Opiates and opioids are often used interchangeably, however, they have differences which lie on their composition. Opiates are either derived from the plant opium poppy or synthesized from a drug found in poppy. Examples of naturally occurring opiate alkaloids are morphine and codeine. These opiates often serve as the chemical building blocks of numerous semi-synthetic opioid drugs such as heroin and ocycodone.

The term opioid on the other hand used to refer only to synthetic or semi-synthetic variety but now people generally refer to these class of drugs, whether synthetic, semi-synthetic or naturally occurring, as opioids. Commonly known opioids include oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, fentanyl and heroin.

Opioids are commonly used as pain-relievers because of their sedative properties, and are readily prescribed by doctors after a surgery. However, as the number of prescriptions for opioids rise, the rate of opioid addiction in America and the world also increased dramatically. In fact, the United Nations World Drug Report 2017 states that 29.5 million people globally suffer from drug use disorders with opioids accounting for 70% of its negative health impact. This is often attributed to the highly addictive qualities of opioids.

If you or a loved one is taking opioids and are about to face a drug test, you are probably wondering how long these drugs stay in your body for health reasons. You may be concerned about withdrawal from heroin or another opiate or maybe you are just curious whether opiates or opioids can still be detected in your blood stream.

How long do opiates stay in your bloodstream and in your body?

The length of time opiates are detectable in your body will depend on many factors, including the type of opioid that you took. The strength, longevity, and effect of each of these drugs are different, meaning that different types of opioids will stay in your system for more or less time. Plus, there are also many other factors to consider.

Factors affecting opiate detoxification

Drug Strength

Different types of drugs can be considerably stronger than others, and may show up in urine and hair follicles considerably longer than others. The opioid equianalgesic table can illustrate the comparative strength of different opioids.

Drug Half-life

The stronger the drug and the longer it’s half-life metabolism, the longer it will take to leave the body. Drug half-life or elimination half-life is the period of time between when a drug enters the body and when its volume in the body is reduced by half.

Here are the half-life of the common opioids:

Diamorphine (Heroin): 2-3 minutes biological, 34 minutes intravenous
Codeine: 2-3 hours
Fentanyl: 10 minutes – 4 hours
Methadone: 8-59 hours
Hydrocodone: 3-4 hours
Oxycodone: 2.4.5 hours

So, using heroin as an example, you can consider how long the drug would be in your system. Heroin has an average half-life of about 34 minutes. If someone were to take a dose of heroin, the body would metabolize it accordingly.

34 minutes to ½ strength in the body
68 minutes to ¼ strength in the body
102 minutes to 1/8 strength in the body
138 minutes to 1/16
172 minutes to 1/32
206 minutes to 1/64
240 minutes to 1/120

While this is an oversimplification and actual metabolizing will depend on the body, it gives you a good idea of how the process works and how substance levels deplete in the body.

However, drugs like heroin permeate the blood-brain barrier, which means that they can affect the person after the minimum effective dose is reached. Heroin wears off when it reaches the minimum dose required to give an effect, after about 4.5 hours. Detectable levels would remain in the blood for about 6 hours. This is also important, because if you take a drug test and say that you took a substance about a week ago, the doctor will know when you’re lying.

Duration of Action

A drug that is intended for extended release will remain detectable for considerably longer than a fast-acting drug. For example, Oxycodone, which has a half-life of an average of 3.5 hours stays detectable in the blood for 24-48 hours, but in the saliva for up to 4 days. Morphine is detectable in the blood for about 12 hours and in the urine for about 3 days, and hydrocodone can be detected in the urine for about 4 days. Almost all drugs can be found in the hair for up to 90 days after the last usage.

Most opiates can no longer be detected in the blood, saliva, or urine after 4 days, others are gone within 7 days. If you have a slow-release drug intended to last 24-48 hours, it will last significantly longer.

Frequency of Intake

When you take opioids regularly this can leave more traces compared to irregular use and will be easier to detect over time. The level of opiates will also build up faster than the body can metabolize, meaning that it takes longer to leave the body.

Quantity of Intake

A heavy opiate user may find that they have very built-up in their body, and will take significantly longer to deplete and leave the system.

Metabolism

Drugs are metabolized based on how quickly the body digests and uses them. This varies per individual.

Body Mass

A larger person will typically metabolize more quickly. Similarly, a very muscular person will metabolize more quickly than someone with less muscle.

Body Fat

Opiates are lipophilic, meaning that they tend to deposit into fat. This is a natural process of the body, where chemicals and hormones (the body naturally produces its own opiate alkaloids) are stored in fat when levels are too high in the body and then are released back into the body when levels go down. This means that someone with a higher body fat ratio will retain opiates in their body for far longer than someone who is very thin.

Age

Metabolism slows down with age, so a 20-year-old will metabolize opiates much more quickly than a 60-year-old.

Kidney and Liver Health

The kidneys and liver are responsible for actually filtering the opiate out of your system. A well-functioning kidney and liver can complete this process much more quickly than one damaged by substance use or other problems.

Water Intake

Water is a crucial part of the process of flushing toxins and waste out of the body. Someone who drinks a lot of water will flush remaining chemicals from the bladder much more quickly.

How long can common opioids be detected in your body?

Opioids can be detectable in saliva and blood after use for 6-12 hours; in urine for 2-5 days and in hair for up to 90 days. However, as discussed above the type of opioid used will determine how long it stays in your bloodstream, urine, saliva, and hair. Here are the approximate times these drugs stay in your body.

Oxycodone

Brand Names: Oxycontin, Percocet, Roxicodone, Xtampza ER
When you can test clean for Oxycodone:

Blood: 1 day
Urine: 1-4 days
Saliva: 3-4 days
Hair: 90 days

Codeine

Dosage Forms: Tablet, Solution, Cough Syrup, Tylenol w/ Codeine
Time frame until negative Codeine screen:

Blood: 1 day
Urine: 1-2 days
Saliva: 1-4 days
Hair: 90 days

Hydrocodone

Brand Names: Norco, Vicodin, Lorcet
Length of time you will test positive for Hydrocodone:

Blood: N/A
Urine: 2-4 days
Saliva: 12-36 hours
Hair: 90 days

Heroin (Diamorphine)

Common Street Names: Tar, Black, China White, Smack, “H”, Chiva, Dope, and others.
Drug screening results and detox for Heroin:

Blood: 6 hours
Urine: 2-7 days
Saliva: 5 hours
Hair: 90 days

Morphine

Brand Names: Duramorph, Infumorph P/F, Arymo ER, MorphaBond ER, MS Contin, and Astramorph-PF.
Morphine will be detectable in:

Blood: 12 hours
Urine: 2-3 days
Saliva: 4 days
Hair: 90 days

Fentanyl

Brand Names: Duragesic, Subsys, Abstral, Actiq, Fentora.
Fentanyl will be measurable in your:

Blood: 12 hours
Urine: 8-24 hours
Saliva: 1-4 days
Hair: 90 days

Methadone

Brand Names: Methadose, Diskets, Dolophine
Methadone tests have different time frames:

Blood: After 30 minutes up to 2-3 days
Urine: After 1 hour up to 2 weeks
Saliva: After 1 hour up to 2 days
Hair: After a few days up to 90 days

Opium

Common Street Names: Aunti, Big O, Chandu, Molasses, Dopium, Dream Gun, Midnight Oil, Zero.
Typical time for Opium detoxification:

Blood: 6 hours
Urine: 2-4 days
Saliva: 1-4 days
Hair: 90 days

How Do You Flush Your System of Opiates?

Shameless plug: The best way to get off opiates of any kind is to admit yourself to a medically assisted detox to be comfortable during the withdrawal period. If you are about to face a drug test and are worried whether opioids can be detected in your body, the only way to clear your system is to flush the opioids out. This is usually done by drinking lots of water and speeding up your metabolism through exercise. When you drink a lot of water, this can help flush out the drugs out of your body through urine. Urinating as much as possible can help push out the drug. Exercise on the other hand can boost your metabolism which means the process of eliminating opioids from the body also become much quicker than average.

However, if you are already addicted to opioids, you may experience withdrawal symptoms which can be severe. Common symptoms start with depression and anxiety, then followed by more physical manifestations like vomiting and diarrhea. In severe cases, it can escalate to suicidal thoughts. If you are noticing these symptoms happening, it is best to turn to a professional licensed rehab facility to help you ease out of the addiction.

Treatment for Opiate / Opioid Abuse

If you or a loved one is struggling with opioid abuse, you’re not alone. An estimated 4 million Americans are addicted to opiate drugs. Shockingly, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 115 people in the United States die every day after overdosing on opioids.

But, there is help. You are protected under HIPAA should you choose to take time off work to seek out opiate addiction treatment, where you can detox from opiates and learn how to live and enjoy your life without substance use.

When you’re clean, you no longer have to worry about how long opioids are detectable in your urine, saliva, or blood.

Please contact Lighthouse Treatment Center today. We are happy to provide a no-cost, no-obligation consultation with one of our experienced treatment advisors. Help is available today.