Medically Reviewed By: Kimberly Langdon M.D.
When it comes to drugs of abuse, heroin has one of the shortest detection windows in urine. That can make it essential to understand how long heroin can be detected in urine.
Since heroin is derived from poppy seeds, a urine test will look for a positive result of morphine in your urine samples.
Morphine and heroin are closely related. This means a positive test result can indicate that you’ve used heroin in the past two or four days.
How Long Does Heroin Stay In Urine?
Heroin can be found in a urine toxicology screening one to four days after the last dose.
The amount and frequency of use, how long since heroin ingestion, how healthy they are, and their metabolism rate can affect how long traces of heroin will stay in their system.
Factors That Contribute To Heroin Detection Time
The amount of time heroin stays in your system depends on many factors. For example, a person who regularly uses heroin will have a shorter detection time than a person who uses heroin occasionally.
In addition, people who heavily abuse heroin will also have a shorter detection time due to their body’s ability to metabolize the drug more quickly and effectively.
Other Ways To Detect Heroin In The Body
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved immunoassays from blood tests, saliva tests, urine tests, and hair follicle tests for heroin testing.
Any of these tests can give a false positive or false negative. Two or more tests may provide the correct results. A saliva test must be administered shortly after the last use.
Because heroin, like many other opioids, has such a short half-life, heroin blood tests and saliva tests are rarely used to detect its presence.
That means that during drug screening, the drug can be undetectable in these fluids in just five to six hours, though they may remain detectable for up to two days.
You can detect heroin use up to 90 days after the last time you used it by testing your hair follicles. People who have been using heroin for an extended period will have more detectable hair.
Health Risks Of Heroin Addiction
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the short-term effects of heroin use include shallow breathing, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and dry mouth.
Large doses and long-term use can cause respiratory depression, mental health problems, unconsciousness, coma, and death.
Because heroin is used along with other substances (legal or illicit), its long-term effects are unpredictable in many people
Chronic use may lead to collapsed veins/skin infections (tracks), pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB), and hepatitis.
Treatment Options For Heroin Use
The first step in managing drug addiction to heroin is getting addiction treatment. You have to detox your body — of course, after drug testing results show signs of drug use.
Methadone and buprenorphine are effective treatments for opiate addiction, treating cravings, and managing heroin withdrawal symptoms.
Heroin treatment programs may include a range of treatments, such as:
- inpatient programs
- outpatient programs
- medication-assisted treatment
- behavioral therapy
- heroin detox support
- residential treatment
Find A Treatment Program For Heroin Addiction
If you or a loved one are seeking treatment for heroin addiction or any other type of substance abuse, Bedrock Recovery Center may be able to help.
Our counselors are trained healthcare professionals and available 24/7 to help you figure out what treatment options are suitable for you.
We’re here to help you get started on your road to recovery from heroin abuse — for good. Call our helpline now to learn more.
Medically Reviewed By: Kimberly Langdon M.D.
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