Nicotine in your blood or Urine???

[FriendlyFire]

I'm sorry I know this was discussed before but we rectently had this conversation at the place I smoke. Two guys where arguing that it takes at least a month and the other said a few days with drinking alot of water. I said Ill ask here.
Did anyone here need to get clean for a blood or urine test? how long did you wait and how where the results???

[mrreindeer]

I have also heard a month to get out of your system...this from our IVF doc who said it wasn't really an issue but that I would have had to stop smoking cigars a month prior to sperm donation to have it completely out.....knowing too late, I stopped about 2 weeks prior....Doc told us it wasn't anything to be concerned about.

[Cypress]

Are you concerned for having nicotine in your blood or urine sample for work screening?

[mrreindeer]

Are you concerned for having nicotine in your blood or urine sample for work screening?

I'd bet it's for insurance...

[FriendlyFire]

I think they where discussing life insurence, I think one of the guys is a life insurence agaent.

Are you concerned for having nicotine in your blood or urine sample for work screening?

[DBCcigar]

I have a friend that stopped smoking cigars for a week and drank a lot of water and he passed....

[txraddoc]

Life insurance companies don't test for nicotine in urine or blood. They test for a byproduct called cotinine. The amount of time that nicotine is present in blood and urine is very short (short half life). The half life for cotinine is much longer and is detectable for at least a week after your last cigar.

So, I'd give it a good 7-10 days. I do not believe it requires an entire month to clear.

[d_day]

Life insurance companies don't test for nicotine in urine or blood. They test for a byproduct called cotinine. The amount of time that nicotine is present in blood and urine is very short (short half life). The half life for cotinine is much longer and is detectable for at least a week after your last cigar.

So, I'd give it a good 7-10 days. I do not believe it requires an entire month to clear.

Yes, nicotine should be completely out of a person's system in 72 hours. It's those nasty byproducts that get you. It's much like screening for most other drugs; they screen for metabolytes rather than the drugs themselves.

[BigCat]

Keep in mind though, that if you don't fess up to smoking cigars in your insurance application and it is determined that you smoke cigars when a claim is made, that could be grounds to void your policy. You would pay cheaper premiums, but you wouldn't actually get anything for those premiums when a claim is made. Just something to keep in mind.\

Edit: I just realized it was two other guys talking not you.

[txraddoc]

Keep in mind though, that if you don't fess up to smoking cigars in your insurance application and it is determined that you smoke cigars when a claim is made, that could be grounds to void your policy. You would pay cheaper premiums, but you wouldn't actually get anything for those premiums when a claim is made. Just something to keep in mind.\

Edit: I just realized it was two other guys talking not you.

I believe this cause in the policy is good only for the first two years. Its called the contestability clause if I remember correctly. But I agree. It is best to be completely honest with the insurance company.

[e-man]

The cotinine can only be detected in your blood for about 2 days, but that doesn't mean that your blood is clean. Your kidneys pull trace amounts of cotinine from your blood and sends it to your urine. That basically concentrates the cotinine from your entire body into your urine. Since your urine contains concentrated levels of cotinine, it can be detected for about a week longer than in blood.

If you're worried about concentrations of ANYTHING in your urine, then you should dilute your urine. Start at least 4 hours in advance. Don't eat or exercise to prevent new metabolites from being released. Drink a constant intake of WATER until you pee clear. Then take a Vit B Complex to add color back to your urine. When the color returns, you're good to go. Keep drinking water until your test, and go to the bathroom regularly to keep toxins from building up.

In theory, if you double the water content of your urine, then you just cut your detectable levels in half. If you drink water until you pee clear, then your urine will virtually be pure water. Of course, they CAN test for a watered down sample, as other trace chemicals will also be diluted. Ususally not a problem unless you're taking a court ordered test, or trying to get a high dollar policy. If nothing else, you can just say you drank a big Gulp earlier that day, and schedule a new appointment few days later to buy more time.

He could also buy clean synthetic urine that comes with a heating pack and passes all tests. It's very expensive and may not be legal in your state.

Like others have stated. The insurance company may require an autopsy before payment of death benefits. If you mis-represent your status as non-tobacco, then they can reduce benefits if they find it in your tox-screen.

[RicoPuro]

Life insurance companies don't test for nicotine in urine or blood. They test for a byproduct called cotinine. The amount of time that nicotine is present in blood and urine is very short (short half life). The half life for cotinine is much longer and is detectable for at least a week after your last cigar.

So, I'd give it a good 7-10 days. I do not believe it requires an entire month to clear.

That's about right. My financial planner adviced no cigars for 7-10 days prior to the insurance physical/blood draw.

[FriendlyFire]

Yeah I got my policies all se up.

Keep in mind though, that if you don't fess up to smoking cigars in your insurance application and it is determined that you smoke cigars when a claim is made, that could be grounds to void your policy. You would pay cheaper premiums, but you wouldn't actually get anything for those premiums when a claim is made. Just something to keep in mind.\

Edit: I just realized it was two other guys talking not you.

[Frinkiac7]

This is life insurance or regular health insurance?

[mrreindeer]

He could also buy clean synthetic urine that comes with a heating pack and passes all tests. It's very expensive and may not be legal in your state.

That's crazy! And wow...Eric, sounds like you've done a ton of research on this topic! ....and I appreciate the info!

This is life insurance or regular health insurance?

Life insurance.