Adderall is a chemical compound usually detected in urine between 72 – 96 hours of the last use. It stays in the blood for up to 46 hours, saliva for up to 50 hours, and hair for three months. The time factor depends on several factors, including the pH content in urine, frequency of the drug use, dose, weight of the individual, and last use. Therefore, finding the exact answer for how long does Adderall stay in your system is difficult because of the changing conditions and compositions.
Adderall is available for consumption as a prescription medication. However, people often misuse it and become addicted to the drug leading to overdose, addiction, and adverse effects such as unhealthy weight loss, cardiovascular diseases, and psychotic symptoms. It is possible to overcome dependence on the drug by approaching a professional substance abuse treatment.
What is Adderall?
Understanding the drug is beneficial before finding the answer to how long does Adderall stay in your system. Adderall is a stimulant medication used for treating ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. The drug consists of both dextroamphetamine and amphetamine compositions. Branded pharmaceutical companies that sell the medicine with the composition include Adderall, Adderall XR, and Mydayis. The immediate-release form of the drug is available in oral tablets, while the extended-release formula is available in capsule form.
The drug’s effect relies on the version of the drug and the time for which an individual consumes it. Nonetheless, the immediate-release medication has a lasting effect for about six hours, while the extended-release formula has a day’s effect that requires the consumption of only a single capsule each morning.
How long does Adderall stay in your system?
Upon consumption of the medication, the gastrointestinal tract absorbs Adderall, or it gets deactivated by the liver or remains unchanged and passes through the urine. About 25% of the medicine converts into metabolites, including benzoic acids and hippuric acids.
How long does Adderall stay in your system is dependent on several factors. For instance, the rate at which it passes out through the urine is dependent on the pH of the individual’s urine. If a person’s urine content has a low pH level, the drug removal rate from the system is faster. On the contrary, when the pH level is high, the drug removal rate from the system is very slow.
The other factors that determine how long does Adderall stay in your system are:
- Frequency of Adderall consumption
- The dosage of the medication
- At what time the individual consumed the drug
- Weight of the person
- Liver or kidney impairment
Is It Possible to Abuse Adderall?
People diagnosed with ADHD often consume Adderall as part of their treatment and follow the prescription assigned by their respective doctors. However, people often misuse it, and the numbers are scary. Between 2016 and 2017, the number increased from 5.1 million to 5.2 million, involving people aged 12 and above.
People who misuse the drug obtain it illegally or buy it using someone else’s medical prescription. Apart from consuming it orally or in the capsule form, an addict resorts to injections, snorting, and crushing the substance to intensify the “high” that the drug delivers. School and college students consume the medication to enhance their performance, while adults consume it to perform at their respective employment.
Continuous usage of the drug without a frequent diagnosis from a doctor causes addiction. In addition, abusing the drug leads to paranoia, anger, addiction, heart ailments, and psychotic problems.
What are the Signs of Addiction?
The answer to how long does Adderall stay in your system is inconclusive and dependent on the dosage, medication form, and time frame. However, continuing drug consumption leads to addiction, which interferes with different segments of a person’s life, such as health, relationships, employment, and education.
The following are the signs of addiction:
- Consuming Adderall for a more extended period than prescribed by the doctor
- Inability to control the consumption of the drug
- Spending plenty of time acquiring the medication
- Difficulty in being responsible at home, school, college, and work
- Continuing Adderall even if it is causing interpersonal and social problems
- Giving up on hobbies
- Building tolerance towards Adderall
- Noticing withdrawal symptoms when stopping the medication
What Happens When You Stop Adderall?
It is fascinating to learn how long does Adderall stay in your system and its compositions in the body. Adderall can remain in the body for a few hours to an entire day, depending on the medicine version (immediate or extended). But stopping the pill leads to withdrawal symptoms that vary from one person to another. These symptoms are common for people who misuse the drug and develop a psychological addiction to the drug. The withdrawal symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Cravings
- Depression
- Agitation
- Insomnia
- Vivid dreams
- Increased appetite
- Slow movements
- Reduced heart rate
Getting Help
The answer is relatively straightforward for how long does Adderall stay in your system. Getting assistance at the proper time is vital to avoid addiction and dependency on the medication. Although the drug is helpful for people suffering from ADHD and narcolepsy, adequate monitoring is crucial to prevent side effects and increased dependence.
Participating in substance abuse treatment programs helps anyone free themselves from Adderall addiction. Active participation in behavioral therapies, exercises, contingency management, and cognitive-behavioral therapies help stop addiction and learn strategies that help stay clean. The treatment procedures start with medical detox under the supervision of an expert to overcome the withdrawal symptoms of Adderall. After that, patients can choose from in-house treatment programs that include learning techniques to cope with the situation and undergo therapies that decrease addiction to the drug.
Conclusion
The prescribed medicine to treat ADHD and narcolepsy is Adderall. However, continuous medication use leads to addiction, slows body movement, and causes side effects that affect heart, performance, and overall health.
Proper care, contingency management, exercises, cognitive therapies, and active participation in substance abuse treatment program helps avoid addiction to Adderall and dependency on the drug. How long does Adderall stay in your system is no longer an issue with an appropriate approach towards the treatment procedure.