Valium is a prescription medication that is used to treat a wide range of symptoms and disorders. It is estimated that over 12 percent of all adults in the United States take valium regularly. Its recent surge in popularity has been attributed to overprescribing as well as its use as a first line treatment. It is commonly prescribed for a wide range of symptoms. If you or someone you know has been prescribed valium, you may be wondering, “How long does valium stay in your system?” 

It is good to know the answer to this question if you take valium regularly as it can be a safety hazard when carelessly mixed with other medications that depress the nervous system. Healthcare professionals and drug rehab staff should also be able to answer this question to help determine if patients are compliant with their plan of care. There is no single hard line answer to the question “How long does valium stay in the system?” because various factors can affect the outcome. Here’s what you need to know. 

What is valium used for?

Valium is a prescription medication that belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) classifies these drugs as schedule IV controlled substances because of their high potential for abuse. Diazepam is the generic form of valium, which works by reducing activity in the brain and central nervous system. This produces a calming effect on a person’s mood and body. 

Valium is most often prescribed in tablet form, but it is also available in a liquid formulation for those who cannot swallow pills. It is used to treat a range of symptoms including anxiety and muscle spasms. Some healthcare providers prescribe valium to help patients relax before an outpatient procedure while others use it to treat seizures, sleep disorders and even muscle spasms. 

Medication Concentration

When wondering, “How long does valium stay in your system?”. It’s important to understand a little bit about the drug’s half-life. The half-life is the amount of time it takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body. Valium has a longer half-life than many drugs. It can take an average of 20 to 50 hours to eliminate 50 percent of it from your system. 

This medication is not expelled from the body in a linear fashion. This means that the concentration of medication builds up in your system with continued use and gradually declines over time. Valium may remain in your body for several days after your last ingestion, even if you have discontinued use altogether. This makes it inherently important to understand the potential interactions between valium and other medications before starting something new. 

Detecting Valium

The presence of valium is detected by testing for the presence of its metabolites or byproducts in your system. Multiple types of tests are often used to detect the presence of valium but a urine test is typically the most common. Valium or diazepam can be detected in the urine for up to 42 days after your last dose. While a saliva test can detect it for up to 10 days, a blood test will only detect the presence of valium for about 24 hours. A hair follicle test will show if you have ingested valium within the last 90 days. 

Take Only as Prescribed

If you are wondering, “How long does valium stay in your system?” there may be more than one answer to that question. If you or a loved one has been prescribed valium, it is important that you take it exactly as prescribed and only for a short time. Valium can potentially interact with other medications, so it’s important to let your healthcare provider know if you are taking anything else. Understanding valium’s half-life and concentration values are helpful for healthcare providers and drug rehab personnel to determine if patients are following their plan of care. Valium can potentially build up in your system so you should exercise caution when taking it, even if it has been prescribed by a healthcare provider.