How Long Does Kratom Stay in Your System? [Full & Half Life]

The increase in use of Kratom as a recreational drug and to help with pain release, anxiety, and other ailments has led to it becoming a much talked about product. One question often asked is how long does Kratom stay in your system?

This question arises in the face of the increasingly common workplace drug test. As Kratom is relatively new to the US market there are some curiosities that come about by answering the question.

Before we answer the question in full, here’s a little bit about Kratom, for those who are new to the subject.

Understanding Kratom

Kratom is an interesting substance for many reasons. It is now widely available in the USA – although its use is banned in several states, so we recommend you check before buying – although not approved for use by the FDA.

Kratom is made from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, an evergreen tree in the same family as coffee. The tree is native to Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.

The leaves are usually dried and either smoked or ground into a fine powder which can be consumed as tablets, capsules, or the leaves may be boiled and served as tea.

An unusual fact about Kratom is that while a small dose will increase stamina, fight fatigue, and make one feel generally good about themselves, a larger dose may result in psychotic effects such as euphoria and hallucination.

Kratom is a pain reliever and is often take by persons suffering chronic pain, it reportedly helps with stress, and is fast becoming a popular recreational drug. So, we come to the question how long does Kratom last?

Why is Kratom Half Life Important?

To get the answer to our questions we need to talk about the Kratom half-life and why it is important. What does half-life mean? You have probably heard it used in reference to radioactive materials, but here it means the length of time Kratom takes to reduce its potency to half its original strength when in the body.

Research has shown that the half-life of Kratom in the body is, in technical terms, 24 hours. This means that if you take a dose of Kratom at 9am, it will have reduced its potency to 50% by 9am the next day.

However, it is important to understand that we are all different: the amount you take, the regularity, and your body type can have an influence on how Kratom behaves once ingested.

Going back to that 24-hour half-life, we can state that – in general – one dose of Kratom will take 3 to 5 days to leave the body entirely. Yet again, this depends on the individual. In fact, one trial recorded a half life of a Kratom sample of just two hours!

Other factors that influence the time taken for Kratom to pass through the system include age, diet, and water intake, as well as your biological make up. Young bodies are far more effective at processing substances than older ones, so it will remain longer in an older person’s body than in a youngster.

Drinking plenty water will speed up the process, as will eating high fat meals which help the metabolism. There are also genetic influences on the behaviour of Kratom.

As for how long the effects of Kratom last, that can be anywhere between two and five hours, dependent on the individual and the factors mentioned above. Most users report that they feel the effects between five and 10 minutes of ingesting the product.

Now that we have that information to hand, we want to talk about the important question of Kratom and drug tests.

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Will Kratom Show Up on Drug Tests?

As we now understand the half-life, we should be able to answer the question how long does Kratom stay in urine? Yet as said above, there are numerous distinct factors that have an effect. Kratom – as with many recreational substances – may linger in the urine longer than elsewhere in the body. But why is this important?

Kratom is not illegal in the USA apart from a few states. However, your employer has the right to request a specific test for Kratom if they suspect you are using it and it has had a notable effect on your productivity.

The average workplace drug test will not be designed to look for Kratom. Nor is it detected in a Department of Defense test. Schools have begun testing in some cases, yet these tests are designed to look for illegal drugs – Kratom remains legal in most areas of the USA.

As for athletes and banned substances, neither the National Collegiate Athletic Association nor the US or World Anti-Doping Agency have banned Kratom, thus it is not tested for.

In short, as of the time of writing it is unlikely that Kratom will show up in drug tests, although we advise that should you be aware of an impending test, you would be sensible to refrain from using Kratom for the week before to ensure it is out of your system, in the rare instance that it shows up as another substance.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Does Kratom Show Up on a Probation Drug Test?

The answer is no. Not even the most stringent 12-panel test will identify Kratom. The molecular structure differs from other opiates, and as it is not a banned substance in all but a few states, it is not incorporated in standard drug tests.

You employer may request a test for Kratom, and it is sometimes the case that legal substances show up as other illegal ones, so we suggest great care in using it before a test.

When Does Kratom Peak?

User anecdotes say that Kratom will begin to have an effect as soon as 5 to 10 minutes after ingesting. The effects can last anywhere up to 5 hours, and usually peak between two and three. This will differ per individual.

Can You Have Withdrawals from Kratom?

Yes, you may experience withdrawal symptoms if you are a regular user or a heavy user and suddenly stop. This is the same for all opiates as withdrawal is a standard experience for dependencies. However, not all users will experience the same, and the withdrawal period for Kratom is far less severe than for other opiates.