Have you been using gabapentin and are worried whether this drug could be detected on a drug test? Sold under the brand name Neurontin, gabapentin is a drug prescribed to treat several conditions including epilepsy, hot flashes, and restless leg syndrome. It is also being prescribed as a treatment for neuropathy, which is pain related to nerve damage.
Gabapentin acts as a sedative that’s why it is often touted as the “non-addictive” alternative to opioids. It has become a popular go-to drug for people experiencing chronic pain. It is now one of the most prescribed drugs in America. When gabapentin overtook oxycodone prescriptions by several million doses, this raised an alarm whether the drug is being abused recreationally.
If you are to undergo a drug test soon while taking gabapentin, you might be wondering about whether the drug will be detected in your system. How long will gabapentin stay in your body? Will the drug show up in your blood, urine, saliva, or hair follicles? Read on to learn more about how long gabapentin will remain in your body.
How long does Gabapentin stay in your system, urine, blood, saliva, hair?
Gabapentin has a half-life of 5 to 7 hours. The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the body to clear half of the amount of drug you took from your body. In most cases, gabapentin will be out of your system in 48 hours.
However, this is not an absolute time frame. There are many factors that could affect how long any drug stays in your system. Some of these factors include your age, sex, weight, height, and your body’s metabolism. The function of your liver and kidney will also factor in.
Additionally, the amount of gabapentin you took will also affect the amount of time it stays in your system. Have you been taking the drug for a long duration or was it just a one-time dosage? How much of the drug did you take? Did you take just what was prescribed by your doctor or you took more than the recommended dose? The method of testing for gabapentin also affects whether it could be detected in your system.
Gabapentin Urine Test
Gabapentin is not usually one of the drugs tested in a urine drug test, unless it is specified. In such cases, the most common method to test for gabapentin is through a urine drug test. In a urine drug test, the drug can be detected in your system from 1 to 4 days.
Urine Test: 1 to 4 days
Gabapentin Blood Test
If you are to undergo a drug testing using a blood test, gabapentin could be detected for 5 to 7 hours only. While this is a very short period, take note that it will still depend on several factors whether the drug could be detected in your blood for a longer duration.
Blood Test: 5 to 7 hours
Gabapentin Saliva Test
A saliva swab test is not generally used to test the presence of gabapentin in your system. It is not a very reliable nor common way for gabapentin testing. However, it may be possible for gabapentin to stay in your saliva just within minutes of taking the drug for up to24 hours.
Saliva test: up to 24 hours
Gabapentin Hair Test
Hair testing is another method for detecting drugs in a person’s body, however, it is not a common way to test for gabapentin. While gabapentin could (in theory) stay in a person’s hair follicles for 90 days, it is very unusual to use a hair test to detect gabapentin. Unless the test is specifically looking for it, it will not usually show up.
Hair Test: 90 days
What if I have a legitimate Gabapentin prescription?
What if your doctor prescribed you gabapentin? Should you stop taking it before a drug test? If you have a legitimate prescription for gabapentin, you should not stop taking it without proper advice from your doctor.
Inform the person or company administering the test about the drugs that you are taking before the drug testing. Bring your prescription if required to clear up any confusion regarding the results.
How to get Gabapentin out of your system fast
If you are using gabapentin recreationally, you might be feeling scared about the drug showing up on your drug test. Maybe you’re looking for methods on how to get gabapentin out of your system fast. You might even be considering illicit methods like using fake pee.
Keep in mind, however, that these methods are just short-term solutions that may or may not even work. These will not help at all if you are struggling with gabapentin abuse. The best way to get gabapentin out of your system effectively and permanently is to seek the help of professional addiction recovery professionals.
If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, help is available.
Contact Anaheim Lighthouse today.
