Oxycodone is a prescription opioid drug used to manage moderate to severe pain. Doctors often prescribe it to treat chronic pain among patients with conditions like cancer. While it is effective short-term, long-term use could cause you to become addicted to oxycodone.
Opioid addiction can be a dangerous disease, leading to thousands of overdose deaths each year. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), opioids were responsible for 80,411 overdose deaths in 2021.
If you or a loved one regularly abuses oxycodone, knowing how long it stays in your body can be important. You can prevent yourself from taking too much at once and determine when you will develop withdrawal symptoms.
Oxycodone stays in your system for 12 to 15 hours. However, drug testing can detect metabolites it leaves behind for longer. For example, a test can detect oxycodone in urine for 2 to 4 days after your last dose.
How Long Do the Effects of Oxycodone Last?
How long the effects of oxycodone last depends on how you use the drug. While most people swallow it in pill form, others might snort, smoke, or inject oxycodone. Injecting it might lead to a more intense high while swallowing it causes longer-lasting effects.
The common effects of oxycodone include:
- Pain relief
- Cough suppression
- Sedation
- A rush of euphoria
- Small, pinpointed pupils
- Constipation
- Slowed breathing and heart rate
Swallowing an oxycodone pill will cause effects within 10 to 30 minutes. These effects typically last between 3 to 6 hours.
On the other hand, snorting oxycodone causes almost immediate effects because it enters the bloodstream faster. Lastly, injecting oxycodone will cause instantaneous effects. However, IV drug use puts you at an increased risk of life-threatening overdoses and infectious diseases like HIV or hepatitis.
If you or a loved one are addicted to oxycodone, drug addiction treatment centers can help. Treatment programs like Mandala Healing Center offer therapies, support, and relapse prevention planning to ensure you achieve long-lasting sobriety.
How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your System?
The half-life of oxycodone is about 3 hours. Typically, it takes 4 to 5 half-lives for a drug to leave your body. In other words, your body will release oxycodone 12 to 15 hours after your last dose.
With that being said, oxycodone leaves behind metabolites throughout your body. Oxycodone can be detected by drug screens that look for these metabolites.
The amount of time that oxycodone is detectable depends on what type of drug test is being used.
Urine Test
Urine tests are the most commonly used drug tests. This is because they are relatively cheap and minimally invasive. Urine tests can find oxycodone in your system for 1 to 2 days after your last dose.
Saliva Test
Saliva tests are not used as frequently as urine tests because they are less reliable. However, some jobs might use saliva tests for drug screening before offering employment. That said, saliva tests can detect oxycodone for 1 to 2 days after you last consumed it.
Blood Test
Blood tests have an even shorter window of detection than saliva tests. They are most commonly used in hospital settings to determine if a drug is contributing to your symptoms. Keeping this in mind, blood tests can detect oxycodone for 24 hours after your last dose.
Hair Test
Hair tests are not used frequently because they can be expensive to send off to the lab. Some high-profile jobs might use them to ensure you are not misusing substances before they hire you.
Hair tests can detect any substance for up to 90 days after you last used them.
Factors that Affect How Long Oxycodone Stays in Your Body
The amount of time oxycodone remains in your body depends on a variety of personal factors. For example, if you have been using oxycodone for three years, you might test positive longer than a first-time user.
The factors that affect how long oxycodone remains in your body include:
- Your overall health
- Age and weight
- Rate of metabolism
- How long you have been using oxycodone
- The dose of oxycodone you typically take
- How frequently you use oxycodone
- Whether you were abusing oxycodone with alcohol or other substances
Having a high body fat percentage might also affect how long oxycodone stays in your system. People with lower body fat percentages might expel the substance faster than others.
It is important to note that there is no way to flush your system of drugs. Detox drinks will not make oxycodone leave your system faster. If you are trying to pass a drug test, the only thing you can do is stop taking oxycodone.
Signs of Oxycodone Addiction
If you or a loved one regularly abuses oxycodone, you might be suffering from a substance use disorder. Spotting an addiction can be difficult, especially if you are the one experiencing it. Knowing the signs of oxycodone addiction can help you determine whether it’s time for drug rehab.
The signs of oxycodone addiction include:
- Running out of prescriptions early
- Going to multiple doctors to receive more than one prescription
- Buying oxycodone off of the street
- Having a hard time controlling how much oxycodone you abuse
- Losing interest in previously enjoyed activities
- Isolating yourself from friends and loved ones
- Continuing to use oxycodone despite facing mental or physical health problems
- Needing to increase your dose of oxycodone to experience the desired effect
- Mixing oxycodone with other substances like alcohol
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you stop using oxycodone
If you relate to the above-mentioned symptoms, it’s time to attend professional addiction treatment.
Find Help for Oxycodone Abuse and Addiction
If you or a loved one struggles with oxycodone addiction, Mandala Healing Center is here to help. Our addiction experts can help you overcome the root causes of your addiction. Additionally, we offer a compassionate and empathetic approach to substance abuse treatment.
Contact us today to learn more about our oxycodone addiction treatment center.