Methamphetamine half-life
Human clinical pharmacology and labeling support an approximately 10-to-12-hour parent-methamphetamine half-life.
Every curve begins at 100%. No dose or measured body concentration is assumed.
X-axis: elapsed time. Y-axis: modeled percentage of the relative starting point remaining. This is a mathematical visualization, not a personal concentration estimate.
Methamphetamine: evidence and interpretation notes
What the curve is actually following
Human clinical pharmacology and labeling support an approximately 10-to-12-hour parent-methamphetamine half-life. Urinary pH and the amphetamine metabolite complicate any attempt to turn that range into a personal clock.
For the interactive chart, HalfLifeDB starts with 11 hours as the representative value for Methamphetamine. Route, formulation, sampling, and metabolites remain attached to that label instead of being hidden inside the arithmetic.
Methamphetamine is a longer-lasting stimulant entry, and its pharmacokinetics are influenced by metabolism, urinary pH, and route.
The 11 hour value creates a slow stimulant curve similar in scale to amphetamine. The chart does not represent sleep disruption, cardiovascular effects, or impairment.
The entry cites a clinical pharmacology review, a direct methamphetamine label, and the compound record.
HalfLifeDB does not provide use, treatment, or legal/testing advice.
For Methamphetamine, persistence in the model should be separated from alertness, euphoria, appetite change, sleep disruption, and cardiovascular effects. Those outcomes can diverge from parent-drug decline.
What each source contributes
- Cruickshank CC et al. Review of the clinical pharmacology of methamphetamine (2009). This synthesis organizes the available literature and caveats and cannot replace checking the underlying study design.
- DailyMed: Methamphetamine hydrochloride tablet. This product label adds formulation-specific pharmacokinetic context and does not represent every route or product.
- PubChem: Methamphetamine. This identity record confirms names and compound identity and does not supply a human half-life.
For Methamphetamine, the numerical model is tied most closely to Cruickshank CC et al. Review of the clinical pharmacology of methamphetamine (2009). As a synthesis, it organizes the available literature and caveats; it cannot replace checking the underlying study design.
Why there is no range on the chart
This profile plots 11 hours for Methamphetamine without adding an unsourced high-low band. A single supported center is more honest than manufacturing a range from unrelated routes, populations, or formulations.
InterpretationReading the curve and its category context
Reading this curve
HalfLifeDB uses 11 h as a representative input for Methamphetamine. In the simplified model, about 22.0% remains after 24 hours and about 3% remains after five half-lives, or roughly 2.3 days.
This sits in the same-day range. The chart is useful for seeing the bend of the curve across a day or two, but it should not be treated as a personal clock. The curve is relative: it does not estimate a person's measured concentration, effects, impairment, or time to clearance.
stimulant context
Stimulant half-life estimates can shift with urine pH, enzyme activity, formulation, dose, and whether metabolites are measured separately.
- Alertness or subjective stimulation can end before modeled elimination.
- Sleep disruption and downstream effects are not represented by the curve.
- Formulation and route can change peak timing without changing the displayed model.
ComparisonTimeline checkpoints and nearby profiles
Methamphetamine timeline checkpoints
| Elapsed time | Modeled remaining | Reading note |
|---|---|---|
| 12 h | 46.9% | Meaningful modeled decline, not near-zero |
| 24 h | 22.0% | Long-tail portion of the model |
| 2.0 days | 4.86% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 3.0 days | 1.07% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 5.0 days | 0.05% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
Nearby profiles by half-life
These entries sit near Methamphetamine within the stimulant group when sorted by representative half-life. That makes them curve comparisons, not statements about equal potency, effects, or risk.
- Dextroamphetamine (11 h)
- Mixed amphetamine salts (11.5 h)
- Amphetamine (11 h)
- Caffeine (5 h)
EvidencePharmacokinetic inputs and source trail
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
| Representative half-life | 11 h |
|---|---|
| Curve type | Normalized, first-order decline |
Selection note: Human clinical pharmacology and labeling support an approximately 10-to-12-hour parent-methamphetamine half-life. Urinary pH and the amphetamine metabolite complicate any attempt to turn that range into a personal clock.
Sources and evidence context
A linked record is not automatically proof of the displayed value. Study, labeling, review, and compound identity sources serve different purposes; notes below identify limitations when they are known.
- Research abstract Cruickshank CC et al. Review of the clinical pharmacology of methamphetamine (2009).Synthesis or clinical background source used to frame the evidence and its limits rather than to create a new measured value.
- Official labeling DailyMed label: Methamphetamine hydrochloride tablet.Official U.S. product labeling used for formulation and labeled pharmacokinetic context; its statements apply to the described product.
- Identity record PubChem Compound Summary: Methamphetamine.Compound identity and naming record. It supplies chemistry context, not independent numerical support for the model.
BoundariesWhat this page cannot answer and where to continue
What this page does not answer
- It does not estimate impairment, intoxication, or fitness to drive.
- It does not predict urine, blood, saliva, or hair test results.
- It does not model repeated exposure, tolerance, withdrawal, or interactions.
- It does not replace clinician, pharmacist, toxicologist, or emergency guidance.
Continue with context
- All substance profiles
- Browse the stimulant group
- Compare this curve
- Clearance and volume of distribution
- Bioavailability, route, and formulation
- Active metabolites and parent compounds
- First-order vs nonlinear kinetics
- Detection windows vs half-life
- Reading labels and source quality
Read the medical disclaimer, methodology, and research standards before using the model for comparison.