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Quick answer
Adderall usually stays in urine for about 1½ to 3 days. A single 20 mg dose stays above the federal 500 ng/mL screening cutoff for about 36 hours (22–53 h depending on hydration and urine pH). Daily 20 mg use adds only a few hours (39 h, up to 58 h). Sensitive 50 ng/mL lab tests can detect it for about 3.0 days. Tests report it as amphetamine, and a valid prescription turns a positive into a negative once the Medical Review Officer verifies it.
Enter your dose, how often you take it and the hours since your last dose to estimate your urine amphetamine level in ng/mL and how long it stays above a 1,000, 500, 250 or 50 ng/mL cutoff. You can also check a lab result you already have, or work through the urine pH question from pharmacology class.
Last updated October 1, 2026. Parameters from the FDA Adderall labels and the 2026 HHS drug testing panel. Educational, not medical or legal advice. · how long it stays in urine · what a ng/mL result means
20 mg tablet = 12.6 mg amphetamine base, d:l about 3:1, plasma peak about 3 h
Label strength, e.g. 20 for a 20 mg tablet
Until the urine sample: 48 = 2 days
Federal (HHS/DOT) initial immunoassay screen
24 h after the last dose · cutoff 500 ng/mL
Borderline: could test either way
Estimated urine amphetamine: 1,060 ng/mL (range 447 ng/mL–2,780 ng/mL)
Detectable until (typical)
36 h
after last dose
Range (dilute to concentrated)
22–53 h
use the upper number for low cutoffs
Peak urine level
3,970 ng/mL
about 3 h after the last dose
| After last dose | Typical | Range | At 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 3,970 ng/mL | 1,770 ng/mL–9,250 ng/mL | Positive |
| 6 h | 3,450 ng/mL | 1,530 ng/mL–8,180 ng/mL | Positive |
| 12 h | 2,330 ng/mL | 1,020 ng/mL–5,720 ng/mL | Positive |
| 24 h | 1,060 ng/mL | 447 ng/mL–2,780 ng/mL | Either |
| 36 h | 489 ng/mL | 198 ng/mL–1,360 ng/mL | Either |
| 48 h | 226 ng/mL | 88 ng/mL–669 ng/mL | Either |
| 60 h | 106 ng/mL | 39 ng/mL–331 ng/mL | Negative |
| 72 h | 50 ng/mL | 17 ng/mL–164 ng/mL | Negative |
| 96 h | 11 ng/mL | 3.5 ng/mL–41 ng/mL | Negative |
How it was calculated
Hours after the last Adderall IR dose that urine stays at or above each cutoff. The typical value is shown first, with the dilute-to-concentrated range in brackets. “Daily” means two weeks of once-daily use.
| Dose | 1,000 ng/mLinstant cup | 500 ng/mLfederal screen | 250 ng/mLfederal confirm | 50 ng/mLclinical lab |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | Usually not (≤18 h) | 14 h (up to 30) | 25 h (12–41) | 50 h (36–69) |
| 10 mg | 14 h (up to 30) | 25 h (12–41) | 36 h (22–53) | 61 h (46–81) |
| 20 mg | 25 h (12–41) | 36 h (22–53) | 46 h (33–65) | 72 h (56–93) |
| 30 mg | 31 h (18–48) | 42 h (28–60) | 53 h (39–72) | 78 h (62–100) |
| 40 mg | 36 h (22–53) | 46 h (33–65) | 57 h (43–77) | 83 h (67–105) |
| Dose | 1,000 ng/mLinstant cup | 500 ng/mLfederal screen | 250 ng/mLfederal confirm | 50 ng/mLclinical lab |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 7 h (up to 23) | 18 h (5–34) | 29 h (15–46) | 54 h (39–74) |
| 10 mg | 18 h (5–34) | 29 h (15–46) | 39 h (26–58) | 65 h (49–86) |
| 20 mg | 29 h (15–46) | 39 h (26–58) | 50 h (36–70) | 76 h (60–98) |
| 30 mg | 35 h (21–53) | 46 h (32–65) | 57 h (42–77) | 83 h (66–105) |
| 40 mg | 39 h (26–58) | 50 h (36–70) | 61 h (46–82) | 87 h (70–110) |
Mayo Clinic Proceedings lists amphetamine at about 48 hours in urine, and Mayo Clinic Laboratories gives up to 3 days at a 25 ng/mL limit. For 50 ng/mL tests, use the upper number: a 2025 study found a median last detection of 78 hours after just 10 mg of dexamphetamine.
36 h
range 22–53 h
39 h
range 26–58 h
3.0 days
up to 3.9 days
A result is positive when the urine concentration is at or above the cutoff. Federal (HHS) and DOT tests lowered the amphetamine screen from 1,000 to 500 ng/mL, but many employer cups and older labs still use 1,000.
| Cutoff | Where it is used | One 20 mg dose stays above it for |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 ng/mL | Older immunoassay screen still used by many non-federal employers and instant cups | 25 h (12–41) |
| 500 ng/mL | Federal (HHS/DOT) initial immunoassay screen | 36 h (22–53) |
| 250 ng/mL | Federal GC-MS/LC-MS confirmation for amphetamine | 46 h (33–65) |
| 50 ng/mL | Sensitive LC-MS/MS used by some clinical and pain-management labs | 72 h (56–93) |
Methamphetamine has its own 250 ng/mL confirmation cutoff and is reported only if amphetamine is also at least 100 ng/mL. Adderall produces amphetamine, not methamphetamine.
Expected urine amphetamine for once-daily Adderall IR, about 4 hours after a dose (near the peak) and 24 hours after (just before the next dose). The low and high numbers show what hydration alone does.
| Daily dose | 4 h after dose | Range | 24 h after dose | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 1,230 ng/mL | 535 ng/mL–2,980 ng/mL | 339 ng/mL | 139 ng/mL–918 ng/mL |
| 10 mg | 2,450 ng/mL | 1,070 ng/mL–5,970 ng/mL | 678 ng/mL | 278 ng/mL–1,840 ng/mL |
| 15 mg | 3,680 ng/mL | 1,600 ng/mL–8,950 ng/mL | 1,020 ng/mL | 417 ng/mL–2,750 ng/mL |
| 20 mg | 4,910 ng/mL | 2,140 ng/mL–11,940 ng/mL | 1,360 ng/mL | 557 ng/mL–3,670 ng/mL |
| 30 mg | 7,360 ng/mL | 3,210 ng/mL–17,910 ng/mL | 2,030 ng/mL | 835 ng/mL–5,510 ng/mL |
| 40 mg | 9,810 ng/mL | 4,280 ng/mL–23,880 ng/mL | 2,710 ng/mL | 1,110 ng/mL–7,350 ng/mL |
Controlled studies
One 20 mg Adderall dose peaked at 2,645–5,948 ng/mL; five daily doses peaked at 5,739–19,172 ng/mL (Cody et al.).
Real patients
Urine from patients prescribed Adderall ranged from 711 to 61,232 ng/mL at one hospital and 2,287 to 104,778 ng/mL at another lab.
Blood is different
The therapeutic range of 10–100 ng/mL is for serum or plasma at trough. Urine has no therapeutic range.
Hours to fall below each cutoff assume no further doses and a halving time of 10–13.8 hours. A single urine sample can still read higher or lower if you drink more or less.
| Result | At 500 / 250 | Hours to <500 | Hours to <250 | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 ng/mL | Neg / Neg | Already below | Already below | Below every workplace cutoff. Only a sensitive LC-MS/MS lab reports it; fits a dose 3–5 days earlier. |
| 97 ng/mL | Neg / Neg | Already below | Already below | Negative on 250 and 500 ng/mL tests. Typical of the tail about 2½–3 days after a daily dose. |
| 623 ng/mL | Pos / Pos | 3–4 h | 13–18 h | Just over a 500 ng/mL cutoff, so positive for the amphetamine class. Roughly 1½ days after a usual dose. |
| 2,600 ng/mL | Pos / Pos | 24–33 h | 34–47 h | Common within the first day after a 10–30 mg dose. |
| 5,929 ng/mL | Pos / Pos | 36–49 h | 46–63 h | About 6× a 1,000 ng/mL cutoff. Normal in the hours after a dose for daily users. |
| 7,485 ng/mL | Pos / Pos | 39–54 h | 49–68 h | Typical of a sample a few hours after a 20–30 mg daily dose. |
| 9,000 ng/mL | Pos / Pos | 42–58 h | 52–71 h | High but within published ranges for prescribed patients (711 to over 100,000 ng/mL). |
Results in ng/mg are creatinine-normalized: ng/mL × 100 ÷ creatinine (mg/dL). At a creatinine of 100 mg/dL the two numbers are the same.
Urine amphetamine (ng/mL) = fraction excreted unchanged × elimination rate × amount in the body ÷ urine flow. Every number comes from the FDA labels or controlled studies.
Base content: 20 mg tablet = 12.6 mg amphetamine base, d:l about 3:1, plasma peak about 3 h. Vyvanse: 70 mg = 20.8 mg d-amphetamine base, d-amphetamine only, plasma peak about 3.8 h.
Half-life: 10 h for d-amphetamine and 13 h for l-amphetamine (Adderall XR label); 9.77–11 h and 11.5–13.8 h in the IR label give the range.
Unchanged in urine: 30–40% (label) and 35–44% (Poklis); 35% typical.
Urine flow: 1 mL/min typical (about 1.4 L/day), 2 mL/min dilute, 0.5 mL/min concentrated.
Borderline: could test either way at 500 ng/mL.
| Study | Published | This calculator |
|---|---|---|
| One 20 mg dose, peak | 2,645–5,948 ng/mL | 1,770 ng/mL–9,250 ng/mL |
| One 20 mg dose, last ≥500 ng/mL | up to 47.5 h | 36 h, up to 53 h |
| Five daily 20 mg doses, peak | 5,739–19,172 ng/mL | 2,230 ng/mL–12,340 ng/mL |
| Five daily 20 mg doses, last ≥500 ng/mL | up to 60 h | 39 h, up to 58 h |
Amphetamine is a weak base (pKa 9.9). In acidic urine nearly all of it is ionized, so it cannot cross back through the kidney tubules and is flushed out faster. In alkaline urine more stays un-ionized, gets reabsorbed and lingers. The Adderall label reports urinary recovery from 1% to 75% depending on pH.
| Urine pH | Ionized | Un-ionized | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 100.00% | 0.001% | 79,433 : 1 |
| 5.5 | 100.00% | 0.004% | 25,119 : 1 |
| 6.0 | 99.99% | 0.013% | 7,943 : 1 |
| 6.5 | 99.96% | 0.040% | 2,512 : 1 |
| 7.0 | 99.87% | 0.126% | 794 : 1 |
| 7.5 | 99.60% | 0.397% | 251 : 1 |
| 8.0 | 98.76% | 1.243% | 79 : 1 |
Amphetamine is a weak base: ionized ÷ un-ionized = 10^(pKa − pH).
10^(9.9 − 6.5) = 10^3.4 ≈ 2,512 : 1.
Ionized fraction = 2,512 ÷ (2,512 + 1) = 99.96%.
More of the drug was present in the kidney in ionized form. Therefore, the window of detection will be decreased.
The other options fail because ionized drug is less prone to tubular reabsorption, and faster elimination shortens rather than lengthens detection.
| Specimen | Typical window for amphetamine | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Urine | 2–3 days (about 1 week in chronic heavy use) | Most workplace tests; this calculator |
| Saliva (oral fluid) | 20–50 h; about 67 h with very sensitive methods | Observed collection, roadside and some workplace tests |
| Blood / plasma | About 1–2 days at low ng/mL | Therapeutic range 10–100 ng/mL at trough |
| Hair | Up to about 90 days (1.5-inch sample) | Misses roughly the last week of use |
Bupropion, trazodone, labetalol, pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, ranitidine, metformin, aripiprazole, atomoxetine, promethazine, amantadine, desipramine, selegiline and the Vicks VapoInhaler (l-methamphetamine), per Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Confirmation by GC-MS or LC-MS/MS identifies the actual compound, so these do not survive a confirmed test.
Dilute urine is flagged when creatinine is 2 to under 20 mg/dL with specific gravity 1.0010–1.0030; drinking extra water lowers the ng/mL but does not clear the drug faster.
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