The buprenorphine inside Suboxone has an average half-life ranging from 12 to 42 hours. Naloxone has an average half-life of 2 to 12 hours.[1]
Half-life refers to the time needed for a drug's blood concentration to reduce by 50%. Essentially, it is a way of describing how long a drug stays and acts in your body.
Half-life calculations are only one facet predicting the duration of stay of a drug in the system, which is more complicated. Your age, health, and other factors could make Suboxone persist much longer.
Your body must metabolize each dose of Suboxone you take. Some people work through the drug quickly and clear the medication from their systems faster. But sometimes, your body moves Suboxone slowly, allowing the drug to linger for longer periods.
Factors that could alter Suboxone metabolization include the following:
In general, it takes a week or less for Suboxone to get out of the system entirely. But your time can vary dramatically due to these factors.
Most drug testers search for narcotic substances that change how you look, act, or react. Buprenorphine is a narcotic but does not appear on a standard drug screen.[4] Someone must order a specific type of test to screen for buprenorphine. However, even if an employer tests for buprenorphine, the American Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people from discrimination, so it’s illegal for an employer to fire someone for treating their substance use disorder with a valid buprenorphine prescription.[5]
If you must go through a buprenorphine drug test, here's how long you might deliver a positive result:
Technicians take a small sample of your blood and test it for drugs. You'll test positive for at least 4 days when using this method. It's an uncommon type of Suboxone test, as it's expensive and takes a long time to complete.
Your hair contains a detailed record of all the drugs you've taken, and the results can be remarkably persistent. Even washing your hair won't help, as the drug remains embedded in the keratin. You'll test positive for at least 3 months with this method.
Technicians use swabs to gather saliva from your mouth. Your saliva holds traces of buprenorphine for about a week, even if you brush your teeth and use mouthwashes.
Technicians ask you to give a sample of urine in a small, tamper proof cup. You'll test positive for about 2 weeks with this method. It's nearly impossible to cheat on this test, as technicians gather data about the urine's temperature. If you bring in a sample and try to cheat, they'll discover your deception.
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