If you have substance use disorder or like to use illicit substances, alcohol, and marijuana, you may be tempted to purchase and use a drug detox kit if you know about an upcoming drug test. Drug detoxification kits are supposed to help rid your body of illicit substances, but their components and effectiveness may be suspect. Let’s look at what drug detox kits are and if they work.

What are Drug Detox Kits?

Drug detox kits either consist of pills or detox drinks that the individual consumes to speed up the process of removing a substance from their body. The kits are legal, but the ingredients and quality of what’s in them are poorly regulated. This means that you may not exactly know what’s in the kit or the purity of the natural ingredients.

How do they work?

The user consumes the items in the kit according to the directions. Some may have only one step. Others may contain several, and the kits may be single or multiple-day systems. Most kits have a diuretic effect to try to alter test results. If you decide to use one of those kits, it’s essential to replenish your body with electrolytes, as these kits dehydrate your body.

Are they effective?

The effectiveness of drug detox kits is suspect. The only ones that seem to get positive reviews are the drug detox kits for marijuana (THC) when they are used to pass a drug test for employment. However, it’s important to note that drug detox kits do not help with withdrawal symptoms or stopping your drug of choice for the long term. In other words, they don’t help with the time it takes your mind and body to recover from your substance abuse.

Types of Drug Detox Kits

Drug detox kits can be purchased online and created from articles on the Internet. There are drug detox kits for alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and other substances.

Online Kits

Online kits can be purchased from online retailers like Amazon and Walmart. These prebuilt kits contain pills, liquids, or powders that can be mixed with liquids. These offer the best results if the directions are followed precisely. It also is a good idea to purchase a test kit to see if the detox process is working.

Home Remedy Kits

If you can’t afford a prebuilt kit, you may search online articles and recipes for home detox. It’s important to understand that there’s no oversight on drug detox recipes. They are someone’s opinion about certain foods, drinks, and herbal supplements that can clear a substance from your body that could be dangerous. It is not recommended to try a detox recipe that you found online because it could contain toxic ingredients.

Anonymous User Feedback

Has Drug Detox Kits helped you?

Trying to beat a drug test

Most people use drug detox kits to beat a drug test, like the one you might have before getting a job, a random drug test at your current employer, or a drug test required by your sobriety program. It’s important to note that a drug detox kit may or may not help you pass a drug test, and the only sure way to pass a drug test is to abstain from drug use until the substance has naturally cleared your body.

How long are drugs detectable?

Since the best way to pass a drug test is to stop using your drug of choice, you may want to know how long the drugs will stay detectable in your body. The truth is that the amount of time they are detectable in your urine, blood, and hair follicles depends on the length of time you’ve been using, the amount you use per day, whether or not you have any medical conditions that would cause the substance to remain in your system longer than average, your gender, your weight, and the substance’s half-life.

• Adderall – Can be detected in a urine drug test for up to 3 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• Alcohol – Can be detected in urine samples for up to 2 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• Ativan – Can be detected in urine for up to 6 days and in hair for up to 30 days
• Barbiturates – Can be detected in urine for up to a month and a half and in hair for up to 3 months
• Cocaine – Can be detected in urine for up to 3 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• Codeine – Can be detected in urine for up to three days, saliva for up to 4 days, and in hair for up to 90 days
• Ecstasy – Can be detected in urine for up to 4 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• Fentanyl – It can be detected in urine for up to 3 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• heroin – heroin is present in urine for up to 3 days and in a hair test for up to 90 days
• Hydrocodone – It can be detected in urine for up to 4 days and a hair test for up to 90 days
• Ketamine – Can be detected in urine for up to 11 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• Librium – Can be detected in urine for up to 6 weeks and in hair for up to 90 days
• LSD (Acid) – Can be detected in urine for up to 4 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• Marijuana – Cannabis and other cannabinoids can be detected in urine for up to 30 days, in a hair test for up to 90 days, and a saliva test for up to 3 days. It can only be detected in the bloodstream for up to 4 hours.
• Mescaline – Can be detected in urine for up to 3 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• Meth – Can be detected in urine for up to a week and in hair for up to 90 days
• Methadone – is detectable in urine for up to 12 days and in hair tests for up to 90 days. It is also detectable in saliva for up to 10 days
• Morphine – Opiates be detected in urine for up to 3 days, in hair for up to 90 days, and a saliva test for up to 3 days. It’s only detectable in a blood test for 24 hours after the last use.
• Oxycodone – Opioids can be detected in urine for up to 4 days and in hair for up to 90 days
• PCP – Can be detected in urine for a month after the last use and in hair for up to 90 days
• Synthetic Marijuana – Cannabis can be detected in urine for up to 3 days and in a hair test for up to 90 days. It is detectable in blood and saliva for up to 2 days.
• Tramadol – Can be detected in urine for up to 3 days and in hair for up to 90 days. It’s only detectable in blood and saliva for 2 days
• Valium – Can be detected in urine for up to 6 weeks or a month and a half after your last use. Hair tests can show it for up to 90 days
• Xanax – Can be detected in a urine test for up to 4 days and in hair for up to 90 days

Withdrawal symptoms

When abstaining from your drug of choice, you could experience mild to severe withdrawal symptoms whether or not you use a detoxify kit. The detox kit does not help with your physical or mental symptoms. Therefore, it’s always recommended to use the services of a drug addiction recovery center, like Illinois Recovery Center in Swansea, IL.

Common withdrawal symptoms and side effects include:

• Anxiety and depression
• Headaches and migraines
• High blood pressure
• Inability to sleep
• Increase in heartbeat
• Muscle and body pain
• Nausea and diarrhea
• Psychosis
• Severe mood swings
• Tremors and seizures (if experienced, go directly to a healthcare professional)
• Delerium Tremens (if experienced, go directly to a healthcare professional)

Treatment

Treatment for substance abuse disorder and addiction often starts with medication-assisted drug detox (MAT), a replacement therapy. This is because many substances cause severe withdrawal symptoms that can make you very sick and discourage you from continuing your recovery. MAT treatments can help reduce your physical symptoms so that you can focus on your recovery.

Drug Detox with Illinois Recovery Center

Our caring, professional, compassionate staff at Illinois Recovery Center can help you detox and start your journey to sobriety. Our substance use disorder treatment center offers several addiction treatment programs, detox programs, and MAT detox services for alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and prescription drug dependencies.

To get the help you need, call us today.

FAQs

Cocaine is the second-most trafficked illicit substance in the world. Highly addictive, it only takes a few uses to make someone dependent on the drug.

Although the euphoric effects seem like fun for the recreational user, they often don’t realize the dangerous side effects that can also occur. For example, a condition called coke jaw is one of the main giveaways of a loved one’s addiction.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a powerfully-addictive stimulant made with coca plant leaves from South America. Although healthcare providers can use the drug for valid medical purposes, such as local anesthesia for certain surgeries, it is illegal to use it recreationally.

As a street drug, cocaine is a fine, white powder often mixed with inert substances like talcum powder, cornstarch, or flour to stretch inventory. Dealers may combine it with synthetic opioids like fentanyl or other drugs like amphetamine. Mixing cocaine with synthetic opioids is especially dangerous to those who don’t realize their drugs include additives.

How do people use cocaine?

Typically, people snort the powder through the nose or rub it into their gums. Some instead inject it into the bloodstream after dissolving the powder in liquid. Others may inject cocaine combined with heroin, a mix known as a speedball.

It is also common for people to smoke cocaine processed into a so-called rock crystal, at which point it’s known as freebase cocaine. This crystal is heated, producing vapors that a person inhales; this form of cocaine is called crack, referring to the namesake sound the drug makes under heat. Others may smoke crack by sprinkling it in tobacco or marijuana cigarettes.

Those who use cocaine will often take the drug in frequent binges, meaning they use it at increasingly higher doses within a short period to maintain their high. Cocaine binges can lead to serious side effects.

Coke Jaw

Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that speeds up the entire body. Side effects include jaw clenching and muscle twitching in the face, a condition known as coke jaw.

A person with this condition will visibly grind their mouth from side to side, leading to further health issues.

Withdrawal Symptoms and Side Effects

Coke jaw is a debilitating condition that can have potentially fatal side effects.

Bruxism

Many people grind their teeth without realizing it, and it can happen day or night. People who use cocaine grind their teeth more frequently than usual. The bruxism caused by excessive cocaine consumption leads to various dental problems, including worn enamel, cavities, tooth loss, dental erosion, and broken teeth. Using cocaine is also a leading cause of jaw pain.

Periodontitis

Some people prefer to rub cocaine onto their gums instead of ingesting it, aiming to achieve a faster high. This method works because any mucus cavity functions as an accelerant for cocaine. However, putting drugs on your gums runs the risk of causing inflammation. Inflamed gums can develop periodontal disease, a serious condition that damages supporting tissue; cocaine causes the tissue and bone beneath to be absorbed, receding the gum line and loosening teeth that can fall out.

Oral Palate Perforation

Those who snort cocaine through the nose experience constriction in the blood vessels carrying oxygen to the region. Without enough oxygen, the cells in the septum can’t sustain themselves and die, leading to necrosis and causing the septum to deteriorate in the nasal cavity. Perforation of the oral palate occurs when the roof of the mouth sinks in, making it difficult to speak, swallow, and eat.

Dry Mouth

Cocaine use decreases saliva production (saliva flow), causing dry mouth. At first, this condition doesn’t seem serious, but chronic dryness can lead to bleeding gums, gum disease, and tooth decay.

Side Effects of Cocaine Use

Cocaine use artificially increases levels of the natural chemical dopamine in brain circuits.

Usually, dopamine returns to the released cell, shutting the signal between the nerves. But cocaine prevents this recycling process, instead causing large quantities to develop between two nerve cells, disrupting their communication. Flooding the brain with dopamine reinforces the behaviors, leading to continued, often worsened, use as a person builds a tolerance to the drug.

Short-Term Side Effects of Cocaine Use

Using cocaine results in several short-term effects:

• Mental alertness
• Extreme energy and happiness
• Irritability
• Weight loss
• Hypersensitivity to sound, sight, and touch
• Extreme paranoia and unreasonable mistrust of others

Some claim cocaine helps them perform simple mental and physical tasks more efficiently, while others report experiencing the opposite effect. As a result, large quantities of the drug can lead to unpredictable, bizarre, and even violent behavior.

The effects of cocaine start almost immediately, disappearing within an hour. The intensity of the effects and how long they last depend on the method used to consume the drug. In particular, smoking or injecting cocaine leads to a more potent but shorter-lasting high than snorting powder; the high from snorting cocaine powder may last as long as 30 minutes, but the high from smoking dissipates after as few as five.

How does cocaine use impact physical health in the short term?

Using cocaine can result in several physical health effects, including:

• Nausea
• Restlessness
• Dilated pupils
• Constricted blood vessels
• Raised body temperature
• High blood pressure
• Tremors and muscle twitches
• Irregular or rapid heartbeat (heart attack)

Long-Term Side Effects of Cocaine Use

The long-term effects of cocaine use on physical health depend on how it’s consumed. The impacts may include:

• Snorting: Nosebleeds, loss of smell, frequently runny nose, and difficulty swallowing, speaking, or eating (coke jaw)
• Smoking: Respiratory distress, asthma, cough, and an increased risk of lung infections like pneumonia
• Needle injection: Increased risk of developing bloodborne diseases like HIV and hepatitis C, collapsed veins and scarring

While those who inject needles are at greater risk of contracting a bloodborne illness, even those who consume cocaine by other means place themselves at risk; the drug heavily impairs judgment, leading to risky behavior with infected partners.

In the long-term, cocaine can result in malnourishment because cocaine reduces appetite and jaw movement disorders that can occur after years of use, including Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, some people report restlessness and irritability from cocaine binges. Finally, others may experience auditory hallucinations, hearing noises that don’t exist, and severe paranoia, losing touch with reality.

Treating Coke Jaw

Licensed medical professionals can treat most of coke jaw’s impacts on the body. For example, a dentist can treat gum disease with a deep cleaning, repair cracked teeth, and fill cavities that formed from teeth grinding while on cocaine. Other effects are more challenging to treat; for example, treating a perforated oral palate usually requires surgery.

If you’re struggling with coke jaw and its effects, you must discuss the issue with your healthcare provider immediately; they can determine the treatments you’ll need. However, coke jaw is ultimately not a dental issue to tackle; it’s a substance use problem. In other words, you must stop using cocaine to prevent coke jaw from returning.

Getting Treatment for Cocaine Addiction

A person often starts using cocaine to feel the intense euphoria it creates. Almost immediately, cocaine use leads to happiness, feeling more energetic, and increased confidence. Because of these effects, cocaine is considered one of the most dangerous drugs in the world; the allure is powerful, but every day, someone who intends to use the drug recreationally becomes hooked.

No two drugs, people, or addictions are alike, so it’s essential to receive treatment from a facility that takes a personalized approach. A person’s individualized care may include any combination of the following proven methods:

• Individual and family counseling
• Group discussions
• Holistic methods
• 12-step group models
• Yoga and exercise classes
• Reiki therapy
• Diet and nutrition counseling

Behavioral therapy is also often included when treating cocaine. Some examples include:

• Cognitive behavior therapy: Talk therapy
• Therapeutic communities: Drug-free homes in which recovering residents help each other learn more about and change their behaviors
• Contingency incentives: Rewards for those who stay substance-free

Contact Illinois Recovery Center Today

Cocaine addiction can manifest in complicated ways that challenge you to your core. At Illinois Recovery Center, we understand that every person, every condition, and every story is different. That’s why we take a personalized approach to treatment, tackling the root causes that directly impact someone and the factors that influence their decision-making.

Sobriety requires consistent support from everyone involved, so. Contact us at Illinois Recovery Center today to learn more. Our staff will answer all your questions and provide essential information for your next steps.

FAQ

If you’re wondering how long fentanyl stays in the system, then you should read further. Fentanyl usually shows up on a urine test for 24 to 72 hours. While hair tests can detect fentanyl for up to three months. While a blood test can detect fentanyl between 5 to 48 hours upon ingestion, and will depend on the dose of fentanyl ingested.

However, saliva tests are not accurate enough to detect the presence of fentanyl. If you want to know more information on how long fentanyl stays in your system, then you should read further.

What Is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a potent drug that is similar to morphine. Physicians prescribe this drug to relieve pain due to cancer. These are also the prescribed painkillers for chronic pain when less potent opioids could not achieve the desired effect. Doctors often prescribe this medication to relieve pain after their patients undergo surgery.

Although it is similar to morphine, fentanyl is an opiate that is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Fentanyl is a prescription medication that physicians prescribe for severe pain, but illicit drug manufacturers also create it in the lab for sale on the street. In 2014, fentanyl overdose deaths began to increase steadily; in 2020, 56,526 people died of a fentanyl overdose. That’s why fentanyl abuse has increasingly become a cause of concern over the past several years.

The number of deaths from prescription opioids also remained high and peaked in 2017 at 17,029. In 2020, overdose deaths decreased slightly to 16,416. To make matters worse, illicit drug manufacturers have been adding MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin to fentanyl doses. They are doing this because it doesn’t require much fentanyl to create the desired high.

Because of this, fentanyl is cheaper than other substances, but trouble can begin because these dealers are not informing their customers that they are spiking their doses of fentanyl with other substances. Therefore, customers would be unaware that they are taking larger doses of opioids than they believed, which can cause them to overdose on these drugs.

How Does Fentanyl Work?

Fentanyl works by attaching to the brain’s opioid receptors, like heroin or morphine. These areas in the brain control a person’s emotions and regulate pain. While fentanyl interacts with these receptors, it causes the brain to release larger doses of dopamine. Dopamine comes from neurons within the brain’s reward center. The increase in dopamine is believed to be what causes the user to experience the euphoria of fentanyl high.

Fentanyl causes euphoria, but it can also cause the user’s breathing to slow down, increasing the risk that the person will experience an overdose. If this doesn’t occur and the person continues to ingest fentanyl regularly, the brain will adapt to the presence of fentanyl, so it won’t be as sensitive to the drug as it used to be. When this occurs, the user begins to lose the ability to feel pleasure from activities other than ingesting fentanyl. This is known as “tolerance,” leading to fentanyl addiction.

What Are the Detection Times for Fentanyl, and What Affects Them?

The detection times for fentanyl on drug tests differ. It will depend on the dose, and the type of drug test (hair, blood, or urine sample). After you ingest fentanyl, it will remain in your system based on the following factors:

Did you take other substances with fentanyl?

If you use other substances at the same time that you are using fentanyl, the other substances will affect how your body metabolizes fentanyl. The commonly mixed drugs with fentanyl are cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or a prescription drug. Mixing fentanyl with other drugs is extremely dangerous and life-threatening.

How often do you use fentanyl, and how long do you use it?

The length of time you use fentanyl and how often you use it can cause the substance to remain in your system for longer. The longer you’ve been using fentanyl, the longer it will stay in your system. Even long-term use of a fentanyl patch can remain in your system.

How did you use fentanyl?

If you ingest fentanyl intravenously, the substance will be eliminated faster than if you ingest the drug by other methods. Oral and transdermal fentanyl is also available.

How much did you take?

Taking a large dose of fentanyl will remain in your system longer than a smaller one. Even if you’ve been taking fentanyl for a short amount of time, but have taken too much dose, it will still remain in your system.

Is your liver functioning properly?

If your liver is not functioning adequately, this will cause it to take a more extended period of time to metabolize fentanyl. That’s why people who drug abuse fentanyl and who have a liver disease like cirrhosis, will have fentanyl in their system longer.

What about genetics?

Some people are unable to metabolize fentanyl efficiently because of poor enzymatic function. The enzyme CYP3A4 does most of the work metabolizing fentanyl.

What are your body mass index, body fat, and weight?

If you have more body fat than another user, your body will metabolize fentanyl slower. Scientists believe this occurs because the body redistributes the fentanyl to fat tissue.

What is your age?

If you are older, fentanyl takes longer to be eliminated from the body than in a younger user. Age does affect how the body metabolizes fentanyl.

How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Your System?

The following advanced specimen drug test can detect fentanyl in your system:

• Hair: Detects fentanyl for up to 90 days.
• Saliva: Detects fentanyl for one to three days.
• Blood: Detects fentanyl for up to 12 hours.
• Urine: Detects fentanyl for 24 to 72 hours.

For chronic or heavy users, this detection window can be extended. While it’s difficult to specify an exact number of days, fentanyl can be detectable in urine for several days beyond the standard 72-hour window. In some cases, this could mean up to 5-7 days or potentially longer, depending on the factors mentioned earlier (dosage, frequency of use, individual metabolism, body composition, and overall health).

Fentanyl’s half-life

Fentanyl has been a powerful synthetic opioid used in anesthesiology since the 1960s. It is highly potent, with an onset of action of fewer than 60 seconds. Fentanyl also has a short half-life, meaning its effects wear off relatively quickly.

However, fentanyl’s duration of action is still fairly long, at 30-60 minutes, with a half-life of 90 minutes from the last use. This makes it an ideal choice for use in emergencies. Fentanyl can be administered via different routes, including intravenously, subcutaneously, and intranasally.

Its peak effect usually occurs 2-5 minutes after administration. Overall, fentanyl is a versatile and effective medication that can be used in various clinical settings.

What Happens if You Take Too Much?

The risk of overdose on fentanyl is likely high because it is such a potent drug. The other reason many people overdose is because they are unaware that they are taking fentanyl, which has been laced with other substances.

For example, if you ingest Valium or Xanax with fentanyl, the likelihood of an opioid overdose would increase significantly. It may even lead to respiratory depression or cardiac arrest and the death of the user. Many people have died from overdoses, so you must call emergency services if you suspect someone is overdosing on fentanyl.

A medical professional or an emergency technician can administer naloxone and methadone, a medication that can reverse the effects of a fentanyl overdose. It works by attaching to the opioid receptors in the brain to block other opioids.

If a person experiencing a fentanyl overdose stops breathing, the naloxone can cause the person to start breathing again. If a person begins to overdose on fentanyl, it’s highly unlikely they can administer naloxone alone.

That’s why it is recommended that friends or family members of someone experiencing an opioid use disorder keep naloxone where they can easily reach it and administer it in the event of an overdose. Naloxone comes as a nasal spray, lozenge, transdermal patch, or tablet, or you may inject it into the person’s vein, muscle, or under the skin.

How Can You Safely Stop Taking Fentanyl?

Fentanyl was classified under Schedule II of the Schedules for Controlled Substances Act. This means that the use of fentanyl has a high likelihood of leading the user to psychological or physical dependence.

Therefore, if you or your loved one are physically dependent upon fentanyl, it isn’t safe to stop ingesting the substance. That’s because you will experience several unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, which may be particularly unbearable if you take large doses or use fentanyl for a long time.

It will only take 12 hours after you ingest your last dose of fentanyl for you to begin to feel the withdrawal symptoms. They can last for as long as seven days, but the first three days would be the hardest to endure.

Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms include the following:

• Muscle pain
• Chills
• Weakness
• Watery eyes
• Runny nose
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Increased heart rate
• Hypertension
• Difficulties sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Depressive symptoms
• Irritability

Fentanyl Addiction Treatment & Medications

If you or a loved one have been struggling with an opioid use disorder, the best option is to receive treatment at a drug treatment center. Treatment options are available and do not hesitate to seek help.

At Illinois Recovery Center, we will place you in our detoxification program to remove the substances from your body in the safest manner possible. During a detox program, we will administer weekly medications so you don’t have to experience the withdrawal symptoms listed above.

It is known as “medication-assisted treatment” or MAT, and we use Vivitrol, naltrexone, and SUBOXONE® to relieve unpleasant side effects of withdrawal symptoms. The detox process is only the beginning of your treatment for your substance use disorder. We address the physical dependence with the detoxification process, but you will need to continue with treatment for your psychological addiction to opioids.

Psychological addiction is the emotional or mental components of a substance use disorder. This includes your inability to think about anything other than fentanyl or the cravings you experience. The symptoms of a psychological dependence can include the following:

• You spend much of your time thinking about fentanyl or using it.
• You are no longer interested in the activities that gave you pleasure before fentanyl.
• You have strong emotional cravings for fentanyl.
• You believe you need to take fentanyl to sleep, socialize or function normally.

To treat your psychological addiction or dependence, we use behavioral therapies that help you adjust your thinking toward more positive and constructive thinking patterns. We also teach coping skills and ways to fight the triggers that lead you to use fentanyl. For this purpose, we provide you with the following therapies:

Group Therapy

Group therapy is essential for giving you the social support needed when recovering from an addiction. The sense of community lets you know that you are not alone and that others are having the same struggles that you are having.

Dual Diagnosis

Someone with a dual diagnosis has a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder that are active simultaneously. Many people are experiencing both substance use disorders and mental health disorders. The substance treatment community addresses these disorders simultaneously because this has proven to provide the best long-term results.

Contact us Today!

If you have a loved one dealing with fentanyl use or substance abuse disorder, do not delay in seeking help. The effects of fentanyl, especially when ingested in large doses are life-threatening. Do not wait opioid addiction will lead to a drug overdose.

Seek help from the best healthcare professionals. Both outpatient and inpatient programs are available.. Contact us at Illinois Recovery Center today if you are prepared to get help for your opioid use disorder.

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