easily lead to addiction, overdose, and death. In 2023 alone, synthetic opioids other than methadone (a category composed primarily of fentanyl) contributed to 72,776 overdose deaths in the U.S. 

How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Your System?

The question, how long does fentanyl stay in your system, can have several correct answers, depending on factors such as:

  • Your age, gender, weight, and metabolism
  • How much fentanyl you have been using
  • How long you have used fentanyl
  • If you have certain medical conditions
  • What type of sample you are required to submit

Types of Tests

“How long does fentanyl stay in your system?” can be a misleading question for two reasons:

  • First, as we will discuss in greater detail below, fentanyl can be detected for different lengths of time in different parts of your body.
  • Second, drug screens don’t only look for the drugs themselves. Most can also detect metabolites, which are substances created as byproducts when your body breaks down (or metabolizes) a drug to prepare it for elimination. 

Different metabolites are produced for different drugs. When your body breaks down fentanyl, the two resultant metabolites are norfentanyl and despropionylfentanyl. Metabolites can remain in your system even after the drug has been completely eliminated. Since they can be connected with a specific drug, testing positive for a metabolite is proof that you recently used that drug.

Having established that, here are general estimates of how long fentanyl or fentanyl metabolites may be detectable in your system, based on what type of sample the test analyzes:

  • Urine: Drug screens may detect fentanyl or its metabolites in urine for up to 72 hours (3 days) after the last time a person used the drug.
  • Blood: Blood tests may return a positive result for fentanyl for about 12-24 hours after a person’s last dose.
  • Saliva: Saliva tests for fentanyl are rare. Some sources assert that fentanyl is not detectable in saliva, while others claim that a person may test positive on a saliva test for up to three days. 
  • Hair: Metabolites such as norfentanyl and despropionylfe can be absorbed into hair follicles, where they can remain for an extended period of time. An analysis of hair follicles may find evidence of fentanyl use for 90 days (three months) or longer after a person’s most recent dose.

Signs of Fentanyl Abuse & Addiction

A drug test isn’t the only way to determine if someone has been using fentanyl. Anyone who has used, or has become addicted to, this dangerous substance may exhibit a range of warning signs.

Fentanyl Abuse

By definition, any non-medical use of fentanyl can be considered abuse. Signs that someone has been illicitly using this drug may include:

  • Confusion or disorientation
  • Significant change in mood
  • Difficulty staying awake
  • Delayed responsiveness
  • Problems focusing and concentrating
  • Impaired coordination
  • Slow breathing

Fentanyl Addiction

When a person’s fentanyl use causes them to become addicted, they may exhibit symptoms such as:

  • Trying to buy, borrow, or steal opioids that were prescribed to someone else.
  • Using fentanyl and other opioids in larger amounts or for a longer period of time than they intended
  • Failing to meet their responsibilities at home, in school, or at work as a result of their fentanyl use
  • Continuing to use fentanyl even after they have incurred physical, psychological, or social damage as a result of their prior use
  • Developing tolerance, which means that can use larger amounts of fentanyl without feeling the same effects that they used to
  • Having withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop using fentanyl
  • Wanting to end their opioid use, but being unable to do so

Compulsive fentanyl use can have fatal repercussions. Anyone who exhibits the types of symptoms listed above should consult with their doctor or be assessed by a qualified addiction treatment professional. 

Completing a thorough evaluation and receiving an accurate diagnosis can be vital steps on the path effective toward treatment and successful recovery.

Find Fentanyl Addiction Treatment in Northern California

Bright Future Recovery offers personalized care in a luxurious environment for adults who have become addicted to fentanyl and other substances. Treatment options at our fentanyl rehab in Northern California include detox, residential care, an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and a virtual IOP. We work closely with each patient to identify the full scope of their needs, so that we can be sure we’re providing the customized services that are best for them.

To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.

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