The National Institutes Drug Abuse survey on Drug Use and Health conducted between 2015 and 2016 revealed that up to 12.5% of Americans use benzos. Of this percentage, 2.1% are abusers, with only 0.2% of the population meeting the criteria for this drug use.
Despite being a prescription medicine for treating panic attacks, sleeplessness, and anxiety, Xanax is a commonly abused benzodiazepine. The drug, whether under prescription or illegally, functions by increasing the activity of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain, calming the nervous system and reducing anxiety symptoms. Xanax effects start a few minutes after ingestion and can last for hours or days in your system.
Read on to find out how long does Xanax last in your system.
How Long It Takes To Feel Xanax Side Effects
Xanax is consumed orally and gets absorbed readily into the bloodstream. Less than an hour after ingestion, you will start feeling the Xanax effects, and the concentration will peak in an hour or two for occasional consumers. If you are a regular Xanax consumer, you will have built up a tolerance, hence will take longer to feel the sedation effects. Also, the effects on addicts and regular consumers may not be as strong.
How long does Xanax stay in your body?
Like most drugs, Xanax stays in the body long after an individual stops feeling its effects. The half-life defines the duration the body takes to eliminate half of the drug. According to experts, the half-life of Xanax in a healthy person is an average of 12 hours. Xanax will be fully clear from most people’s systems within two to four days, but the sedative effects will stop before the drug is fully off your system.
Factors Affecting The Xanax Half-Life
The Xanax half-life will vary among individuals based on the following factors:
- Age: Xanax lasts up to 16 hours in older people compared to 11 hours in younger, healthy adults.
- Weight: It is more difficult for the body to break Xanax in obese people. Therefore, obese people will have a longer duration of up to 21 hours, unlike healthy-weight people who will have 11 hours half-life.
- Ethnicity: Some studies reveal a difference in half-life based on ethnicity, with the duration increasing by 25% in Asians compared to Caucasians.
- Metabolism: Individuals with faster metabolism and those who exercise regularly will clear Xanax faster than those who are sedentary, reducing the Xanax half-life significantly.
- The liver function: The liver takes an active function in eliminating drugs. Therefore, Xanax’s half-life will be up to 19 hours in individuals with alcoholic liver disease.
- Amount of Xanax consumed: Each Xanax tablet contains different milligrams of alprazolam. Consuming higher dosages will amount to longer durations for your body to metabolize. The duration of taking Xanax has an equal contribution to its half-life. People who take Xanax regularly will have a higher drug concentration in their bloodstream, and it will take longer to eliminate. However, due to build-up tolerance, such people will not feel the drug effects for long.
- Drug interaction: Certain drugs may increase or decrease how long does Xanax last in your system. For instance, if you take drugs like nefazodone, oral contraceptives, and erythromycin, which inhibit CYP3A4, one of Xanax’s metabolizing pathways, it will take longer for your system to eliminate the drug. On the other hand, taking carbamazepine will decrease Xanax’s half-life.
- Smoking and alcohol intake: Generally, smokers metabolize Xanax faster than non-smokers, and the Xanax half-life will reduce by up to 50% in smokers. On the other hand, alcohol consumption will increase Xanax’s half-life. Taking Xanax with alcohol also poses dangerous side effects that could be fatal.
The Xanax Withdrawal
How long does Xanax last also includes understanding the Xanax withdrawal period. Due to the risk of addiction and dependence, it is inadvisable to recommend Xanax as a long-term solution.
Stopping Xanax treatment will cause withdrawal side effects. Therefore, if detoxing, liaise with a professional for a comfortable process. Your provider will recommend gradually reducing the dosage to decrease the severity of the withdrawal effects. Still, people who gradually reduce Xanax dosage will experience withdrawal effects, including the following:
- Body aches
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Exhaustion
- Intense mood swings
- Feeling detached from self
- Tension
- Memory loss
- Rapid heart rates
- Sweating
- Aggressive behavior
What Tests Can Detect The Amount Of Xanax In Your System
Determining how long Xanax last in your system depends on medical tests to prove the presence of the drug. Common tests to detect Xanax in an individual’s system include hair follicle analysis, urine tests, blood tests, and saliva swabs.
Urine tests are common but an inaccurate way to test for the presence of Xanax. This is because how long Xanax lasts in the urine depends on how heavily the user abused the drug. If someone is an occasional user, the urine test will be ineffective past four days. However, heavy users can detect the substance for up to a week.
Saliva and blood tests are ideal for shorter timelines. The saliva test will work for up to 2.5 days, and blood tests will be effective for a day after the last dose.
Finally, it takes longer for Xanax to appear in the hair than body fluids. Hence, a Xanax test immediately after consumption may come back negative. However, a Xanax test for up to a month or two will prove effective as the drug will accumulate in the hair follicles.
Seek Professional Help To Manage Xanax Addiction
Xanax is an effective treatment against anxiety and panic attacks. After consumption, Xanax will stay in an individual’s system for varying durations depending on their age, ethnicity, and drug interactions. To establish the presence of Xanax, your provider will conduct hair, blood, urine, and saliva tests. The effectiveness of these tests will be effective based on your last consumption.
Finally, while prescriptions are meant to manage a wide range of health issues, Xanax, even under prescription, will cause overdependence; therefore, sudden withdrawal can pose potential consequences. Therefore, talk to a professional for a comfortable process.
