Magic mushrooms or “shrooms” are harder to detect than other drugs. They typically leave the body in just 24 hours, after which they can be near-impossible to detect using standard drug tests.
But there are exceptions to both the timeframe and the way they are detected.
So, how long do shrooms stay in your system?
How Long Do Magic Mushrooms Stay in your System?
Magic mushrooms are processed by the body very quickly. After consumption, your body excretes the psychedelic compound, psilocybin, via your kidneys. In just a few hours, it has already removed around two-thirds of this compound, and in most cases, it is removed entirely within 24 hours.
However, the exact timeframe will depend on the dose, your tolerance, and your physiology. If you drink a lot of water, stay active, and are relatively young, it should be processed quickly.
Otherwise, those compounds may hang around a little longer.
Unlike many other drugs, however, magic mushrooms rarely remain detectable for longer than a day. The only way that they can be discovered after this detection window has passed is via a hair follicle test or a test designed specifically for magic mushrooms.
However, both of these tests are expensive and they are also highly specific, so they are not used during routine drug tests.
Do Shrooms Show on Urine Tests?
The vast majority of drug tests are urine tests. They are cheap, widespread, and effective…but not for detecting the use of psilocybin mushrooms.
They can be effective in some cases if they are conducted within 24 hours of use, but for most users, urine tests will not work.
Will a Blood Test Detect Shrooms?
A blood test is effective at determining whether someone has used shrooms recently, but it’s less effective at checking for chronic or historic use. Shrooms will typically show on a blood test after just 30 minutes, but little trace will remain after 12 hours and most of the substance will be gone within 24 hours.
Will a Saliva Test Detect Shrooms?
Like blood tests, saliva tests are effective at telling you whether someone is high at the moment, but not as effective at checking for historic use.
Traces are usually removed after 24 hours, though they can remain for up to 48 hours. Whether the saliva test is capable of detecting such trace amounts is a different matter entirely.
Will I Be Given A Specialized Drug Test?
Specialized drug tests are very rare, as they are expensive.
It’s also rare to be given blood or saliva tests as part of a routine screening.
Most routine drug tests are urine tests and so they are more effective at spotting marijuana, stimulants, and opioids than psychedelics.
Shrooms and Hair Follicle Tests
It takes about a week for magic mushrooms to be detected in your hair, after which they can remain detectable for up to 90 days. That’s a long time, and it might be a little concerning if you’re typically subject to random drug testing. However, hair follicle tests are less common and as only traces of mushrooms appear, more hair samples are required for detection.
How Long Do Psychedelics Stay In Your Urine?
LSD and mescaline are more detectable than psilocybin mushrooms. They will typically remain in your urine for up to three days and can also be detected in blood tests for up to 24 hours.
What is the Half-Life of Magic Mushrooms
Psilocybin is the main active compound in magic mushrooms. It’s the compound responsible for the effects of shrooms and it’s also what drug tests look for. The drug’s half-life is just 50 minutes, which means that more than half of the drug is removed in less than an hour.
What Happens if I Test Positive for Magic Mushrooms?
It depends on the circumstances. If you’re a healthcare professional subject to random testing and strict rules, you could be suspended or immediately terminated. The same is true for other employers that adopt a zero-tolerance approach to drug use.
Generally speaking, it’s not good news. The fact that you’ve been subjected to a drug test means your employers/school don’t look fondly on drug use, and so there will likely be repercussions.
Some companies will give their employees a second chance, subject to rehabilitation and supervised working conditions. But that’s not always the case.
It should also be noted that decriminalization or even legalization won’t save you. After all, cannabis is legal in many US states, yet employers are still punishing employees known to have used the drug.
Can You Successfully Pass a Drug Test After Taking Mushrooms?
Yes, you can successfully pass a drug test after taking shrooms, especially if that test is conducted more than 24 hours after use. It’s still possible to pass within 24 hours, providing a low dose was used or the test is not very sensitive.
Can I Speed Up The Process?
Technically, shrooms will be removed quicker if you are fit, healthy, and well hydrated. As a result, you could speed up the process by drinking lots of water, sweating, and staying active. But we’re talking about a very slight difference.
If you have a drug test on the horizon, the only way to guarantee that you won’t test positive is to avoid taking any drugs. If the drug test was sprung on you at the last minute and you only have a matter of minutes to prepare, you’re out of luck and just have to take your chances.
That’s the bad news. The good news, as noted above, is that magic mushroom use rarely shows on standardized drug tests.
Summary: Can Standard Drug Tests Detect Shrooms?
Standard drug tests can detect the use of psilocybin-containing mushrooms, but only within a 24-hour window and rarely even that.
There are specialized tests that can detect psilocybin and other hallucinogenic drugs, but they are not in common use.