Are you an opioid user? You might ask yourself, “How long can opioids stay in your system?” Well! Different Opioids can stay in your system for different periods. The specific Opioid used will affect the rate and duration of the Opioids’ activation.
What determines how long opioids last?
Many factors influence how long Opioids remain in your body. These include the Opioid used, the Opioid consumed, the person’s medical history, weight, gender, and other factors. There are some guidelines you can use to help determine the duration of an Opioid’s presence in your body.
What are Opioids?
Opioids are a group of most well-known drugs for their painkilling effects. Doctors prescribe opioids to reduce mild, moderate, or severe pain after cancer treatment, surgery recovery, and other chronic pain. The 2000s saw a surge in Opioid prescriptions due to their effectiveness in fighting pain.
Opioids can be very effective, but they are also addictive. Uncontrolled use could lead to severe dependence. Opioids can also contain illegal drugs such as Heroin and Fentanyl, which are much stronger than prescription medications. Opioids can stay in your system for varying periods after being taken.
Factors that Impact How Long Opioids Stay in Your System
What was the amount taken?
- Weight
- Rapid metabolism
- Regularly taking the dose
- Administration
- Other drugs may be present in the body
- Age
- Ethnicity
- Drug elimination due to medical conditions
- Gender
Opioid Effect Timespan
Different Opioids interact similarly with your body’s receptors. However, the duration of their effects can vary. These times are known as the elimination of half-life. It is your body’s time to metabolize the drug and then remove the remaining half. A drug can be removed from the body in five half-lives.
There are three types of Opioid half-life: short-acting (long-acting) and quick-onset (rapid-onset). These durations are taken into consideration by medical staff when prescribing Opioids. A long-acting Opioid might be most effective in reducing chronic pain. Suppose the patient experiences breakthrough or acute pain that has overcome current medications. In that case, a dual prescription of short-acting and long-acting Opioids might be more effective in managing the pain response.
Long action
Oxycontin and Methadone, as well as Butrans
Short action
Codeine, Morphine, Hydrocodone
Rapid Action
Intranasal Fentanyl, Sublingual Fentanyl
Your System Has Opioids
Many factors affect the length of Opioids’ stay in the body. Opioids can be detected in the body by various factors, including the amount taken, the level of chronic drug use, the weight of the individual tested, and the speed of metabolism. These averages are based on the time it takes for a urine test to detect Opioids.
Detecting Opioid use
Employers often use drug testing to ensure a potential employee is reliable and productive. In many other cases, drug testing may be used, such as in cases involving workers’ comp, parole, child custody disputes, competitive sports, and other areas. Contrary to popular belief, not all drug tests test urine for the same substances. Some methods of testing can detect drug use long before the test date.
Urine Testing
Stereotypes are based on some facts, and this test is the most commonly used. The body often metabolizes various substances, and the byproducts can be passed through the kidneys to the urine for disposal. This test will identify the byproducts found in urine and can be used to determine which drug they are.
Saliva Testing
Although saliva testing is less intrusive than urine testing, it is more accurate in detecting drug use. The test might not be able to see drug use if drugs are not consumed within a few hours.
Hair Testing
Like the urine test, it detects the metabolic byproducts your body produces after consuming drugs. Some drugs, such as Marijuana, can be detected months later. Your body will metabolize the drug, and the byproduct molecules (metabolites) can circulate through your scalp and deposit on your hairs. Hair can be used as a log listing the substances a person has consumed for months. This testing is rare, as workplace drug tests look for ongoing or recent drug use.
Blood testing
The blood test can give an accurate picture of someone’s drug use and identify levels of drugs in the blood at the time. This test is the only one that guarantees a test result. Other tests rely on specialist facilities to verify results. The tests are expensive and more invasive, but the higher effectiveness is not without its drawbacks. Employers are often discouraged from using this test because of its high cost and difficulty.
Perspiration Testing
It is a more unusual and newer way to test for drug use. It takes longer to try sweat, sometimes up to two weeks. It is often used to monitor probationers rather than to push for employment.
Detectable Timeframe
Codeine Urine: 1-2 days. Blood: 1 day. Saliva: 1-4 days.
Hydrocodone Urine: 2 to 4 days. Blood: 1 day. Saliva: 12-36 hours.
Heroin Urine: 2-7 days. Blood: 6 hours. Saliva: 5 hours.
Morphine Urine: Takes 2-3 days. Blood: 12 hours. Saliva: 4 days.
Fentanyl Urine: One day. Blood: 12 hours. Saliva: Unreliable.
There Is Always Help
Companies and other entities have the legal right to conduct drug tests. This right is not likely to change anytime soon. Do not stress about getting clean fast. The long-term consequences of using substances can be worse than your missed job.