If you've been taking Adderall, you probably know you can fail a drug test because of it. If you have a prescription, you can always explain your medical condition to your employer. But what about if you want to keep your medical history private? If you want to know how long does Adderall stay in your system, there are a few factors to consider. We'll go through all these and give you the facts.
Adderall and Drug Tests
Although Adderall is a legal prescription drug, it's made from a combination of amphetamines and dextroamphetamines. Common street drugs, such as speed and sometimes ecstasy, also contain amphetamines. This means they're routinely detected in workplace and pre-employment tests, even with the basic five-panel testing kits.
When working out how long Adderall will stay in your system, we need to consider it from the viewpoint of drug tests. Even if some Adderall is still in your system, you can still pass a drug test. This is because drug tests have a cut-off point to minimize the number of false positives.
The three most-common types of drug test are urine tests, saliva tests, and hair tests. All of these have different detection times that need to be considered.
So, How Long Does Adderall Stay in Your System?
Before we get to the point, we first need to point out these are guideline numbers only. Everyone's body is different, and factors such as lifestyle can also influence how long Adderall stays in your system. Always use a self-testing device that includes amphetamine detection to confirm you're really clean.
Starting with urine tests, Adderall can usually be detected in urine tests for 1-3 days after last use. This is much less than street drugs like weed, but it might still be inconvenient to go without medication for three days.
Saliva tests are much easier to pass. The average person should pass a saliva drug test 12 hours after last using Adderall.
Hair tests, unfortunately, are a different matter. Unless you have very short hair, the typical hair test will detect drug use in the past 90 days. You'll probably pass if you took Adderall once or twice, but any kind of sustained use will definitely show up.
What Should I Do about Drug Tests?
If you have a prescription, you can always inform your employer about it. If you're worried you may suffer discrimination, however, there are other options to consider.
Firstly, using a detox drink can get you through a urine drug test. These drinks are formulated to flush your urinary system clean. In as little as an hour, you can be ready to give a normal urine sample and not worry about Adderall showing up.
Hair drug tests present the biggest problem, but even these can be overcome with a special detox shampoo. Unlike a normal shampoo, these shampoos penetrate deep into the hair to dissolve and wash away toxins. This effectively wipes away your history of drug use, but remember that any hair that grows out afterwards may contain traces of Adderall.
Now you know how long Adderall stays in your system, make sure you're prepared in advance.
