How Long Does Valium (Diazepam) Stay In Your System?

If you worried about passing a drug test that could test positive for diazepam, learn more about the detection times for different tests, including urine tests, blood tests, saliva tests, and hair tests.

Valium, the brand name for the drug diazepam, is a benzo or benzodiazepine. Others include Xanax (alprazolam), Librium (chlordiazepoxide), and Ativan (lorazepam).

Valium is prescribed by doctors to aid patients suffering from a range of conditions from anxiety to insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. 

How Long Do the Effects of Valium Last? 

Valium’s effects, including sleepiness, drowsiness, and sudden drop in anxiety, are felt within an hour after ingestion. The effects of a single, normal dose can last between four to six hours.

Valium Half-Life & Detection Times

Valium has a rather long half-life of between 20 and 50 hours for a normal dose. This means it can take from one to three days for half of the dose to be eliminated from your body.

In other words, a single dose of valium stays in the human body for up to six weeks total and can show up on various drug tests for a very long period of time.

How Long Can Valium Be Detected in Urine?

Urine tests are very common in a variety of settings, and they’re quite effective and accurate. In the case of Valium, urine will test positive for up to six weeks after the last dose.

How Long Can Valium Be Detected in the Hair?

Hair or hair follicles are the longest indicator of valium use, with test results showing positive use for up to 13 weeks. However, results from hair testing can be less reliable.

How Long Can Valium Be Detected in Saliva?

Saliva tests can reveal the use of valium for up to ten days after use.

How Long Can Valium Be Detected in Blood?

Blood tests are the most invasive test on our list, and are also generally the least reliable once time passes. A blood test will only reveal the use of valium for up to two days after the drug has been used.

Factors That Affect Elimination Times

When the body breaks down diazepam the drug is converted into smaller substances called metabolites, specifically nordiazepam, temazepam, and oxazepam. 

How long Valium stays in your system depends on how quickly these substances are metabolized. 

Valium detection times can also vary based on your:

• metabolism
• kidney and liver function
• age
• weight
• body fat composition
• other drug use
• frequency of drug use
• the amounts of the drug taken

The more Valium you take, and the more often you take it, the more the drug can build up in the body, extending the period where it’s detectable as it saturates the body’s tissues.

Valium Addiction

The addictive potential and danger of substance abuse is easy to underestimate.

Benzodiazepines are intended only for short term use. Taking Valium over the long-term may cause the body to become dependent on the drug and tolerant to its effects, which increases the risk of addiction.

If you or a loved one is abusing Valium or similar medications, medical detox, behavioral therapy, and other treatment options can help. 

To learn about our treatment centers, please contact an Ark Behavioral Health specialist today.