How Long Do Opioids Stay In Your System?

Opioids stay in your system for anywhere between less than 1 hour to more than 1 day. Common drug testing methods can detect opioid use for up to 3 days after your last use.

How long opioids stay in your system depends on the type of opioid drug you are taking, your frequency of use, and any health conditions you may have. While opioids are in your system, you may experience pain relief, numbing, and other side effects.

Opioid testing can be performed by your employer, law enforcement, or an addiction treatment provider. You may be asked to take an opioid drug test to determine if you are fit for employment, if you were driving under the influence of illicit drugs, or if you are following a substance abuse treatment program.

Half-Life Of Common Opioids

Opioid half-life is the length of time it takes for opioids to decrease to half of their peak concentration in the body. Half-life can be used to determine the elimination time of opioids from your system.

After about 5 half-life cycles, most opioids are completely eliminated from the bloodstream.

The average half-lives of common opioids includes:

• heroin: 10 to 15 minutes
• codeine: 2 to 4 hours
• oxycodone: 3 to 6 hours
• fentanyl: up to 12 hours
• methadone: more than 2 days
• buprenorphine: 35 hours

Heroin can have short-lived side effects and a short elimination time of less than 1 hour. Methadone and buprenorphine are long-lasting opioid agonists designed to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms.

Drug Testing Methods & Detection Times For Common Opioid Drugs

Opioid drug tests can detect unchanged opioids or their unique components, known as metabolites. Metabolites can stay in your body for longer than unchanged opioids.

Opioid metabolites that drug tests can detect may include morphine, norhydrocodone, noroxycodone, and norfentanyl.

Urine Tests

Urine tests can detect common opiates, such as hydrocodone, fentanyl, and codeine for 1 to 3 days after your last dose. Opioids with a short half-life, such as heroin, may stay in urine for a shorter time compared to fentanyl or methadone.

Urine drug tests are the most common form of drug testing for law enforcement, healthcare providers, and workplaces. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) gives regulated urine tests to United States federal employees.

Saliva Tests

Saliva tests can detect opioids and opioid metabolites for about 1 to 2 days after your last dose. Saliva tests are used by treatment providers and employers as an alternative to urine tests.

If you are submitting an opioid saliva test, you may be asked to avoid eating or drinking for a short time before the test. This can maximize the accuracy of your test.

Blood Tests

Blood tests can detect opioids for about 1 day after your last dose. Blood tests may only be used in medical emergencies such as an opioid overdose, or when you are suspected of drug abuse at the current moment.

The detection window for blood tests is the same as the amount of time opioids stay in your bloodstream. Blood tests for opioids only detect current use and cannot detect a pattern of opioid abuse.

Hair Tests

Hair follicle tests can detect opioids for up to 90 days after your last dose. Hair tests have a longer detection time than other testing methods because opioids stay in hair follicles as your hair grows out.

Hair testing may not detect recent opioid use. However, it can show a pattern of past drug abuse, especially over the past 90 days.

Bedrock Recovery Center

If you test positive for opioid use on a drug test, it may be a sign that you need help.

At Bedrock Recovery Center, our professional opioid addiction treatment programs include medical detox services, medication-assisted treatment, and mental health care. Our treatment options can first help you stop using opioids and then help you thrive in recovery after finishing treatment.

To find out if our inpatient program will work for you or a loved one, please contact us today.