Most of the cocaine users dread the period that the cocaine will take in their body systems. Traces of cocaine can be detected in the body system unit such as blood, urine, hair, saliva or sweat. The chemical name for the cocaine is known as benzoylmethylecgonine. Once the cocaine is taken, it is expelled out of the body after metabolism commonly through urine. The metabolite (a by-product of metabolic action) of cocaine is known as benzoylecgonine. The metabolite takes a relatively longer period to be expelled from the body system.
The period that the cocaine takes to stay in the body depends on the several factors. They include the amount of cocaine that was consumed, the frequency of taking the drug, the metabolic rate of an individual, and the body weight and height of an individual among others. The period of its detection also varies with the various drug test methods used. The below illustrations are methods used to detect the cocaine traces in the body system.
How long does cocaine stay in your urine?
It takes from 12 hours to 72 hours for the cocaine to be present in the urine. However, combination of alcohol and cocaine leads to a longer stay of cocaine in the urine. It averagely takes 5 days in the body. This is due to a formation of a different metabolite known as cocaethylene. For chronic users of the drug it takes from 10 to 14 days to be expelled from the urine the urine test is the mostly used type of cocaine detection in the body. This is due to the reason that it is more convenient, cheaper and less invasive as compared to others. It is however important to note that the metabolite of the cocaine takes a longer period in the body. When the cocaine taken was less, it takes 5 days to be eliminated. Heavy use of the drug takes 10 days and frequent users takes up to 20 days.
How long does cocaine stay in your blood?
The detection of the cocaine in the blood can last up to 7 days or even more. Huge dosage of cocaine takes longer period of time to be expelled from the blood. Prolonged use of the drug leads to body tolerance and in some cases traces of urine in blood cannot be detected among the users after the blood test. It is always best to combine blood testing method with other methods of blood testing.
How long does cocaine stay in saliva?
The saliva test is the less commonly use type of drug detection method. The test can reveal traces of cocaine in 12- 48 hours of cocaine presence in the body.
How long does cocaine stay in sweat?
The detection of the cocaine in the sweat largely varies for it to be detected as from 4 hours to several weeks.
How long does cocaine stay in hair?
The drug takes up to 90 days to stay in the Hair. It is detected in the hair from 5 days. It does not leave it traces at the base of the hair and there is a likelihood that cocaine won’t be found when the hair is cut or when the hair fall off. Hair testing method ha the widest detection period of the presence of cocaine however, it is not commonly employed due to its complex nature and the various factors that affect the result after the test.
Health effects of cocaine in the blood
The short term effects of the cocaine include irritability, restlessness, and impaired judgment, sleep difficulties, hallucinations and paranoia. The long term effects includes poor decision making, increased risk of infection including HIV and Hepatitis and suicidal tendencies.
The continuous use of the drug leads to damage of the body organs among them brain, heart, stomach liver, kidney and skin. In brain, it causes abnormalities, damaged brain vessels, and can lead to seizures. It causes heart attacks, high blood pressure, chest pains and can lead to sudden death. Inside the lungs, it can lead to wheezing sound, stuffy nose, dry cough and shortness of breath. It causes ulcers in the stomach, perforation of the walls of the intestines and can lead to tissue death. It causes kidney failure in the kidney and can lead to skin lesions on the surface of the skin.
The cocaine stay in the body system really varies from one person to another. It takes up to 6 months for frequent users to be free from the drug even after not consuming the drug. Cocaine use is extremely toxic to the body depending on the period it will take in the body system. In some instances, the test of the cocaine could be positive even without cocaine intake. The reason could be due to the chemical composition of some substances in the drugs that looks like the metabolite. Also, the equipments used adverse liver and kidney effects could alter the results.
