How long does nicotine stay in your system?

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Two timelines matter: how long nicotine itself lasts, and how long tests can prove you used it. Nicotine's half-life is about two hours, so the substance itself clears your blood within one to three days of your last cigarette or vape. But tests rarely look for nicotine - they look for cotinine, its breakdown product, which lingers much longer. MedlinePlus notes drug tests use blood, urine, saliva, or hair, and for cotinine the typical windows are: blood up to about 10 days, urine 3 to 4 days in occasional users but up to 3 weeks in heavy daily users, saliva up to 4 days, and hair up to 90 days.

Who tests: life and health insurers - a positive cotinine test can mean smoker rates - some employers, and doctors before certain surgeries, since nicotine impairs healing. Secondhand smoke can push cotinine detectable but usually far below user levels, and labs use cutoffs to tell the difference. Replacement products count: patches, gum, and vapes all produce cotinine, so they show up the same.

The bright side: cotinine drops to nonsmoker levels within weeks of quitting, and the health benefits start within days. If a test is your motivation to quit, keep quitting after it passes.

Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text. It can help you plan around a test date or build a quit plan.

How long does nicotine stay in your system?

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