Understanding how long fentanyl stays in your system is important for safety, drug testing, and knowing how this powerful opioid affects the body.
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic, or lab-created, opioid. It is structurally and functionally similar to natural and semi-synthetic opioids such as codeine, morphine, and heroin, but it is much more powerful than those drugs.
Doctors typically use fentanyl as an anesthetic and to treat postoperative pain, breakthrough pain related to cancer, and other types of moderate to severe pain.
It is relatively easy to synthesize, ship, and store fentanyl and fentanyl-like drugs, which has unfortunately made this substance popular among some illicit drug manufacturers.
When used carefully by qualified professionals, fentanyl can be extremely beneficial, though no fentanyl use is completely risk-free.
Using fentanyl for recreational purposes – which many people do unknowingly by taking intentionally mislabeled drugs – is extremely dangerous.
How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Your System?
There is no single answer to the question, how long does fentanyl stay in your system?
One reason for this is that isn’t eliminated from the entire body at a consistent rate. So it may be detectable in one type of sample and undetectable in another, even if those samples were taken at the same time.
If the question, how long does fentanyl stay in your system, refers to how long will it show up on a drug test, there’s another reason why the answer can vary. Drug tests don’t only look for the actual presence of fentanyl. They also detect metabolites, which are substances that are created when the body breaks down fentanyl.
Fentanyl metabolites remain in your system even after the drug itself has been completely eliminated. Since specific metabolites are linked with specific substances, testing positive for a fentanyl metabolite is proof that you recently had fentanyl in your system.
Given these caveats, the following are general estimates for how long fentanyl may be detectable in a your blood, urine, saliva, and hair follicles.
How long does fentanyl stay in your blood?
Many sources report that fentanyl only stays in your blood for about 12 hours, but it may be possible to test positive on a blood test for up to two days after your most recent fentanyl use.
How long does fentanyl stay in your urine?
Urine tests are among the most common types of drug screens. If you submit a urine sample for analysis, you may test positive for fentanyl for 24-72 hours (one to three days) after the last time you used the drug.
How long does fentanyl stay in your hair?
Fentanyl metabolites are absorbed into hair follicles and can remain there for quite a long time. An analysis of your hair follicles may detect evidence of fentanyl use for as long as 90 days (three months) after your most recent use.
How long does fentanyl stay in your saliva?
Saliva tests have typically been considered unreliable for detecting fentanyl and other opioids. However, researchers with the University of Texas at Dallas have been working to develop a trustable rapid test. Some experts believe that an accurate saliva test may be able to find proof of fentanyl use for up to 72 hours (three days).
Dangers of Fentanyl Use
One important reason to want to know how long does fentanyl stay in your system is that this drug can expose people to significant and potentially irreversible harm, including death.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times stronger than morphine.
In the United States, fentanyl is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance. Schedule II is reserved for drugs that have “a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence,” but which also have medical value.
Two of the more substantial dangers of fentanyl use are addiction and overdose.
Addiction
Fentanyl use disorder, which is the clinical term for fentanyl addiction, is a progressive condition that robs a person of the ability to control the amount and frequency of their fentanyl use.
Symptoms of fentanyl addiction can include:
- Powerful cravings and urges
- Continued use of fentanyl even after experiencing physical, psychological, or social harm due to previous use
- Failing to meet responsibilities and/or withdrawing from important activities due to fentanyl use
- Using the drug in particularly hazardous circumstances, such as by combining it with alcohol or other substances
- Tolerance, which forces a person to use more of the drug to achieve its effects
- Withdrawal, which are highly distressing symptoms that a person develops when they try to stop using fentanyl
- Wanting to stop using fentanyl, but finding it impossible to quit
Fentanyl addiction is a treatable condition. But until a person gets the help they need to rid their system of fentanyl and live a healthier life in recovery, they remain in danger of myriad negative outcomes, including overdose and death.
Overdose
The increased use of fentanyl and fentanyl-like drugs has led to a dramatic rise in overdose deaths in the U.S. throughout the 21st century:
- From 1999-2023, the annual number of overdose deaths in the U.S. rose from 16,849 to 105,007. This represented an increase of more than 523%.
- Over that same period, the number of fentanyl-involved overdose deaths rose from 730 to 72,776 – a 9869% increase.
- The 2023 data means that nearly 70% of all overdose deaths that year involved fentanyl or a fentanyl-like substance.
Overdose occurs when a person has more of a drug in their system than their body can safely metabolize and eliminate. Common signs of fentanyl overdose include:
- Severe disorientation
- Loss of consciousness
- Inability to be awakened
- Faint heartbeat and pulse
- Slow or shallow breathing
- Skin that is cool or clammy to the touch
- Blue or purple coloration near lips and fingertips
If you are with someone who exhibits the signs of a fentanyl overdose, call 911 immediately and stay with the person until help arrives. Position the person on their side to minimize risk of choking if they vomit.
If you have Narcan, administer it either immediately before or after you call 911. Even if the individual is revived by Narcan, they may still be in significant danger, and they need to be evaluated by a qualified professional.
Find Help for Fentanyl Addiction in Atlanta
The best way to eliminate your risk of fentanyl addiction and overdose is to never use the drug. If you’ve already begun to use it and can’t stop, please know that help is available and treatment works.
Valor Behavioral Health offers personalized outpatient care for adults and adolescents who have become addicted to fentanyl and other drugs. We also serve patients who have anxiety, depression, and other co-occurring mental health concerns.
Treatment options at our outpatient fentanyl rehab in Atlanta include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), and intensive outpatient program (IOP), and an outpatient program. At each of these levels, adults and adolescents receive age-appropriate care in separate treatment environments.
To learn more about how we can help, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
