How long does Adderall stay in your system?

In this article:

• Half-life of Adderall
• How long is Adderall detectable in a drug test?
• Factors affecting Adderall metabolism
• Adderall cost
• FAQs

In this article

• Half-life of Adderall
• How long is Adderall detectable in a drug test?
• Factors affecting Adderall metabolism
• Adderall cost
• FAQs

Adderall (amphetamine-dextroamphetamine) is a prescription stimulant medication that can stay in your system for a few days, but the medication can be detected through certain drug tests several days after your last dose. People prescribed Adderall may be regularly monitored for drug levels because it’s a Schedule II controlled substance. It’s prescribed for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. In this article, learn about Adderall, its half-life, when it can be detected by certain drug screening tests, and what affects how long it stays in the system.

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What is Adderall’s half-life?

Adderall has a half-life of nine to 11 hours in children and adolescents 6 to 17 years old. In adults, the half-life of Adderall ranges from 10 to 14 hours. This is a large range because Adderall is made of a mix of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine salts which has the same chemical composition with a slightly different configuration. Dextroamphetamine (D-amphetamine) has a shorter half-life than amphetamine (L-amphetamine).

Immediate-release Adderall reaches peak blood concentrations about three hours after taking it, while the extended-release version, Adderall XR, takes about seven hours to reach peak blood levels. Though Adderall XR takes longer to reach peak blood levels, it gets metabolized at the same rate as immediate-release Adderall.

How long is Adderall detectable in a drug test?

Adderall can be detectable on drug tests as soon as one hour or up to 90 days after taking it. Detection time depends on the type of test used. Saliva tests can detect Adderall as soon as one hour, and up to 48 hours later. In one study, amphetamines were found to be detectable through saliva tests up to eight days after the last dose.

“Urine testing is the most common drug test method and can typically detect amphetamines for a few days after the last dose, depending on the individual and their patterns of use,” says Sam Zand, DO, psychiatrist and CEO of Anywhere Clinic. Urine tests can detect Adderall taken within a couple of days, up to four days. Though drug screens aren’t standard practice for the management of ADHD, these tests may still be requested by employers or healthcare providers to screen for substance use disorders.

Most urine tests may not be able to distinguish between Adderall and other amphetamines such as methamphetamine, an illegal substance. In addition, drug screening tests may also have false positives due to interactions with other medications. “Patients need to know that a positive test doesn’t always mean misuse,” says Vera Prisacari, MD, psychiatrist at ADHD Alliance of Minnesota in Edina, Minnesota.

“In fact, for my patients that are prescribed Adderall, I expect that test to be positive (it’s more of a problem if it’s not!). However, also note that if you’re not taking Adderall, you can still have a false positive result,” she says.

For this reason, “patients should always disclose any prescription medications they take,” says Dr. Zand, adding that some Rx can affect screening results and require additional testing.

Blood tests can detect Adderall within one to two days and in sweat between seven to 14 days after the last dose. Hair tests can detect Adderall up to 90 days after the last dose of the medication.

What factors affect how long Adderall stays in your system?

Adderall is metabolized by the liver and mostly cleared from the body through urine, so factors that can affect liver and kidney function, including liver and kidney disease, can impact how long Adderall stays in your system. Other factors include “urine pH, body weight and age, genetics, dose and frequency, and other medications which can affect metabolism or urine pH,” shares Dr. Prisacari.

Changes in urine pH, such as medical conditions and your diet, can change how much Adderall is cleared in the urine. Factors that change urine output such as hydration levels and diuretic medications can also change Adderall clearance.

Your diet with Adderall treatment can affect how long the drug stays in your system, shares Owen Muir, MD, psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Radial Health. “Two common ones are acid in the stomach, such as cranberry juice or lemonade.” Acidic urine (lower pH levels) speeds up clearance of the drug while antacids and alkaline urine (higher pH) can slow it down, he says.

Adderall is transformed in the liver by the enzyme cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6. Factors that modify how this enzyme works can affect how long Adderall stays in your system. These factors include certain drugs like bupropion and fluoxetine, genetics, and pregnancy. On genetic variants, Dr. Muir shares that some people may clear the drug very quickly or slowly, depending on which genes they have affecting their CYP enzymes.

According to its prescribing information, Adderall can be taken one to three times daily, while Adderall XR is taken once daily and released over a longer period. Though Adderall and Adderall XR reach peak levels at different rates, they’re cleared by the liver and kidneys at a similar rate.

How long does Adderall’s effect last?

Adderall’s effects can last for a few hours, but just because it’s detectable in your system it doesn’t mean it’s at a therapeutic level to control symptoms of ADHD or narcolepsy. As a reminder, Adderall’s half-life is between 10 to 14 hours in adults. “That’s how long the liver takes to break down half of the drug in the blood,” explains Dr. Muir. “However, the brain is where we want it to work,” he says, explaining that levels of drug in the nervous system is what determines how long its effect lasts.

Healthcare providers may recommend dosing Adderall one to three times daily, depending on the patient’s age and response to medication. The drug’s effects can last for four to six hours, while the effects of Adderall XR can last up to 12 hours. Dr. Prisacari shares her experience: “Adderall usually has three to six hour duration of clinical action and Adderall XR has up to [an] eight hour duration of action,” she says.

If you’re not sure whether your Adderall therapy is working effectively, it’s worth checking in with your healthcare provider for an evaluation. There may be certain lifestyle changes that can help make Adderall more effective, or your treatment may need adjustments to better control your symptoms.

How much does Adderall cost?

The cost of Adderall depends on your prescription, where you fill it, and whether you use insurance or discounts to help pay for it. The average retail price of the drug is around $916 for 60, 20 mg tablets of brand-name Adderall without insurance. However, generic versions of the drug are widely available and can cost less. Generic amphetamine-dextroamphetamine costs $129 per 60, 20 mg tablets without insurance on average, about seven times less than brand-name Adderall.

Read our article How much is Adderall without insurance? for a full cost breakdown of Adderall and its generic without insurance.

If you’re not using insurance to help pay for your prescription, a SingleCare Prescription Discount Card can help you save. With a SingleCare discount, brand-name Adderall can cost $632 for 60, 20 mg tablets, saving you more than 30% compared to the average retail price. You can use a SingleCare discount to save on generic Adderall, too. With a SingleCare discount, generic amphetamine-dextroamphetamine can cost $27 for 60, 20 mg tablets without insurance. This is about 80% in savings compared to the average retail price, and more than 95% in savings compared to the average retail price of brand-name Adderall.

SingleCare discount cards are free to get and can be used at many retail pharmacies such as Kroger, Walgreens, and Costco pharmacies.

Frequently asked questions

Does a higher Adderall dose, like 30 mg, stay in your system longer than 10 mg?

Not necessarily. This is because Adderall has a similar half-life range, regardless of the dose. Other factors may play a role in how long a dose stays in your system, such as your urine pH.

Can drinking water or changing your diet speed up how fast Adderall leaves your system?

Drinking water or changing your diet can affect urine production rate and pH, which may impact how fast Adderall is cleared by your system.

Will a standard drug test tell the difference between Adderall and other amphetamines?

A standard urine drug screening test may not be able to tell the difference between Adderall and other amphetamines, unless specific tests are done to differentiate them.