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How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine?

Those who use meth frequently experience a "rush" or "high" of positive emotions. The drug itself can linger in your body for a very long time, although this experience usually only lasts a few minutes. Keep reading to learn more about how long meth stays in your urine.

By We Level Up Treatment Center | Editor Yamilla Francese | Clinically Reviewed By Lauren Barry, LMFT, MCAP, QS, Director of Quality Assurance | Editorial Policy | Research Policy | Last Updated: March 3, 2023

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? How Long Does Meth Stay In Urine?

Meth is a stimulant that is extremely addictive and can lead to addiction after just one use. This is mostly caused by the drug’s dopamine rush. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that affects motivation, memory retention, learning, and reward processing in addition to making us feel good.

Meth produces a rush of dopamine that is significantly greater than the amount of dopamine naturally created in the brain, which leads users to keep using the substance in order to maintain elevated and happy feelings.

For many Meth users, the drug is used over the course of many days, during which time they remain permanently euphoric. This frequently results in the development of tolerance; after using the medication repeatedly, a person will need ever greater doses to have the same effects as previously. Due to the stimulant effects and low cost of the substance, addiction can develop quickly.

When trying to stop using meth, it may become challenging to feel cheerful, and when it wears off, withdrawal symptoms including anxiety, sleeplessness, lethargy, and sadness may appear. Withdrawal’s crippling effects reinforce abusive behavior and increase the chance of bingeing. If a person’s reward system becomes reliant on the substance, their fear of withdrawal and meth cravings can completely take over their lives.

How Long Does Crystal Meth Stay In Urine? Meth Addiction Symptoms

Meth Addiction Signs: Meth is one of the most deadly drugs available due to the severe psychological and physical toll it has on the body. Meth has a profound impact on a user’s body and brain, and these symptoms and warning signals can be seen in a number of ways.

Signs Of Meth Addict: An abrupt loss of interest in activities that were once meaningful to the person is among the earliest signs of meth consumption. The pursuit of and use of meth will start to take precedence over interests, relationships, and professional aspirations.

Signs Of A Meth Addict: Many people will first try to conceal their drug use, but the more time someone spends using Meth, the more noticeable it becomes in their lives. Due to the molecular changes caused by methamphetamine, what was previously a recreational drug use might become a top priority in one’s life.

Is Meth Physically Addictive? How Long Does Crystal Meth Stay In Your Urine?

The short answer to the question “is meth physically addictive?” is unquestionable “yes.” Methamphetamine interacts with and changes the chemistry of the brain. The drug always makes its way into users’ bloodstreams, regardless of how they take it. Dopamine levels are raised by the stimulant’s impact on the body’s central nervous system. As the medication engages these “feel good” sensors, the body and brain become hooked, which ultimately results in users becoming dependent on the drug to function as intended.

Dependence on meth is simple and quick to develop. Yet giving up consumption is considerably more difficult. While the body tries to self-correct, abrupt stoppage will have negative repercussions. Severe withdrawal symptoms arise as a result of this.

What Are The Signs Of A Meth Addiction?

Meth abusers and addicts will show a range of behavioral and physical signs. Among the most typical meth symptoms are:

  • Hyperactivity
  • Twitching, facial tics, jerky movements
  • Meth High Symptoms: Paranoia
  • Dilated pupils
  • Noticeable and sudden weight loss
  • Skin sores
  • Rapid eye movement
  • Reduced appetite
  • Agitation
  • Burns, particularly on the lips or fingers
  • Erratic sleeping patterns
  • Rotting teeth
  • Outbursts or mood swings
  • Extreme weight loss

“Tweaking,” a period of anxiety and insomnia that can persist for three to fifteen days, is another obvious sign of meth use. Tweaking happens at the end of a drug binge when a meth user is no longer able to experience the rush or high.

Due to the need to use it again, tweaking can have psychological adverse effects like paranoia, impatience, and confusion. Meth-related tweaking can also lead to hallucinations and a propensity for violent conduct.

Why Is Meth Addictive?

Meth Users Symptoms: The crash phase is another indication that someone is using meth. The body is deprived of the dopamine that Meth was previously supplying during this time, which results in tremendous tiredness. Long stretches of sleep, strong drug cravings, and depression are the hallmarks of a crash, which can persist for one to three days.

Meth is a stimulant that is extremely addictive and can lead to addiction after just one use. This is mostly caused by the drug's dopamine rush.
How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Meth is a stimulant that is extremely addictive and can lead to addiction after just one use. This is mostly caused by the drug’s dopamine rush.

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Methamphetamine Factsheet

What is Methamphetamine?

Meth is a highly addictive stimulant that can cause addiction in as little as a single use. This is mainly due to the rush of dopamine produced by the drug. Dopamine is a chemical that’s not only responsible for inducing feelings of pleasure, but also for motivation, memory retention, learning, and reward processing. The rush of dopamine produced by Meth is much higher than the natural amount of dopamine that is produced in the brain, which causes people to continue using the drug in order to keep those heightened and pleasurable feelings.


Methamphetamine Effects

Abuse of methamphetamine includes any illegal usage of the drug. When smoked or injected, meth causes a “rush” similar to that experienced when using crack cocaine; this is brought on by an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters in the brain. Snorting meth produces an ecstatic feeling but not a rush.

The biggest effects are produced by the infusion rush, which can last up to 30 minutes. Depending on how the drug is used, users enjoy a sustained high that can continue anywhere between 8 and 24 hours after the first surge. Meth injection delivers a higher high than smoking or snorting it, although the high lasts less.

Street Names for Methamphetamine

Meth and Crystal Meth are chemically identical substances, despite the differences in the structural composition of the two varieties. Methamphetamine goes by the following street names:

  • Glass
  • Speed
  • Ice
  • Crystal
  • Crank
  • Tweak
  • Redneck Cocaine
  • Chalk

The vast bulk of meth that is sold today comes from imports and clandestine labs. A few people will often generate modest amounts of the material in “home labs” or “stove tops,” where the product is typically cooked. Meth is also made in cartel “super labs,” which use high-end machinery to generate the drug in greater quantities and with superior quality.

The stimulant Ephedrine or Pseudoephedrine, which is present in certain popular over-the-counter cough and cold treatments, is often the main component in meth. Meth labs are famously hazardous due to the toxic and flammable gases and chemicals generated during the production of the drug.

Methamphetamine Statistics


Meth costs the United States $550 million in drug treatment programs each year.

Source: NIDA

16 Million

According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 1.6 million people reported using Meth in the past year.

Source: NIDA

An estimated 964,000 people aged 12 and older qualify as having a Meth use disorder in 2017.

Source: NIDA


What Percentage Of Meth Addicts Recover? Meth Addiction Recovery Rates

The statistics on meth addiction rehabilitation are comparable to those on all other addictions. It’s crucial to realize that a week of detox removes the physical dependence on meth, leaving the addict with the disease of addiction. Meth has relapse rates that are comparable to those of other chronic disorders like hypertension as a chronic, recurrent mental condition.

What Percent Of Meth Addicts Recover? For the first year of rehabilitation, the recovery rate for meth is between 40 and 60 percent. Even though the meth recovery rate may appear low, it’s crucial to realize that because the disease is chronic and relapsing, as explained by government organizations like the National Institute on Drug Addiction, it may take numerous treatment attempts before the condition is finally controlled. However, the rates of relapse sharply decline after the first year and each succeeding year.

How Long Meth Stay In Urine? How Long Does Meth Stay In The Urine?

If a person is a heavy meth user, methamphetamine can still be detected in their urine up to a week after their last dose.
How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? If a person is a heavy meth user, methamphetamine can still be detected in their urine up to a week after their last dose.

When Does Meth First Appear in Urine?

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Two to five hours after consumption, methamphetamine can be found in the urine. It’s interesting to note that two hours after initially smoking meth, a blood test for the drug can detect its presence.

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Within ten minutes of consumption, methamphetamine can be detected in saliva. During 12 hours of medication consumption, the body typically excretes 50% of the drug.

How Long Does Meth Stay In Ur Urine?

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? If a person is a heavy meth user, methamphetamine can still be detected in their urine up to a week after their last dose. The standard urine test, however, can still find methamphetamine up to 3 to 5 days after the last intake.

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? An individual tested for methamphetamine usage will typically test positive for both methamphetamine and amphetamine since methamphetamine metabolizes to amphetamine.

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Because the metabolites are removed through urine, a urine test typically reveals a larger concentration of methamphetamine than other testing methods do. The medicine is broken down by the liver and eliminated through urine by the kidneys.

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? The frequency of usage, dose size, metabolic rate, age, general health of the user, body mass, level of physical activity, drug tolerance, and pH of the urine are just a few of the variables that affect how long a drug is detectable in the urine. How much and how often a drug is used has a big impact on how long it takes for someone to metabolize it out of their system.

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? An individual who is in good general health will be able to get rid of the chemical more quickly than someone who is less healthy. A younger individual can metabolize the drug out of their system faster than an older person because they typically have a greater metabolism rate. Other drugs, such as some over-the-counter treatments like antihistamines, nasal inhalers, and cold medications containing pseudoephedrine, can result in a false positive test.

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How Long Will Meth Stay In Urine? Urine vs. Hair Test

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Meth is most frequently detected in your body during drug tests by looking at your urine or hair. Meth can also be found through a blood test.

How Long Can Meth Stay In Urine? Urine test

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? When meth enters your system, your body transforms it into metabolites, a class of less complex molecules. Some of these molecules will be absorbed by your body, but the majority of the medicine and its metabolites will end up in your kidneys and end up in your urine.

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Your urine will include somewhere between 37% and 54% of the meth you consumed, chemically unaltered. A urine test can identify meth or its metabolites for a few days if you’ve only used it once.

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Yet, if you take meth frequently, some of it may continue to circulate in your body and wait for you to pass urine with it. The amount of time it takes to get a negative pee test will vary, but you may need to wait up to roughly a week after consuming meth.

How Long Meth Stays In Urine? Hair test

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Every cell in your body, including the ones in your hair follicles, is exposed to meth when you use it since it travels through your bloodstream. Your body forces these cells out of your hair follicles as it grows. The cells have already passed away by the time you can see your hair, but they have also transformed into tiny time capsules that have trapped the meth they ingested.

How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? For roughly 90 days (3 months) after your last use of the drug, a hair follicle test can accurately identify meth and its metabolites. Yet, after approximately 120 days (4 months), 16% of habitual meth users will still have detectable meth in their hair. Hence, it can take a few months before a hair sample tests negative for meth.

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Meth Addiction Treatment

Meth withdrawal management involves removing the substance from the body while a group of medical experts assists the patient in controlling their withdrawal symptoms. The first phase of a treatment program for substance use disorders (SUD) frequently involves managing meth withdrawal, sometimes known as detox.

Most patients will benefit from further care following detoxification, such as inpatient or outpatient rehab. After completing a medically assisted detox program, patients will receive assistance in selecting the best program to address the behavioral and social aspects of their addiction (as well as other pertinent needs).

Medically assisted detox for meth withdrawal may have the following advantages:

Meth withdrawal management involves removing the substance from the body while a group of medical experts assists the patient in controlling their withdrawal symptoms.
How Long Does Meth Stay in Your Urine? Meth withdrawal management involves removing the substance from the body while a group of medical experts assists the patient in controlling their withdrawal symptoms.
  • Risk assessment for medical and mental health issues. Medical supervision can help someone stay safe because meth withdrawal might cause extreme depression or suicidal thoughts.
  • Supplying framework and assistance. This can aid in a person’s recovery and help them become ready for additional therapy.
  • Removing a user of meth from their environment. This can lessen cravings brought on by environmental cues that might trigger a relapse.
  • As necessary, offering dietary assistance. Someone who is battling with meth addiction may need support, such as larger or high-calorie meals, electrolyte supplements, or contact with a food professional. Meth consumption has been linked to weight loss and inadequate nutrition.

As was already said, after completing detox, patients may enroll in inpatient rehabilitation or outpatient therapy. Several behavioral therapies used in professional treatment can offer a number of advantages, including:

  • Helping a patient learn ways to prevent relapse.
  • Teaching a patient healthier coping and stress management skills.
  • Helping a patient uncover and work through the underlying reasons they developed an addiction in the first place.

Inpatient rehab offers the additional benefit of round-the-clock supervision and assistance to help patients be safe and take care of any co-occurring problems that may develop. If a person has co-occurring psychiatric disorders or life-threatening medical issues, this additional help may be very important.

A person who is addicted to methamphetamine may benefit from the following behavioral therapies:

  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This aids patients in recognizing negative or unhealthy attitudes and behaviors that fuel their substance usage and helping them modify them. According to some studies, CBT and contingency management are particularly effective in treating amphetamine addiction.
  • Contingency management (CM). When someone demonstrates a desired behavior (like passing a drug test), it offers concrete rewards; however, if the desired behavior is not demonstrated, the reward is withheld.

Making ensuring a patient gets enough food and exercise during detox and throughout all phases of treatment is crucial for keeping them healthy as they recover.

Can You Die From Meth Withdrawal?

It’s important to keep in mind that while meth withdrawal might be challenging and uncomfortable, it is not a life-threatening condition. Fatigue, anxiety, and depression are among the symptoms of meth withdrawal that are most common. Even while these symptoms may be unpleasant, they are not harmful.

You can get through meth withdrawal and start down the road to recovery with the right help and direction. Please get professional treatment if you or someone you know is battling meth addiction. There is no shame in requesting assistance. Recall that meth addiction is a serious illness that necessitates medical attention.

Medication For Meth Addiction

Meth withdrawal (Meth Withdraws) can neither be treated with drugs nor can stimulant use disorder be treated with drugs that have FDA approval. If a person undergoes medically supervised detox, they could be given additional medications to treat some of the withdrawal symptoms they might experience, such as headaches or insomnia.

How To Help A Meth Addict? How To Help Meth Addicts?

You must strike a balance between acknowledging their plight and urging them to get assistance if you want the greatest outcomes. Consider these actions to assist your loved one as a guide for your procedure.

  1. Learn about the condition
  2. Decide if you will address your loved one’s addiction
  3. Start the conversation
  4. Make yourself a priority

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We Level Up Dual Diagnosis Treatment

The definition of dual diagnosis (also referred to as co-occurring disorders) can differ between institutions. However, it is generally described as the specific treatment of someone who has been diagnosed with a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder at the same time. Treating dual-diagnosis clients is a critical aspect of our inpatient treatment experience because co-occurring disorders are strongly correlated with instances of substance abuse.

Creating a treatment plan that addresses the physical aspects of withdrawal, the psychological connection with drug use, and managing underlying mental health disorders is part of setting clients up for success.  A thorough mental health analysis identifies possibilities for treatment.  Meeting with mental health counselors and medical care providers means access to behavioral therapy and medication treatment. At our dual diagnosis treatment center, We Level Up can implement the highest quality of care. 

We recognize the fragile complexities of how mental and substance abuse disorders can influence others and sometimes result in a vicious cycle of addiction.  That’s why we offer specialized treatment in dual-diagnosis cases to provide the most excellent chance of true healing and long-lasting recovery.

It can be challenging to accept that you may be living with a mental illness, but once it is properly diagnosed and treated, treating the presenting case of substance abuse can be magnitudes easier. Only a properly trained medical professional can diagnose these underlying conditions.  If you believe you are suffering from a disorder alongside addiction, we urge you to seek a qualified treatment center to begin your journey to recovery. Call We Level Up today.

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