How Long Does Nicotine Stay In The Blood?

Nicotine can remain in the blood stream for up to 48 hours. Once it’s been 2 full days since Nicotine entered the system, it cannot be detected on a blood or urine test.

If you are going for a Nicotine test where you need to test negative, however, it should be noted that some companies will test using hair samples. If this is the case, nicotine can remain in your hair for weeks. In this event, you may want to visit a local salon and see if they have a treatment they can apply.

Everyone’s body is different, so it may take a little longer or shorter than an average person. The liver may take longer to metabolize the nicotine out of the system and the kidneys could take longer to flush it from the system.  The byproduct of nicotine, known as cotinine, takes longer to pass through the system.

It’s important to remember that nicotine is a drug that is very addictive. Many people don’t even realize how much they smoke and how much it affects them until it is brought to their attention by an observer or when they try to stop.

It all ends up coming down to how frequently you smoke and why you care if the Nicotine stays in the blood. If it’s because you’re going to be taking a test for Nicotine levels, then you will want to avoid cigarettes for longer than 48 hours. Especially if you are a heavy smoker. The more you smoke, the more nicotine is built up in the system, meaning that it will take that much longer to leave the system. If passing the test means a significant amount, you may want to avoid cigarettes for a few weeks just to be on the safe side.

Nicotine stays in the blood for several hours, up to 48 hours to be precise. After this it cannot be detected in the blood or urine. However, the metabolite of nicotine which is known as Cotinine leaves its traces in blood as well as in urine for up to 7 days. About 85 to 90 per cent of the nicotine which is present in your blood is metabolised by the liver and is thrown out of your system by the kidney. But due to the higher concentration, many a times, it still persists in the blood stream. Nicotine is a very highly addictive chemical that is the main component of cigarettes. Your body, especially your heart and lungs, will usually begin to heal at 12 hours after you've had your last cigarette/ stopped smoking.

The answer to this will depend on how much you smoke per day, and how long you’ve smoked.  In a small percentage of people, how your body metabolizes nicotine (or more accurately, how it doesn’t metabolize nicotine) will also come into play.

Nicotine itself is generally out of the blood within 48 hours.  However, your body metabolizes nicotine into a substance known as cotinine.  Drug tests look for both nicotine and cotinine, because the latter drug can stay in your blood for four to five days after your last smoke.  

Some people have a genetic anomaly that causes their liver to metabolize the cotinine much more slowly than normal.  For these people, it might take an additional day or two of non-smoking to clear enough cotinine from their system that they could pass a drug test.

Keep in mind that, while few companies drug test via hair samples, it could be done and that both nicotine and cotinine remain in your hair for weeks or even months.

Sorry to say folks, but there is no ONE answer. Cotinine, the byproduct of nicotine, is usually what urine and blood tests are looking for to determine if a person is smoking or not. Levels of cotinine have to be below 10ng/ml to be considered a nonsmoker, and can be over 300ng/ml if you're a heavy smoker. Now, the body excretes cotinine based on the specific person's body weight, metabolism, amount of cotinine present, and many other factors. There is no "Golden Rule" for the amount of days it will be detectable. It can be a few days for a social smoker, and three weeks to a month or even more for the heavier smokers. Best bet if you want to pass a test for smoking is just to... Well... Quit smoking. Real helpful, I know.

2-4 days on average but in heavy smokers can be detectable in blood up to 3 weeks.

The estimated stay of nicotine in blood is approximately 2 hours but it may stay longer in case of smoking. 85 to 90 percent of nicotine in the blood is metabolized and excreted from the kidney rapidly.

For 72 hours

Nicotine can stay in your system up to a week.