How Long Does Wellbutrin Stay in Your System?

Wellbutrin is a popular anti-depressant, but because it is not used recreationally, most lab tests don’t look for this drug. However, if you overdose, you may get a toxicology screening that looks for all the drugs in your system including Wellbutrin.

On average, Wellbutrin is out of your system within 4.4 days. But how long it lasts varies depending on if you check your urine, hair, blood, or saliva. 

How Long Does Wellbutrin Stay in Your Urine?

There is not much research on how long Wellbutrin is detectable in urine tests. But researchers have discovered that Wellbutrin can lead to false-positives when screening for amphetamines.

If you’re on Wellbutrin, tell your healthcare provider before taking a drug screening. This medication causes more false-positives than any other drug, and this happens with one of the drug tests most commonly used by labs. Keep in mind that because Wellbutrin stays in your system for awhile, you can get a false-positive even after you quit taking this medication. 

How Long Does Wellbutrin Stay in Your Hair?

Researchers don’t know exactly how long Wellbutrin shows up in hair. Although the results are not the same for everyone, your hair keeps a record of drugs in your system for several months. 

Long after the brain effects are gone, drugs can still show up in your hair. By extension, Wellbutrin may show up in your hair for at least 90 days. 

Generally, however, drugs take some time to move through your system and into your hair follicles. In most cases, Wellbutrin may not be detectable in a follicle test for about a week after you first take the drug. 

How Long Does Wellbutrin Stay in Your Blood?

To figure out how long Wellbutrin is detectable in a blood screening, you should look at the drug’s half-life. Half-life refers to the amount of time your system takes to clear out half a dose of a drug, and with Wellbutrin, that process takes 21 hours. 

After another 21 hours, your body clears out half the remaining dosage, and this process repeats until all of the drug is out of your system. Typically, it takes about 4.4 days for your system to eliminate Wellbutrin. 

This process varies based on frequency of use and the duration of time you’ve been taking Wellbutrin. The following personal elements can also affect the duration of Wellbutrin in your system:

• Genetics
• Age
• Weight
• Gender
• Metabolism
• Body weight
• Liver functioning

These factors can have a significant effect on how your body processes Wellbutrin. For example, if you have liver failure, you can take up to 46 hours to clear half a dose of Wellbutrin from your system. 

How Long Does Wellbutrin Stay in Your Saliva?

Again, there is not a lot of research on how long Wellbutrin shows up in your saliva. But in general, saliva screening yields the same results as blood tests. Based on that correlation, this drug is detectable in saliva for about 4.4 days. 

How Long Does Wellbutrin Stay in Lab Tests?

Lab test results for Wellbutrin and other drugs vary based on a wide range of personal factors as well as how long you’ve been taking the drug. On average, you are likely to test positive for the following time spans after the last time taken:

• Urine: more research is needed
• Blood: 4.4 days depending on liver function and personal factors
• Hair: 90 days
• Saliva: 4.4 days

In all cases, the drug takes a certain amount of time to show up in the test. For instance, if you take a blood test immediately after ingesting a pill, the screening may be negative. 

The way you take the drug can also affect the test results. For example, if you take a saliva test after swallowing a pill, it is likely to be positive. But if you inject the drug, a saliva test is more likely to be negative right away. 

Over time, Wellbutrin builds up in your system. In fact, this antidepressant has to build up over time to work properly. Again, this process can cause positive screening results after you quit taking the drug. 

Ideally, you should not quit taking Wellbutrin on your own. Stopping this medication and several other antidepressants cold turkey can lead to irritability or other withdrawal symptoms. In addition, if you’re using Wellbutrin to quit smoking, your nicotine cravings may return if you quit this medication. 

To protect yourself, you should taper your Wellbutrin doses over a week or two. That schedule gives your body a chance to react to smaller doses and helps you avoid withdrawal issues.

To stop taking Wellbutrin or to get help with other drugs, contact Spring Hill Recovery today. We can help you reclaim your life and move forward in a happy, healthy way.