How Long Do Opioids Stay in Your System?

Opioids are a class of drugs that cause pain relief and central nervous system depression. Doctors might prescribe opioids to manage moderate to severe pain.[1] That said, opioids are habit-forming and addictive.

Unfortunately, opioid addiction increases your risk of experiencing an overdose. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there were 81,806 opioid overdose deaths in 2022.[2]

It is important to note that each opioid drug can remain in your body for varying amounts of time. Typically, short-acting opioids like morphine or oxycodone will not cause a positive urine drug test after 24 to 72 hours, while long-acting opioids like methadone can cause a positive result for up to a week after your last dose.

In this article, you will learn:

• How long do the effects of opioid drugs last
• What factors influence how long opioids stay in your system
• How long can drug tests detect opioids in urine

How Long Do the Effects of Opioids Last?

There are many types of opioids, including prescription opioids and illicit ones. For example, prescription opioids include medications like morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, methadone, buprenorphine, and more. Illegal opioids include heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF).

While there are different kinds of opioid drugs, each one causes similar effects. The effects of opioids might include:[3]

• A rush of euphoria or pleasure
• Pain relief and relaxation
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dry mouth
• Dizziness and drowsiness
• Mental confusion
• Sedation or unconsciousness
• Constipation

How long the effects of opioids last depends on factors including which type of opioid you took. If you are taking a short-acting opioid, the effects begin quickly and last for 2 to 6 hours. However, long-acting opioids can last anywhere from 12 to 72 hours depending on whether they are extended-release.[4]

Factors that Influence How Long Opioids Stay in Your System

There are many reasons you might need to know how long opioids stay in your system. First, if you are taking opioids for pain relief, it’s important to know when it is okay to take another dose without risking overdosing. Additionally, you might have to pass drug tests at your job, making it vital that you know when to stop taking opioids for your upcoming test.

If you have opioid use disorder, knowing how long opioids stay in your system can help you determine when your withdrawal symptoms will arise. If this is a concern you have, you should seek help from a medical detox center.

Keeping all of that in mind, many factors influence how long opioids stay in your system, including:

• Which opioid drug you are taking
• Whether the opioid is short-acting or long-acting
• How long you’ve been consuming the opioid
• Your food and water intake
• The speed of your metabolism
• Genetic factors, age, weight, and biological sex

When you are looking at how long an opioid stays in your system, you should pay attention to the half-life. An opioid will remain in your body for 4 to 5 half-lives. For example, the half-life of oxycodone is about 3 hours, which means it can stay in your system for 15 hours.[5]

While oxycodone leaves your system after 15 hours, drug tests have a longer detection window because they can find metabolites it has left behind in your urine, blood, saliva, and hair.

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How Long Can Drug Tests Detect Opioids?

If you are wondering how long opioids are detectable by drug tests, it depends on what type of test is being used and what opioid you are taking. Short-acting opioids typically leave your system faster than long-acting ones.

Urine

Urine tests are used most frequently because they are minimally invasive and offer reliable results. They can detect short-acting opioids (hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, heroin, etc.) in urine for about 24 to 72 hours after your last dose. On the other hand, long-acting opioids like methadone or buprenorphine can stay detectable in urine for up to a week after you last consumed it.

Blood

In most cases, you will be taking a drug test for short-acting opioids. Blood tests are not used as often because they require a blood draw and offer a shorter detection window. These tests can find both prescription drugs and illegal drugs in your system.

Typically, blood tests can only find opioids in your system for 6 to 12 hours after your last dose.

Saliva

While saliva tests are not commonly used, they offer a longer detection window than blood tests. These screening tools take a sample of your saliva to find metabolites of opioids in your system. They can detect most opioids for 1 to 3 days after you last consumed them.

Hair

Hair tests offer the longest window of detection out of any other drug screening tool. However, they can discriminate based on things like hair color, making them unreliable and unfavorable among medical professionals.

That being said, hair tests can detect opioids or any other substance in your system for up to 90 days after you last consumed it.

Get Connected to a Top-Rated Opioid Rehab Program

If you or a loved one suffers from opioid addiction, it’s time to seek help. Whether you developed an addiction after dealing with chronic pain or simply began abusing opioids to get high, the Mandala Healing Center is here to help you.

Our rehab center will provide you with the tools and support you need to achieve long-term recovery. Contact us today for more information on our opioid addiction treatment program.

References:

1. American Society of Anesthesiologists: What are Opioids
2. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Drug Overdose Death Rates
3. The National Library of Medicine (NLM): Opioid complications and side effects
4. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: A Comparison of Long- and Short-Acting Opioids for the Treatment of Chronic Noncancer Pain: Tailoring Therapy to Meet Patient Needs
5. Therapeutic Goods Administration: Oxycontin Label