How long does Adderall stay in your system?

Adderall is a household name now. The central nervous system (CNS) stimulant drug has seen more use as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment has extended into adulthood. While the brand name Adderall is well-known, its generic name, mixed amphetamine salts or dextroamphetamine with amphetamine, is not used as much. The drug is an amphetamine, closely related to the illegal drug methamphetamine. These generic names for Adderall bring up an important issue for those taking Adderall. This may explain why Adderall abuse and misuse is common compared to other treatment options for ADHD, particularly among college students. More importantly, for this article, prescription medication Adderall use will show up on tests for drugs of abuse as an amphetamine. If your workplace requires drug screening tests, you may want to make them aware of your prescription and the time of your last use.

How long does Adderall stay in your system?

The timing is important because, like all drugs, Adderall is processed and excreted by your body. After taking a dose, the level in the bloodstream peaks in three hours for immediate-release Adderall tablets or seven hours if you take the extended-release Adderall XR. Half of the drug is eliminated in 11 to 14 hours usually, a time termed the half-life. 

That means that if you took one Adderall 20 mg tablet, only about 10 mg would be left in your system by about 12 hours. By about 70 hours or five half-lives, 97% of Adderall is gone from the body, and it is basically all gone in about 76 hours. In that time, your liver has used enzymes to metabolize it, and your kidneys have been excreting it in the urine. Other factors can certainly alter the estimate.

Factors affecting the metabolism of Adderall

Variations in Adderall metabolism exist because not everyone’s metabolism of Adderall is the same.

Half-life of Adderall

The half-life of Adderall is usually listed as 9-14 hours after the last dose. A range of time is used because different amphetamine salts are metabolized at different rates. For instance, d-amphetamine has a half-life of 10 hours in adults, compared to 13 hours for l-amphetamine. In addition, children metabolize it faster than adults. The half-life range of 9-14 hours takes into account those variables. 

Adderall dosages

Naturally, a higher dose of Adderall will translate to a higher residual level when the half-life has passed. Half of a higher number is obviously more than half of a lower number. If you take a 30 mg tablet of Adderall, you will have a higher concentration in your bloodstream 9-14 hours later than if you had taken a 10 mg tablet. Lifewise, 70 hours after taking a dose, when only about 3% of the drug is left, there is still more if you took 30 mg compared to 10 mg. 

Age and metabolism

Despite their size, children metabolize and eliminate some drugs faster, and Adderall is one such drug. A child aged 6 to 12 can metabolize half of an Adderall dose an hour or two more quickly than an adult. Adolescents process it at a similar rate as adults.

Body mass and hydration

The half-life of Adderall is prolonged for heavier people. When the drug is distributed into a bigger body, it takes longer to get rid of it. A larger individual would still have less exposure, on a pound-for-pound basis, than a smaller person taking the same dose. It just takes them longer to get rid of the drug.

Since Adderall is eliminated from the body via urine output, urinating more by drinking more could be thought of as a way to rid the body of the drug faster. It doesn’t really work that way, though. While this may dilute the urinary concentration, the drug still needs the same time to be metabolized by the liver.

Exercise and lifestyle

Not only is overall body mass a factor, but body composition plays a role too. Higher body fat degrees may lead to wider drug distribution and lower elimination. Based on having a greater percentage of body fat, women could have a wider drug distribution than men. Having a leaner build by exercising and maintaining a healthy diet can lead to lower body fat over time, consequently having less fat to distribute the drug and faster drug elimination.

Other medications or substances

Part of how the liver metabolizes Adderall is via its CYP2D6 enzyme pathway. Unfortunately, multiple medications can inhibit that enzyme and consequently cause Adderall levels to rise. The fallout from excess amphetamine levels can be more adverse side effects of Adderall, such as tachycardia (fast heartbeat), hypertension, anxiety, and even seizures. Drugs that interact with Adderall by inhibiting the CYP2D6 enzyme include multiple different antidepressants, namely Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine), Wellbutrin XL (bupropion extended-release), and Cymbalta (duloxetine). Considering how often ADHD and depression coexist, these drug interactions are important to be aware of.

Adderall detection methods

You may want to know how long Adderall can be detected by a drug test. Well, the answer depends on a lot of variables. Foremost, the type of test matters, but as you’ve learned, other factors like age, dose, body composition, and body weight and size fit into your personal answer. The test type is important regardless of those other variables.

Urine test

A urine drug screen is the most popular method for looking for drugs of abuse. It is easy to collect, and detection time frames are acceptable. According to two drug rehabilitation centers, Recovery Village and Elevate Recovery, Adderall can typically be detected in urine for between one and five days, depending on the different factors that affect metabolism and how long the person has been taking the medication. 

Rehabilitation centers are often faced with managing substance use disorder, which can involve abuse and addiction to CNS stimulants. You can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 if you need help or know someone who may have a recreational drug Adderall addiction.

Blood test

Not as easy to collect, blood tests for drugs of abuse are usually only done by medical professionals in a clinical setting. Adderall may only be detectable by blood tests for 12 to 34 hours, per the rehab centers. The shorter detection window is another reason blood tests are not as common.

Saliva test

Saliva is easy to collect, but saliva drug testing is still not used much. In the case of Adderall, saliva can be positive for the drug for about 20 to 72 hours after a dose, based on the rehab centers’ estimates. The many metabolic factors at play could cause one person’s test to remain positive longer than another’s, even beyond this estimated timeframe.

Hair test

Both centers agree that hair testing for drugs of abuse remains able to detect Adderall for 90 days after a dose. The fact illustrates how Adderall really distributes into many different body tissues and that hair grows and falls slowly. With that said, hair testing for drugs of abuse is not common.

Methods for speeding up the removal of Adderall in your system

Time is what your liver and kidneys need to remove Adderall from your system. The liver’s metabolic work and the kidneys’ elimination work take time. No substances or actions have been proven to help speed this up after taking the drug. Smaller, leaner people who took a lower dose and had less frequency of use may have a lesser length of time Adderall remains detectable. Those taking CYP2D6 inhibitors may have to wait longer. As you can see, once you have taken Adderall, several factors influence how long it sticks around in your system, and none are modifiable at that point.