How Long Does Cocaine Stay In Your System?

There are several ways in which cocaine use can be detected. Tests that screen for cocaine use rely on urine, blood, sweat, saliva, or hair. The tests may look for cocaine, but more often they detect metabolites of cocaine, including benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester. Tests can be done quickly, in an office or in the home with results in minutes. Sending samples to a lab for testing takes longer but also provides more sensitive and accurate results.

How long after the last use that a screening test can detect cocaine or its metabolites depends on several factors. It depends on how much of the drug a person used, how long before the test the drug was used, how frequently and heavily a person used cocaine, individual health factors, and the actual type of test and its sensitivity. Some are more sensitive than others and can detect lower amounts of compounds in bodily fluids or hair.