How Long Do Drugs Stay In Your Saliva?

The drugs can stay in your saliva for nearly 24 to 48 hours after your last use. The retention period may vary based on the drug and its usage.

The oral saliva drug test can detect the drug usage immediately after usage (30 minutes), and it is hard to tamper with. The tester will prepare the individual by preventing him from taking any food or drink 10 minutes before the test.

Oral Saliva Drug Test

The mouth swab drug test is the best alternative to the urine drug test as it can detect recent drug usage within a short time frame and provides accurate results. Many organizations and private companies recommend mouth swab drug tests because they are the least invasive and less painful method that offers instant results.

How does the Oral Saliva Drug Test Work?

1. The tester will use a sponge collector to collect the sample from the cheeks or buccal cavity.

2. The saturation indicator will notify once a sufficient amount of sample gets collected by turning into red color.

3. Once the sample gets collected, the tester will seal it into the test cube and place it on a flat surface.

4. The tester can identify the results within 5 minutes. ( Lab Results may take 12 to 24 hours)

5. If there are no changes in the C or T region, the test result is negative.

6. If the T region disappears, the result is positive.

What Drugs can the Oral Saliva Drug Test Detect?

1. AMP & MAMP

2. MMJ

3. COC

4. PCP

5. Cannabis

6. Opiods

7. Barbiturates

8. Benzodiazephine

Detection Time of Saliva

The detection time for saliva ranges from 5 to 48 hours, but it may differ based on the drugs and their intake frequency.

1. MAMP — Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug used to treat ADHD. Meth can stay longer in your system and can get detected for 12 to 24 hours after your last consumption. The drug can remain in the body for 1 to 4 days since the last intake for heavy users.

2. Marijuana — Marijuana is a drug extracted from the cannabis plant. It is a psychoactive drug used for various medicinal purposes. Several states in the United States, like Ohio, have legalized Marijuana for medicinal activities. While the urine test looks for the metabolite (THC-COOH), the swab test looks for THC (before metabolization). The oral Saliva drug test can identify Marijuana within 24 hours of intake.

3. Cocaine — This is a potent drug that is prevalent in the black markets in the United States. Cocaine is extracted from the coco plant native to South America. The Saliva drug test can identify cocaine within 1 to 3 days after the last intake.

4. Opiates — As per the recent reports of trusted sources, opiate abuse has increased to unprecedented levels. A saliva test can detect opiates like heroin within 24 to 36 hours after the last intake, but some opiates like oxycontin may remain in your system for a longer time.

5. Benzodiazepines — Benzos are a class of drugs that act as depressants used to lower brain activity and provide relaxation and pain relief. They have a longer detection window, especially in saliva, and can remain in your saliva for five days. Some benzo drugs like diazepam, oxazepam can stay in your saliva for ten days.

6. MDMA — MDMA is screened using their metabolites — MDA, HMA, HMMA and can be traced back by saliva test within one hour of use. It can remain in your saliva for about 18 to 24 hours.

7. Alcohol — Alcohol has a faster metabolization rate that makes the retention time significantly shorter. However, a saliva drug test can identify the drug traces after metabolization for about 6 to 12 hours after last consumption.

How to Pass Saliva Drug Test?

As previously discussed, passing saliva drug tests are challenging to tamper with. But there is still hope because saliva drug tests have a very low detection period. If you are an occasional drinker, following specific measures before your drug test can help you pass your saliva drug test.

1. Do not smoke for a week — Prevent smoking one week before your mouth saliva drug test. This will reduce the amount of drug traces in the swab, and you may receive negative results. But if the test is a random mouth swab drug test, there are meager chances that you could pass using this method.

2. Rinse your mouth thoroughly — Rinse your mouth thoroughly with a non-alcoholic mouthwash a day before your drug test. This will wash out most of the drug traces from your mouth.

It is even safer if you keep yourself away from the drugs altogether that will help you to clear your oral saliva drug test.

Effects of Secondhand Smoke on Oral Fluid Testing

You will not fail your saliva drug test due to secondhand smoke. But if you are exposed to secondhand smoke for a prolonged time, it may lead to a positive drug test result. When it comes to a saliva test, there are chances that you may result positive if you get tested immediately after prolonged exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke.

Originally published at https://www.buzzfeed.com on July 14, 2021.