How Long Does Klonopin Stay in Your System?

Half-Life & Administration Method

Klonopin is a brand name for the drug clonazepam. It has an elimination half-life of between 30 to 40 hours. 

Half-life is a key part of understanding how long drugs will stay in a person’s system. A drug’s elimination half-life is how long it will take for about half of the drug to be eliminated from one’s system. 

Klonopin is a long-acting benzodiazepine, meaning it is designed to act on the body for a day or more. Drugs are generally detectable for longer than the window during which a person is going to significantly feel their effect.

Administration method can also affect how the body absorbs a drug. Klonopin comes as tablets meant to be taken orally. If someone were to instead crush them up and snort or inject them, as some people misusing benzodiazepines do, the drug will be absorbed more rapidly into the body. 

Different Ways to Test for Klonopin Use

There are four methods of testing typically used to detect Klonopin use. 

1. Urine Testing

Urine testing is by far the most common method used to test for most drugs, including benzodiazepine use, as it has a relatively long detection window and is less invasive than something like blood testing. One will be given a cup and some basic instructions on how to get a sample. They’ll then go into a bathroom to privately fill the cup.

2. Blood Testing

Blood testing is a relatively uncommon way to test for drug use, as it is fairly invasive and has a shorter detection window than urine testing. Its one advantage is that it is fairly difficult to manipulate a blood test, so it may be performed on people strongly expected to try and manipulate their test results.

3. Saliva Testing

Saliva testing is often considered one of the least invasive ways to test for drug use, with very little training needed on the part of people conducting the test and minimal input required from the patient. However, the detection window is shorter than with urine testing. There is some contamination risk depending on what the patient has recently eaten or drank.

4. Hair Testing

Hair follicle testing is used to detect drug use over a long window of time. As a person uses drugs, it can leave certain markers in their hair as it grows out, which can stay with the person for weeks or months. 

This type of test is fairly uncommon because it is relatively invasive, requiring a small part of a person’s hair for the test. It also frequently can’t detect recent drug use, which is usually what is desired from a drug test. 

How Long Can Klonopin Be Detected?

The detection window for Klonopin depends on a few factors, but one of the most important is the type of drug test used. The detection windows one can expect are roughly as follows:

Type of Test	Detection Window
Urine testing	Up to 30 days, reliably 3–5 days
Blood testing	Approximately 2–3 days
Saliva testing	Between 2–5 days
Hair testing	Up to 90 days

Factors That May Impact How Long Klonopin Is in Your System

Factors that can impact how long Klonopin or other drugs are detectable in your system include the following:

• The amount of the drug taken
• How long you have been taking it
• Certain drug interactions
• When the sample was taken

Some factors can also skew the results of a test. An obvious example is if a person intentionally tampers with the sample they provide, but things like the skill of the technicians who work on the sample can also skew the results if they make mistakes. 

How Can You Safely Detox From Klonopin?

If you want to quit using Klonopin, especially if you have been misusing it and feel you can’t stop on your own, talk to an addiction professional. Even if you’ve only been taking the drug as prescribed, benzodiazepines can cause physical dependence, and suddenly quitting without a treatment plan can potentially cause serious withdrawal symptoms.

The usual course of action for a person who wants to quit benzodiazepines is to first put them on a long-acting benzodiazepines prescription. While this may seem paradoxical, this helps stop the person from experiencing sudden withdrawal. Then, a doctor can work to slowly lower a person’s dose over time rather than stopping it all at once, making quitting use much easier.

A person who feels they are addicted to Klonopin may benefit from certain types of counseling and therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on identifying why you use drugs and helping you change the way you think to better avoid drug misuse, is usually the recommendation for people who struggle with addiction. 

A comprehensive addiction treatment program will address the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of recovery, ensuring the person receives treatment and support on all levels.