Drug Detox Drinks: What are they and what do they do?

By Ioana Cozma

Updated: 30 August 2023 & medically reviewed by Morgan Blair

What are drug detox drinks?

Drug detox drinks are beverages people consume to pass specific drug tests such as urine, blood, saliva, or hair testing. Drug detox drinks come in many forms and have variations specifically designed for meth, marijuana, cocaine, and other commonly tested substances.

Drug detox drinks act in various ways, from hiding the presence of drugs to destroying them in the specimen or interfering with substances used in laboratory testing.^[1]

Do drug detox drinks flush the body of drugs?

Drug detox drinks have different effects on the body, which cannot be categorized as “flushing” the body of drugs. Conversely, substances in these drinks can mask or decrease the concentration of drugs in a person’s system.

OHS Health and Safety notes that most common detox drink brands, such as Goldenseal, QuickKlean, or Mary Jane Super Clean 13, are sample diluents or adulterators. Thus, they either decrease the concentration of drugs inside the body below the detection threshold or prevent drugs from interacting with testing agents.^[2]

Oxidizing adulterants, a prevalent category of substances used for passing urine drug tests, oxidize the drugs or their metabolites, thus hindering their interaction with drug-testing substances. Other oxidizing agents interfere with the reagents used in drug tests.^[1][3] Typical oxidizing adulterants include nitrites, pyridinium, chromium, bleach, and peroxide.^[1][3]

Multiple laboratories have devised specific testing to recognize the presence of these drinks within drug tests and, therefore, preclude adulterated specimens.^[2][3]

Common substances people take drug detox drinks for

People who abuse substances will often attempt to cleanse their bodies of drugs with detox drinks before having to take a mandated drug test. Common examples of drugs people take detox drinks for include:

Detox drinks for weed

Weed, cannabis, or marijuana are often tested for in most standard drug tests. As traces of marijuana stays in the system for up to 20 days, many chronic users attempt to detox their body before drug tests. The mixed legalization of cannabis across the US has made the validity of testing for it contentious though people will still often try to detox the drug from their bodies. 

Detox drinks for cocaine

Cocaine, or coke, is a highly addictive drug often tested for in standard drug screens. The presence of cocaine in the system can be noted for up to four days in urine, 48 hours in blood and saliva, and 90 days in hair follicles. Thus, many individuals with cocaine addiction seek ways to detox their bodies before a cocaine drug test.

Detox drinks for benzodiazepines

Detecting the presence of benzodiazepines in the human body depends on the type of substance and test. While Valium stays in the blood for 48 hours and in the urine for up to six weeks, Xanax is only detectable for 24 hours in blood and 96 hours in urine for heavy users. The most common drug detection test for benzodiazepines is urine-based, which typically finds traces of these substances for up to six days after ingesting. 

Consequently, most detox drinks for benzodiazepines contain natural ingredients, such as milk thistle, vitamin C, and B vitamins, that are believed to help the body eliminate toxins.

Detox drinks for opioids

Opioids also have different detection periods. Traces of Percocet remain for up to 24 hours in the blood, two days in saliva, four days in urine, and 90 days in hair follicles. Conversely, heroin can be detected for one to three days in most urine tests, 6 hours in blood, and 24 hours in saliva. 

Detox drinks for opioids aim to flush out these substances through urine, though most tests can signal the presence of these ingredients.

Detox drinks for amphetamines

Amphetamine is a common substance for both illicit and prescription-based drugs. The presence of amphetamine in the body depends on these drugs’ pharmaceutical composition. In the case of methamphetamine, this substance appears in tests for up to three days in blood, four days in saliva, and four to seven days in urine. Adderall, a prescription drug for ADHD made of amphetamine salts, is present for six weeks in urine, ten days in saliva, and 48 hours in blood. 

Amphetamine confirmation screening typically involves urine and blood tests, so most detox drinks for amphetamines include diluents or adulterators. However, amphetamine screening may notice these substances during the test, unless you are ingesting natural detox drinks, such as water or herbal tea.

Drug detox drink risks

Drug detox drinks can pose severe adverse effects, particularly when mixed with illegal and dangerous ingredients or when they have not undergone pasteurization to eradicate harmful bacteria. These negative effects are specifically hazardous to people with weakened immune systems[4] due to prolonged substance abuse, age, or chronic illness.

Drug detox drinks also contain diuretics and laxatives, which promise to flush the harmful drugs from people’s bodies through urine or feces. Ingesting large quantities of these substances may have mild to moderate effects, such as vomiting or diarrhea, and severe consequences, such as kidney dysfunction, heart disease, and colon surgery.^[4]

Other studies indicate that intoxication with drug detox drinks may lead to psychosis episodes, aggression, and liver dysfunction.^[5]

The ingredients in detox drinks have distinct risks. While alfalfa can lead to photosensitivity, burdock, dandelion, and echinacea can trigger allergic reactions. Cascara sagrada, cayenne pepper green tea, and turmeric can elicit gastrointestinal irritation while drinking large quantities of vinegar required to mask drug use causes violent diarrhea.^[3][5]

Ingredients that trigger hepatic, renal, and heart issues include creatine monohydrate, Guarana, and Reishi mushrooms. Additionally, Echinacea, creatine monohydrate, Guarana, and Uva Ursi can determine nausea, while red root determines central nervous system depression and narcosis.^[5]

Another significant risk of drug detox drinks is being discovered through specific procedures. According to U.S. regulations, employees bringing tampered drug samples may be removed from their job positions, depending on their employer’s drug policy.^[3]

Natural detox drinks

Natural drug detox drinks may be purchased or homemade with ingredients such as vinegar, vitamin C, herbal tea, goldenseal, salt, or niacin. Although having natural ingredients, they may still pose health risks, specifically when consumed in large quantities.

Studies show that two quarts of herbal tea with goldenseal root along with hydrochlorothiazide may decrease marijuana and cocaine metabolite levels to false negative results 22 hours after smoking marijuana cigarettes or administering cocaine intranasally. Conversely, the same research suggests drinking plain water has the same diluting effect, thus producing false-negative drug test results.^[6]

Other studies point out that natural detox drinks’ most common home ingredients include vinegar, ammonia, and table salt. Dangerous chemicals used in these drinks include bleach, caustic soda, detergent, and soap.^[5]

While bleach is recognized as the most effective urine adulterant for THC, amphetamine, opioids, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates, table salt is a much safer option for the same substances. Ammonia and vinegar are also potent ingredients in weed detox drinks, while ammonia may also mask the presence of amphetamine as part of detox drinks for meth.

Detoxing from substances safely

Drug detox drinks can be harmful to your body and can't remove the damaging impact substances have on the brain. After prolonged use of drugs and alcohol, dependence and addiction can form and no amount of detoxifying drinks can remove the substance's effects on the brain.

Once dependence has formed, a medically assisted detox is often the only way to completely remove the substance from the body long enough for recovery to begin. Detox can be performed in either a residential rehab or outpatient treatment program or in some instances at home. For more advice on where to get detox treatment in your area, visit our rehab database or call today.