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How Long Does Methadone Stay In Your System? Methadone Half Life

Medical Providers:
Dr. Michael Vines, MD
Alex Spritzer, FNP, CARN-AP, PMHNP
Clinical Providers:
Natalie Foster, LPC-S, MS
Last Updated: December 21, 2025

Methadone is a commonly used opioid agonist, especially for people in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs. It helps ease withdrawal symptoms and reduces cravings, which makes detoxing from opioids a lot more manageable. It’s one of the main tools used in treating Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).

Around 2015, stats showed roughly 350,000 people in the U.S. were on methadone treatment daily. If you’re wondering how long methadone sticks around in your system, or what it means for drug testing, this article breaks it down. We’ll also cover the half-life, factors that affect how long it lingers, and what kind of detection windows you might encounter.

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How Long Does Methadone Stay in Your System

Understanding how long methadone lasts in your body is important if you’re going through opioid addiction treatment or considering a residential rehab program in Scottsdale.
SAMHSA requires anyone in methadone treatment for OUD to be enrolled in a supervised program. That means you can’t just pick it up anywhere, methadone must come from certified opioid treatment programs.

Doctors or nurses give methadone based on your personal needs, and it’s important to take it exactly as prescribed, especially if you’re combining it with other services like medication-assisted treatment at The Hope House. Methadone can be habit-forming, so misuse or addiction is a real risk if not carefully monitored, which is why many people choose accredited centers listed on resources like The Hope House.

How Methadone Works

Methadone is an opioid agonist, which means it attaches to opioid receptors in the brain. It produces effects similar to other opioids but without the intense euphoric high, making it useful in structured drug addiction treatment programs. When you take methadone orally, your body absorbs it at a rate that can differ depending on metabolism, age, and whether other substances are in your system. Your liver does most of the work breaking methadone down into metabolites, which are eventually excreted through urine. The half-life of methadone is key here, it tells you how long the drug stays active in your body and helps clinicians at centers like The Hope House tailor safe dosing schedules.​

Methadone’s half-life is variable, anywhere from 8 to 59 hours, depending on your metabolism, dose, and other factors. Since it takes roughly five half-lives for a drug to clear, methadone can stay in your system for up to about 13 days at the longest, which is one reason long-term support, such as inpatient treatment in Scottsdale ,can be helpful during tapering.

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Exploring Methadone Half Life

Methadone’s half-life is the time it takes for half the drug to leave your system. On average, it sticks around for 24–36 hours, but that’s just an average, individual results vary quite a bit, so medical teams in personalized rehab settings adjust doses carefully. Here’s something interesting: for people who’ve been using opioids for a while (opioid-tolerant), methadone’s half-life is about 24 hours. For opioid-naive folks, it can be much longer, up to 55 hours, which underscores the need for monitored care described by national authorities like SAMHSA.

Factors Affecting How Long Methadone Stays In The Body

fast metabolism can eliminate drugs faster

Individual Metabolism

The rate at which your body metabolizes methadone can vary depending on a number of factors, such as age. People with faster metabolisms will typically clear methadone from their systems more quickly than people with slower metabolisms.

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Dosage

The higher the dosage of methadone you take, the longer it will stay in your system. This is because it takes longer for your body to metabolize a larger amount of the drug. Tapering off methadone gradually under medical supervision can further affect the drug’s elimination.

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Length of Time Taken

The longer you have been taking methadone, the longer it will stay in your system. This is because methadone can build up in your body over time.

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Other Medications

Some medications can interact with methadone and prolong its half-life. For example, cimetidine, an over-the-counter medication used to treat heartburn, can increase the half-life of methadone by up to 50%.

a persons weight have impact on blood alcohol concentration

Body Weight

People with higher body weights tend to clear methadone from their systems more slowly than people with lower body weights.

alcohol stays in the liver to be broken down

Liver Function

If you have liver problems, it may take longer for your body to metabolize methadone.

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Drug Testing for Methadone

Methadone generally leaves the body in around two weeks, but detecting it depends on the type of test used. Employers, rehab programs, athletic organizations, or law enforcement might request methadone screenings, and many treatment centers (including The Hope House’s Scottsdale facilities) rely on drug testing to monitor progress.

Here’s what we’ve seen: traces of methadone can hang around longer than you might expect, which is why national education materials like SAMHSA’s “Follow Directions: How to Use Methadone Safely” emphasize careful monitoring.​

How long does Methadone stay in urine?

Methadone can be detected in urine for a wide period of time, ranging from one hour to two weeks after last ingestion.

Detection Window for Methadone

Urine tests are preferred due to their noninvasive nature, ease of administration, relatively low cost, and extended period of detection. The detection time for methadone in urine ranges from one hour to two weeks after ingestion.

Saliva tests provide a convenient and noninvasive alternative for methadone testing. Traces of methadone can be detected in saliva as early as 30 minutes after ingestion and can remain detectable for a few days following the last use.

Hair tests are particularly useful for assessing long-term methadone as traces of the drug accumulate in the hair over time. It may take up to a couple of weeks for methadone to appear in the hair of someone who has recently started taking it. Methadone can be detected in hair for several months after the last use.

Blood tests can detect methadone within 30 minutes of use and remain effective for a few days. While blood tests are highly accurate, they are costly, invasive, and have a relatively short detection window. Therefore, they are not commonly utilized for methadone testing purposes.

Get Help With Methadone Addiction

Methadone works well for opioid addiction, but it isn’t without risks. People can develop a dependence on methadone itself, which may require transitioning into a comprehensive drug addiction treatment program. If that happens, it’s important to recognize the signs of addiction and reach out for help, whether through local providers or national resources such as SAMHSA’s helpline and treatment locator.​

If you or someone you know is struggling with methadone addiction, The Hope House can help through individualized care at its Scottsdale rehab centers. Our experts assess the severity, create a treatment plan tailored just for you, and guide you through recovery every step of the way in a private, luxury environment described on our main rehab page. Contact our Scottsdale facility today to learn more or explore whether our opioid treatment programs are the right fit for you.

Other Drug Detection Times

The answer to the question “how long does cocaine stay in your system” is, cocaine is typically detectable in urine for about 2-4 days after use, although its metabolites can be detected for a longer period, often up to several weeks. The exact duration of detection can vary based on factors such as the amount used, frequency of use, metabolism, and individual differences.

The answer to the question “how long does ecstasy stay in your system” is that Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, can stay in your system for around 2 to 4 days. This means that traces of the drug can be detected in your urine, blood, or saliva during this time frame after taking it. Remember, factors like your metabolism and the amount you take can influence how long it lingers in your body.

The answer to the question “how long does heroin stay in your system” is that heroin usually stays in your system for around 2 to 3 days. This means it can be found in your urine, blood, or saliva during this time after use. Remember, the exact duration can be influenced by factors like how much you take and your body’s metabolism.

The answer to the question “how long does meth stay in your system” is that methamphetamine, or meth, can stay in your system for about 2 to 4 days, but it might be detectable for up to a week in some cases. This depends on factors like how much you’ve used, your metabolism, and the type of drug test being used.

The answer to the question “how long does alcohol stay in your system” can vary depending on factors like the amount consumed, your metabolism, and other factors. On average, alcohol can be detected in your urine for up to 48 hours and in your blood for about 12 hours. However, it’s important to note that heavy drinking can lead to longer detection times.

The answer to the question “how long does xanax stay in your system” is that Xanax, a medication for anxiety, typically stays in your system for about 4 days. This means that after taking it, it can be detected in your body for up to four days through tests like urine or blood samples.

The answer to the question “how long does suboxone stay in your system” can vary. Suboxone can be detected in urine tests for up to several days, and sometimes even longer. But its effects might last even beyond that. Naloxone leaves the system faster, usually within a day or so.

The answer to the question “how long does fentanyl stay in your system” is that fentanyl and its metabolites can be detectable in urine for around 1-2 days after use. However, this detection window can vary depending on factors like the dosage, frequency of use, individual metabolism, and the specific drug test being employed.

The answer to the question “how long do opioids stay in your system” can vary widely depending on the specific opioid, the dosage, individual metabolism, and the type of drug test being used. Generally, opioids can be detectable in urine for around 2 to 4 days after use, but some opioids with longer half-lives can be detected for a longer period.

The answer to the question “how long does weed stay in your system” is that marijuana can stay in your system for different lengths of time depending on factors like how often you use it and your metabolism. Typically, it can be detected in urine for up to 30 days, but for infrequent users, it might only be detectable for a few days to a week.

The answer to the question, “how long does ambien stay in your system” is that Ambien (zolpidem) typically stays in your system for about 8 hours, with its effects diminishing after that time. However, it may be detectable in urine for up to 72 hours after use, depending on factors like dose, frequency of use, and individual metabolism.

The answer to the question, “how long does percocet stay in your system” is that Percocet can typically be detected in urine for about 3-4 days after the last dose. However, the exact duration may vary depending on factors such as individual metabolism, dosage, and the sensitivity of the drug test used.