Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) is a medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The length of time that dextroamphetamine remains in the body varies for different reasons. It can depend on your metabolism, age, body mass, and physical activity. Dexedrine is also used to treat narcolepsy in some cases. This medication can be prescribed to patients starting at age 6, and it’s often prescribed for life.
What is Dextroamphetamine?
Dextroamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant, available in brands like Dexedrine, Dextrostat, and ProCentra. Dexedrine is a Schedule II controlled substance in the US. Under this category, it means dextroamphetamine has a high potential for misuse and abuse. Thus it can lead to addiction. Dexedrine is an amphetamine stimulant drug and ADHD medication. It’s very similar to other stimulants like Adderall and Vyvanse. Like most stimulants, when taken in high doses, it produces a euphoric feeling that can be addictive.
How Long Does Dextroamphetamine Last?
The half-life of dextroamphetamine is about 12 hours. However, the duration of the effects can be anywhere between 8 to 10 hours. Nonetheless, it takes 12 hours for half the amount of the drug to be eliminated from the body – that’s the drug’s half-life. For the drug to be eliminated, it might take at least five half-live cycles. The type of prescription also plays a role. For example, extended-release medications like Adderall XR might last longer than regular presentations.
How Long Does Dextroamphetamine Stay in Your System?
Generally, the drug stays in your system for about two days. Different factors like age, metabolism, level of misuse, and others determine how long Dexedrine lasts in your system. The detection window for urine, blood, and saliva is relatively short. In contrast, hair follicle detection windows are longer. On average, dextroamphetamine will appear in a drug test for:
- Urine tests: 2 days
- Blood tests: 1 to 2 days
- Saliva tests: 1 to 2 days
- Hair tests: 90 days
Just remember, just because someone tests positive for dextroamphetamine in a drug screening doesn’t mean they have an addiction.
What Makes It Last Longer
Besides your metabolism, age, and overall health condition, some factors affect how long dextroamphetamine stays in the system. These circumstances include:
- Liver damage: Since the liver helps metabolize medications, someone with an unhealthy liver will take longer to break down dextroamphetamine. For example, someone with liver disease will take close to 20 hours to break down Dexedrine.
- Age: Older adults take longer to break down medications. The average half-life for stimulants in an older adult is about 16 hours after their last dose.
- Obesity: The half-life of dextroamphetamine is about 12 hours. For someone with obesity, this could be closer to 22 hours – almost twice as much as the average-sized person.
- Alcohol use: Combining stimulants with alcohol can lead to dangerous side effects, including overdose. Alcohol can make stimulants stay longer in the system. Eventually, more doses will create buildup in the system that could lead to overdose.
Symptoms of Overdose
If you or someone you know starts to experience these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention and call 911. Symptoms of dextroamphetamine overdose include:
- Vomiting
- Agitation
- Uncontrollable shaking
- Muscle twitching
- High blood pressure
- Sleep issues
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
- Confusion
- Hallucination
- Inappropriate happiness
- Sweating
- Flushing
- Headaches
- Fever
- Irregular heartbeat
- Widening of pupils
- Dry mouth or nose
In some cases, overdosing on dextroamphetamine can cause sudden death, especially in those with heart defects or heart problems. This medication has been known to cause strokes or heart attacks in adults as well.
How to Get Dextroamphetamine Out of Your System?
Because dextroamphetamine can build up in the body, it’s common for people to experience withdrawal symptoms when quitting. When someone stops taking a stimulant abruptly, they’re likely to experience psychological symptoms that could be dangerous. The best and safest way to get dextroamphetamine out of your system is through medical detox. In this type of setting, patients receive medication-assisted treatment to taper off the drug safely. Through this approach, clinical staff can ensure the patient’s safety and their withdrawal experience is as comfortable as possible. If dextroamphetamine were indeed used to treat ADHD, a doctor would determine the best course of action to treat the condition. In most cases, another medication will be prescribed, or a different dosage schedule might be helpful.
What If I Develop an Addiction?
If someone develops an addiction to their medication, it might be time to consider rehab or therapy more than changing dosages and prescriptions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be incredibly helpful in dealing with substance abuse. In this form of therapy, patients learn why their substance abuse started in the first place and how they can cope with their symptoms more healthily. Therapists work with patients to recognize different triggers and situations that can cause stress and anxiety to patients. Then, they both work on healthy mechanisms to deal with these triggers without reaching for drugs or other stimulants.
Getting Help for Substance Abuse
If you or someone you love is struggling with drug abuse, ask for help immediately. Please, call the Lighthouse Recovery Institute today and speak with our addiction specialists to learn more about our comprehensive and personalized addiction treatment programs. Don’t hesitate to call for advice, diagnosis, or treatment questions. At Lighthouse Recovery Institute, our drug addiction recovery programs include:
- Medical Detox: In this clinically supervised detox process at treatment centers, we ensure the patient’s safety and make the withdrawal phase as comfortable as possible by minimizing withdrawal symptoms and using medication-assisted treatment services to guarantee a complete detoxification process.
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment: Since many long-term addicts often struggle with mental health disorders, a dual diagnosis program can get them the help needed to treat both conditions simultaneously.
- Intensive Outpatient Treatment Programs: When patients seek addiction treatment while maintaining daily obligations like work, school, or caregiving, IOPs are a more flexible option that gives people access to the help they need.
To start, call us at 866-308-2090 today and learn more about our rehab programs. [box type=”bio”]
How Long Are Other Drugs in the Body
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