Benzodiazepines Detection Timelines (INFOGRAPHIC)

Drug Tests for Benzodiazepines

Drug Name: Benzodiazepines
Drug Class: Depressants / Sedatives / Hypnotics
Street Names: Bennies, Benzos, BZDs

Drug testing is one way that employers, schools, or law enforcement agencies enforce policies and laws. Benzos are strong central nervous system depressants and can alter your cognitive function. This is why it’s important that some people be monitored for use.

Drug testing timelines show the length of period a specific drug stays in your system. These timelines vary according to the type of test you are using.  Generally, benzodiazepine presence is measured in blood, urine, saliva, and hair. Drug detection times will prove either positive or negative presence of benzodiazepine traces in your hair, urine, or saliva. Different methods of drug testing have variable windows of detection. So, how long benzodiazepines stay in your blood, urine, and breath can vary.

Factors Which Determine Detection

• Age
• Body mass
• Food intake
• Hydration
• Liver function
• Your metabolic rate
• Your gender
• The dosage / amount taken
• The frequency of administration

NOTE: Drug detection times in urine, blood, and saliva are an average and can vary greatly by individual. The information in this infographic should be used as a general guideline only.

Benzodiazepine Detection by Test Type

How long do benzos stay in your system?

Urine: Typical detection windows for benzodiazepines in the urine is 1 – 6 weeks.

Hair: The hair follicle test will show cover 90 days window. The rate at which you hair grows can also be a contributing factor. In some cases the test might show up benzodiazepine use going as far back as 5 months.

Saliva: Saliva tests have a much shorter detection time. Benzodiazepines are detectable for 3 days on a saliva test.

Blood: Benzodiazepines are detectable in blood for 6 – 48 hours.

Your Questions

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Reference sources: SAMHSA: Drug Testing
NCBI: Detection Times of Diazepam, Clonazepam, and Alprazolam in Oral Fluid Collected From Patients Admitted to Detoxification, After High and Repeated Drug Intake.
NCBI: Detection of benzodiazepines in human hair by radioimmunoassay.

About the author

Lee Weber

Lee Weber is a published author, medical writer, and woman in long-term recovery from addiction. Her latest book, The Definitive Guide to Addiction Interventions is set to reach university bookstores in early 2019.