How Long Does Klonopin Stay In Your System?

Answer

Thanks so much for reaching out. First and foremost, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of a family member. My thoughts are with you.

In regard to Klonopin (clonazepam), it is, unfortunately in your case, a long-acting benzodiazepine, and stays in your system for some time. It is likely to be detectable in your urine for at least 5-10 days, and longer for those who take the drug consistently.

Klonopin Has A Long Half-Life

The half-life of a drug is the amount of time it takes the body to metabolize and eliminate 50% of a drug. As a general rule of thumb, it takes around 5-6 half-lives for a drug to no longer be detectable on a urine drug screening.

While sources do vary somewhat, the reported half-life of Klonopin is 30-40 hours, with some sources reporting up to 60 hours.

If we take the conservative end, a half-life of 30 hours, it would take about 150 hours, a little over 6 days, to be completely eliminated and not show up on a urine drug test.

Some studies have shown as well that Klonopin is detectable for much longer in individuals who consistently take the drug, up to 30 days sometimes.

Factors That Influence How Long Klonopin Stays In Your System

As mentioned, 5-10 days is a general timeframe for how long Klonopin is detectable in the urine for someone who doesn't take it consistently.

However, there are many factors that will influence this time frame, including:

• Your age
• Your liver and kidney function
• How hydrated you are
• How long you have been taking the drug
• What the urine screen is testing for

In regard to this last point here, there are several different ways a urine test can detect clonazepam. Sometimes tests look for the parent drug (clonazepam in this case), while others test for a metabolite of clonazepam, 7-aminoclonazepam. This metabolite generally lasts a little longer in your system than clonazepam.

In fact, one study found that all 10 individuals who were tested 14 days after taking a 3mg dose of clonazepam still tested positive on a urine drug test:

The urine from every subject was still positive for 7-ACLO [7-aminoclonazepam] 14 days after administration of the drug. Eight of the ten volunteers had measurable amounts of the metabolite 21 days after administration. One volunteer was still positive 28 days after administration.

So, overall it's tough to give a definitive amount of time a urine drug test will come back positive after taking a dose, but at least we have a general idea that it's going to be for around 5-10 days, and for a longer period of time in some individuals, or in those getting specific tests.

Final Words

Again, I'm sorry about your loss and I hope this answer provided you with the information you were looking for.