Do you take lisinopril for a cardiovascular condition? If so, it’s normal to wonder if this ACE inhibitor drug could show up on a drug test.
Millions of Americans take drug tests every year for legal or employment reasons. Most of these check for a standard panel of illicit and prescription drugs, but it can be hard to tell whether lisinopril is one of the drugs on the list.
You might wonder if lisinopril stays in your system for other reasons too. For instance, if you’re trying to avoid a drug interaction or trying to get pregnant, it’s important to know how long lisinopril stays in the body.
If you’re taking a drug test and you take lisinopril by prescription, be sure to tell the person administering the test.
Here’s how long lisinopril stays in your system and more:
How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in the Body?
Lisinopril starts working within two hours and it peaks within seven hours. At that point, your body gradually removes lisinopril from the body and the effects decrease over time. Lisinopril has a long half-life, so it keeps having an effect on blood pressure for 24 hours.
However, the effect of lisinopril is cumulative. That means it can take weeks or months of use before you feel its full effects. It doesn’t cause psychoactive or brain effects in most cases.
Lisinopril causes pre-birth injury and death in unborn babies. Do not take lisinopril if you’re pregnant. No amount of lisinopril in your system is safe if you’re pregnant. Talk to your doctor about how long to wait between stopping lisinopril and trying to get pregnant.
How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Lab Tests?
Lisinopril has a half-life of 12 hours and it takes up to five half-lives to remove the drug from your bloodstream. That means lisinopril could stay in lab tests for 2.5 days after your last use.
However, that number is only for a single dose of lisinopril. If you take the drug daily for hypertension or heart failure, then it could show up in your bloodstream for longer.
Finally, it’s not likely that you’ll get lab tested for lisinopril. Employers and legal departments don’t consider lisinopril a drug of abuse.
The only situation where you’ll receive a drug test for this substance is if your doctor suspects you’re not taking your medication correctly. A blood test can find your blood serum level of lisinopril and tell if you’re skipping doses.
How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your Urine?
As of 2018, Aegis Sciences Corp has developed a commercially available urine test called KardiAssure. Doctors can use this test to determine if you are taking your lisinopril as prescribed.
Blood tests are only done in the work environment if you have an accident while under the influence.
However, lisinopril isn’t considered to be a drug with abuse potential, so it’s very unlikely that you’d ever be tested for it.
How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your Hair?
Lisinopril isn’t detectable in a hair test as of 2019.
Theoretically, hair testing can show results much longer than other types of drug tests. However, a test hasn’t been developed for lisinopril yet. That means lisinopril isn’t part of any standard hair test panel for drugs.
How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your Blood?
Blood testing is the only type of test that’s currently available for lisinopril. Lisinopril can stay in your blood for 2.5 days after your last use.
Employers rarely use blood tests and lisinopril isn’t part of a standard drug panel. It’s not considered to cause euphoria or a “high” so it’s unlikely that you’ll receive a test for it.
How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your Saliva?
Buccal swabs and other saliva tests aren’t available for lisinopril testing. It’s not known how long it lasts in saliva. You won’t be checked for lisinopril on a saliva test.
Can You Detox From Lisinopril Faster?
Most people don’t experience any kind of withdrawal syndrome from stopping lisinopril, so detox is usually fast and easy.
In rare cases, some people can have rebound hypertension when they stop taking lisinopril cold turkey. This is high blood pressure that can be dangerous to your health. It’s not clear if detox through tapering helps remove the risk.
There’s nothing you can do to detox from lisinopril faster. Detox depends on the frequency of use, duration of use, and whether you’re taking other ACE inhibitors. It also depends on your kidney health, liver health, and metabolism. These factors aren’t the same for everyone.
Get Treatment for Prescription Drug Abuse
Even if it’s not considered a dangerous drug, you can put yourself at risk by misusing any substance. If you’re worried about failing a drug screening, it’s time to get help.
Many people who abuse prescription drugs abuse more than one kind, which can put you at added risk. This is called poly-substance abuse and it’s a clear sign that you need help now.
Effective treatments for prescription drug abuse include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: This type of therapy helps you recognize thought patterns that make you want to use drugs. Once you recognize them, you can avoid them.
- Dialectical behavior therapy: DBT teaches you to live in the moment and practice mindfulness. This is an effective stress management strategy that you can use instead of turning to drugs.
- Group therapy: Sharing experiences in groups helps you remember that you’re not alone.
- Medication-assisted treatment: For some kinds of substance abuse, medication such as Suboxone can help prevent cravings.
- Motivational interviewing: If you’ve tried treatment before and it didn’t work, then MI could help. This technique helps you remember why you want to quit using drugs. Uncovering your internal motivation is a huge driver for recovery.
Call Rehab Adviser today to get help for prescription drug abuse. There’s no better time than right now to get addiction help!
References
- Lisinopril
- Lisinopril: Medicine to Treat High Blood Pressure
- ACE-Inhibitor discontinuation and withdrawal
- Aegis Sciences Launches First-of-Its Kind Cardiovascular Medication Adherence Tool to Help Physicians Manage Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension