How Long Do Opioids Stay In Your System?

Opioids are a class of central nervous system depressants that includes both prescription pain medications, like oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and fentanyl, and illicit drugs such as heroin. They are among the most commonly prescribed and most commonly misused substances in the United States, and drug testing for opioid use is routine in clinical, legal, workplace, and addiction treatment settings.

How long opioids remain detectable in the body depends heavily on which testing method is used. Urine testing is the most common and can identify opioid use for two to four days after the last dose. Blood tests have the shortest window at around 24 hours, saliva tests can detect use for up to 48 hours, and hair follicle tests have the broadest reach at up to 90 days.

Learn more about common drug detection times

Opioids That May Show Up On A Drug Test

Opioids, also known as opiates, are a class of narcotics generally prescribed for treating moderate to severe pain following surgery, surgery, or for chronic illness.

Common opioids include:

• oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet)
• hydrocodone (Vicodin, Norco)
• hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
• oxymorphone (Opana)
• tramadol
• methadone
• codeine
• morphine
• fentanyl

Heroin, an illicit drug, is also an opioid. Heroin is about twice as potent as morphine and has no acceptable medical use in the United States.

Opioid Detection Times

The detection time for an opioid is the amount of time it can be detected by a drug test. Drug detection times can vary depending on the type of screening method used.

Opioid use can be detected through various drug screening methods:

• urine tests: two to four days
• blood tests: up to 24 hours
• saliva tests: up to 48 hours
• hair tests: up to 90 days

One exception to these average timeframes is methadone. Methadone, a fully synthetic opioid, can stay in the body for longer than most other opioids.

How Long Do Opioids Stay In Urine?

Urine screens can detect opioids for two to four days after last use.

How Long Do Opioids Stay In Saliva?

Opioid use may be detected in a saliva sample for up to 48 hours after someone’s last dose. Saliva tests are less invasive than urine screens, but have a shorter detection window.

How Long Do Opioids Stay In The Blood?

Opioids will stay in the blood for the shortest amount of time. Generally, opioids will not be detectable in the blood for more than 24 hours, or one day, after last use.

How Long Do Opioids Stay In Hair?

Hair tests have the longest detection window of all drug tests. Hair tests can detect opioids and most other drugs for up to 90 days, or three months, after last use.

Factors That Can Affect Opioid Detection Times

Average time-frames for drug detection may not apply to everyone. The actual amount of time opioids stay in your system can depend on a range of factors.

Factors that can affect how long opioids stay in your system:

• age
• dose taken
• type of opioid (i.e. short-acting vs. long-acting)
• use of other drugs
• frequency of use
• drug dependence
• metabolic rate
• kidney and liver function
• method of use
• body composition (e.g. weight, height)

People who are opioid-dependent may be unable to stop taking opioids long enough to get them out of their system. If you are opioid-dependent, do not try to quit opioids cold-turkey.

How To Get Opioids Out Of Your System

If you’ve been taking opioids regularly, or have misused opioids, getting them out of your system will require a detox process. Trying to stop taking opioids all at once by quitting cold-turkey can be dangerous. This can trigger highly uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and pose other serious health risks.

For people addicted to opioids, the safest way to get off opioids is to begin a medical detox program.

Opioid Detox

Opioid detox programs can help people addicted to opioids stop their drug use under the guidance and supervision of medical professionals.

Medical detox programs can offer:

• 24/7 medical supervision
• medicine for withdrawal symptoms
• hydration support
• care coordination

Detoxing from opioids can last five to seven days on average. After this, additional treatment in an inpatient or outpatient rehab program is highly recommended.

What To Do If You Can’t Stop Taking Opioids

If you’ve found that you’re unable to stop taking opioids without experiencing withdrawal symptoms or intense cravings, that’s a sign that physical dependence or addiction has developed. The most important thing to know is that stopping opioids abruptly without medical supervision is dangerous and increases the risk of relapse.

Because tolerance drops quickly after stopping, relapsing on a previously used dose can cause a fatal overdose. Medically supervised detox is the recommended first step, providing clinical oversight, withdrawal management with medications like buprenorphine or clonidine, and a bridge into longer-term treatment.

Medication-assisted treatment using buprenorphine or methadone has the strongest evidence base for long-term opioid use disorder recovery and works best when combined with behavioral therapy and ongoing peer support. For more information about addiction recovery, browse our directory or reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).