How Long Does Codeine Stay in Your System

What is Codeine

Codeine is an opiate drug that is used as a cough medicine and also as a pain killer and anti-diarrheal. Codeine users have a high tendency of drug abuse and/or dependence, more so when used recreationally. Prolonged usage of codeine has been known to yield an array of side-effects, which include, but is not limited to, the clouding of one’s judgment, sedation and lack of coordination.

How long after the last dose does Codeine show up on a drug test

To stop taking doses of codeine does not mean that the drug will clear out from the system immediately. There is a time gap between ingestion and complete excretion of codeine and its metabolites. Indications suggest that for most individuals, 50% of the drug will be excreted from the body 2 hours 54 minutes post-ingestion. The other half may take up to 17 hours to be completely eliminated.

However, this may vary depending on the individual’s physiological conditions like age, build, hepatic and renal conditions, urinary pH and metabolic rate and also the frequency of dosage and amount of the dose.

How long does codeine stay in Urine, blood, saliva and hair follicle

Type of test	Duration for revelation of positive result
Urine sample	2-4 days
Blood Sample	12 hours
Saliva	Up to 4 days
Hair follicle	90 days

How to get codeine out of your system

Stay hydrated: Drinking lots of healthy fluids can ensure that your body will excrete codeine out with the urine, staying dehydrated or not drinking enough fluids can slow this process down.

Stay on a healthy diet: Eating a healthy diet and dietary supplements may be helpful when trying to get codeine out of your system.

Working out: Working out on a daily basis boosts metabolism, improves blood-flow to certain parts of the body, thereby aiding in elimination.

Enzyme inducing drugs: The enzymes in the liver that metabolize codeine can be further induced and increased by consuming certain drugs.