Jenny asked
How long does fentanyl stay in your system for? I had the product that you suck on and want to know how long it will be in my body for.
Answer
Fentanyl is a potent opiate agonist used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is available in multiple dosage forms, including:
- Transdermal Patches
- Buccal Tablets
- Transmucosal Lozenges
- Sublingual Sprays
How long a drug lasts in the body is generally determined by the drugs half-life. Half life refers to the time it takes for 50% of the drug to be eliminated from the body. It is generally assumed that it takes around 5 half-lives for a drug to be considered completely metabolized the out of the body.
How Long Does Fentanyl Stay In Your Body?
The half-life of fentanyl varies greatly, and is mostly depending on the dosage form and route of administration used. Below, we discuss the half-life of the most common dosage forms and how long each, on average, lasts in the body.
Fentanyl Patches
The half-life of fentanyl (brand name Duragesic) from the transdermal patches is on average 17 hours after patch removal. Therefore, fentanyl from the transdermal patchs will last around 85 hours in the body and will also be detectable on urine drug tests for that time frame. This translates to 3 to 4 days.
Transmucosal Fentanyl
Transmucosal fentanyl products include:
- Actiq
- Onsolis
- Fentora
The half-life of transmucosal fentanyl products is highly dependent on the dose taken. Available data shows the higher the dose, the longer the half-life.
For example, the half-life of the Actiq 200mcg lozenge is around 3 hours. However, the half-life of Actiq 1,600mcg has a half-life around 6.5 hours. The half-life of other transmucosal fentanyl products (e.g. Fentora, Onsolis) are similar to Actiq, around 3 to 7 hours.
Therefore, although it is difficult to give an exact answer in regard to how long fentanyl from transmucosal products last in your body, it is significantly less than fentanyl patches. Based on the average of 5 half-lives, fentanyl transmucosal products will last between 15-35 hours in the body.
Intranasal Fentanyl
Intranasal fentanyl products include:
- Lazanda
The half-life of intranasal fentanyl products are similar to the patches, and may be even longer depending on the individual. For Lazanda specifically, the half-life is reported to be between 15 and 25 hours. Therefore, intranasal fentanyl will last in your body between 75 and 125 hours (3 to 6 days).
Sublingual Fentanyl
Sublingual fentanyl products include:
- Subsys
- Abstral
The half-life of sublingual fentanyl products is around 5-12 hours. Therefore, it will last in your body around 25 to 60 hours (1 to 2.5 days).
Intravenous Fentanyl
Intravenous fentanyl has the shortest half-life of all the fentanyl products, although it can vary considerably by patient age. Nevertheless, the half-life is reported to be between 1 and 4 hours. Therefore, IV fentanyl will last in your body less than one day for most.
Additional Information On Fentanyl
Fentanyl is highly lipophilic, meaning it gets stored in fat cells. Individuals with a higher fat percentage will generally have fentanyl last longer in their bodies when compared to individuals with less fat. In addition, fentanyl is mostly metabolized in the liver. Therefore, in those with liver dysfunction, fentanyl will last longer in the body.
Summary
- The half-life of fentanyl varies considerably by product, route of administration, age, liver function and body fat percent.
- Fentanyl patches (i.e. transdermal patches) have a half-life of around 17 hours and will last in your body for 3 to 4 days.
- Transmucosal fentanyl products have a half-life between 3 and 7 hours and will last in your body 1 to 2 days.
- Intranasal fentanyl products have a half-life between 15 and 25 hours and will last in your body 3 to 6 days.
- Sublingual fentanyl products have a half-life between 5 and 12 hours and will last in your body 1 to 2.5 days.
- Intravenous (IV) fentanyl products have a half-life between 1 and 4 hours and will last in your body less than 1 day.
- The half-life of fentanyl may be prolonged in infants, children, the elderly, individuals with a high fat percentage and in those with liver dysfunction.
