How long does Xanax stay in your system?
How long does Xanax stay in your system?
- Asked
- 15 Jun 2009 by jonalene
- Updated
- 16 April 2019 (5 days ago)
- Topics
- xanax, alprazolam, drug test
Details:
Responses (11)
Official Answer
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Nov 1, 2018.
The mean plasma elimination half-life of Xanax is reported to be 11.2 hours. The full range is from 6.3 to 26.9 hours in healthy adults.
For a drug to be totally eliminated from your system it takes 5.5 times the half life.
If we take the maximum time of 26.9 hours times 5.5, it will be in your system for approximately 148 hours i.e. 6 days, after your final dose.
https://www.drugs.com/pro/xanax.html
sotjwaslike
15 Jun 2009
24-72 hours
hardfi
11 Jul 2010
Sorry, took some today. This happens to be the hardest narcotic to recover from. Every time you urinate (sorry, I know that is disgusting), you only release 1% from your system so if you are asking because of a UA, I strongly recommend you take as little as 1 mg and a half because that's the only way it won't show up in 4 days. Its an ugly addition, unfortunately it is the only drug that makes life livable sometimes. I would have been dead if I hadn't stayed with them for seven years.
oxyaaron
16 Dec 2010
xanax is not a narcotic.
bentherebefore
23 May 2017
Thats kind of funny i thought the dea classified xanax as a narcotic???
Pillzard_1990
16 Jul 2010
Now I know that all of these answers may be true, and I'm young but i've done plenty of research and where most people and websites even say that it stays in your system for 3-6 days.. Some health care professionals say it can stay in your system if abused over a long period of time for 30-60 days. Only reason I know this is because I was being treated with Suboxone at a clinic. At this clinic we were drug tested every time we came in to see the doctor. They can't stress enough how dangerous any benzodiazepine combined with any opiate, especially with suboxone can be. It can be DEADLY! Despite that, after I started going to the clinic I stopped using xanax completely, I never used any benzo's at all during treatment. Now this is where I say these answers can be wrong...
penny12
23 Aug 2010
can a person take suboxen and xanaxs' on the same days just different times
krissa
30 Nov 2010
xanax and suboxone go to the same part of the brain that is called ''the pleasure center.If the sub gets there first it will block the effects of xanax.
As well the reverse is true xanax will decrease the effects of suboxone.So since suboxone only lasts 24 hrs I take the sub in the AM and wait as long as possible to take xanax,late afternoon or bedtime for the best results.If your dr did not advise you on this matter ask!If you are doing this on your own you are playing Russian Roulette.
themikester
29 Jan 2012
On the question of Xanax taken with Suboxone. These two drugs should never be taken together. They create a synergistic effect that increases the potency of each medication. Suboxone does not block the effects of Xanax. They work on two totally different parts of the brain. Taken together than can cause you to stop breathing. So you won't even know you are dying. I know this from personal experience. Thanks to the help of God and a very special group of people, I don't choose to do that today... and that, in itself, is a miracle.
darkangel11
12 Mar 2012
To be on the safe side, give it 3 weeks before getting tested (urine test).
DzooBaby
13 Mar 2012
I take Xanax twice a year right before a dental appt so I know exactly what day I took the medicine and how much I took. I took ONE 0.5mg dose of Xanax and had it show up on a pre-employment drug screen 6 WEEKS later so it can be detected in the urine a long time. It may not be acting on your system for that long but it can show up in urine for a long time after you take it. I'm NOT a chronic user as I take one or maybe two the same day as my dental appts twice a year and that is it. If you are asking because of a drug screen, I wouldnt take it for at least two months before you do a clean UDS free of Xanax metabolites.
darkangel11
14 Mar 2012
Have you taken any other meds such as antibiotics before the drug test? Some meds can slow down the benzo elimination process.
sshirley1
22 May 2013
I had anxiety issues since puberty. My hands would always shake. When I was first in my fifties I was prescribed 4 of the same type of drugs. All of them made me want to sleep about 14 hours a day. Xanax was the last and worst one. I only took 1 mg pill. Besides being tired, my brain was so foggy i could not function for sevearl days at work. I lost my job. The foggy ness went away after a couple of weeks. The tiredness did not. A couple years later my son was diag nosed with ADHD and was prescribed adderall. I went to the same therapist and convinced him to prescribe me the adderall. I have been on it for about six years. My hands no longer shake. It helps me with the wanting to sleep 14 hours a day. My anxiety is much less. I do have to be careful how much I take. Too little, no help with wanting to sleep, too much and it actually causes me anxiety. somwhere between 22 mg is 30 mg is what works once in the morning.
masso
1 May 2016
Xanax has an elimination half-life that ranges from 9 hours to 16 hours in healthy adults.
This means that it will take most people within the span of 9 to 16 hours (post-ingestion) to eliminate 50% of the drug from their body. On average (among most users), the half-life of Xanax is around 12 hours. This means that most people will have fully eliminated (100%) the drug from their system within 4 days.
Albear
1 Nov 2016
One week
NitroGlory
2 Nov 2017
Hello Hope this helps, okay so your gonna see tons of info to your question here on this forum and many others heres my experience.
On a Thursday I took one xanax , I got a call about a job offer i really wanted however per that jobs policy in driving no drugs prescribed or other wise are allowed , mine was legal Doctor backed and all that.
I had Thursday , Friday , Saturday , Sunday and Monday to get clean With todays drug screen advancements I took no chances .Stay off it , get cranberry juice and water , pee like a leaking pipe pee pee and more pee , then pee some more . too much water is bad becarful though. Tuesday took the pre and passed. Simple.
DogLoverInOhio
27 Nov 2018
Old thread but drinking water to speed up process doesn't work because water had nothing to do with Xanax elimination. It is fat soluble so you just have to let nature take it's course. Everyone is different due to weight, age, sex, amount, how you took..endless factors. The latest I've seen is 11 days later, it showed up in trace amounts.
Shonda thorn
5 days ago
7 days
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I have heard the withdrawal sypmtoms peak after 72 hours but the lingering
detox symptoms could take months. I hope not.
I have been off xanax for a week now. Very low dosage for about 5 years.
I would have tried to get off of it along time ago if I knew how addtive it was.
I don't crave it, I am actually angry of how it affected me and how it
is trying to hang on with, insomnia, nervous tremors, and the feeling I am going to jump out of my skin. The symptoms appear to be gettting better.
I am not trying to discourage anyone from taking xanax. I believe now that it could have been more helpful in the short term if I had gotten
professional help for my panic attacks and anxiety. Please do the research and see what the pros and cons are for its continued used. thanks
I too was taking xanax for many years,at a relatively low dose at first. I definately agree with you sotjwaslike I had know idea just how addictive it was until I quit taking it. The withdrawal symptoms lasted 15 to 20 days for me and it was terrible,I had and tremors hot and cold flashes and twitched constantly. It literally felt like I was coming out of my skin. If you have been prescribed xanax and its working for you just be careful it is highly addictive. Not trying to discourage anyone just be careful.
It's been awhile since I have read any of the Q&A on this website but I did today & I was glad tsee that the answers are more detailed now & more helpful. I thought Randy and Jeffrey had great replies, I like that they make sure readers would understand that was their experience with Xanax, it's different for everyone! they never said don't take Xanax. It can and does work for some people, others it doesn't. I feel what they listed are things we should be asking and talking to our DR'S about before taking any new Medication! Thanks Jeffrey and Randy for taking the time to answer how long does Xanax stay in your system! It actually answered some other questions for me!