How Long Do Opioids Stay in Your System?

Opioids can stay in your body (and detectable via drug tests) for up to 90 days. The time frame can vary widely. How long an opioid stays in your system depends on the type you take, how you take it, how often and how long you have been taking it, and your metabolism.

How Long Opioids Last in the Body 

Opioids can stay in your body for much longer than you might expect. In fact, some drugs can remain in your body at low (but detectable) levels, even when you no longer feel their effects.

Opioids are a class of drugs that include illicit drugs (like heroin and fentanyl) and prescription painkillers (like morphine, oxycodone and hydrocodone). Opioid drugs bind to opioid receptors in the brain, blocking pain sensations, elevating mood and suppressing central nervous system functions. 

All opioids are highly addictive. An estimated 2 million Americans have an opioid use disorder (OUD) triggered by prescription painkillers.[1]

Common opioids include the following:

• Hydrocodone: Hydrocodone is a painkiller that’s worried experts since 2009. It’s commonly substituted as evidence in drug use cases, meaning many people misuse this drug.[2]
• Oxycodone: Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic opioid drug prescribed as Tylox, Percodan and OxyContin. These medications are highly addictive, as the pills can be crushed and snorted or injected.
• Codeine: Codeine is an opioid pain reliever doctors can use to treat mild or moderate pain. The medication can also help to reduce coughing.
• Methadone: Methadone is an opioid, and it’s used to treat OUD. It’s a long-lasting medication, and it’s legal for people to use under the direction of a doctor.
• Heroin: Heroin is an opioid drug derived from morphine. This medication is not used for pain relief, but it’s easy enough to buy from street dealers. Some people with OUD related to painkillers switch to heroin in time.
• Morphine: Morphine is a non-synthetic narcotic with a high potential for misuse, experts say.[3] It’s derived from opium, and it’s used to treat pain.
• Fentanyl: Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid structurally similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent.[4]

What Tests Detect Opioid Use?

Many people are concerned with how long opioids last because they’re trying to pass drug tests at work. Most drug testing companies use urine for opioid drug testing, but some test saliva, blood or even hair. Each method comes with a different detection period. 

How Long Opioids Are Detectable by Test Type 

Understanding How Opioids Are Metabolized

While they all work similarly, opioids can stay in your system for different amounts based on their half-life. This is the amount of time it takes for your body to break down half of the original dose of the drug and metabolize it. The half-life of opioid medications can range from less than an hour to 36 hours.[5]

Chemists place opioids in groups based on how quickly they work and how long they last. The following three groups apply:

• Rapid onset: Rapid-onset drugs work very quickly, causing a burst of euphoria. Intravenous formulations of opioids tend to be very rapid onset because they enter the bloodstream immediately. Drugs in this class include fentanyl and heroin.
• Short acting: A short-acting opioid usually lasts in your body for two to eight hours. These medications are typically used for acute or intermittent pain.[6] People recovering from surgery often use these medications. Good examples are opioid prescription pills such as morphine, codeine and oxycodone. 
• Long acting: A long-acting medication stays in your body for long periods. Some can work for up to 72 hours, making them good choices for people with severe and persistent pain.[6] Methadone is a good example of a long-acting opioid.

All opioids are detectable in hair for about 90 days, but how long they appear in other test types can vary. 

How Long Different Types of Opioids Are Detectable by Drug Type

Factors That Influence How Long Opioids Stay in Your System 

Along with the type of opioid and its elimination half-life, there are other contributing factors to how long the drug will remain in your system.

The factors include the following:

• Method: Whether you swallow, snort or inject the drug can have an impact on its persistence in the body. 
• Volume: How much of the drug you took can impact how long your body needs to clear the dose. 
• Length: How long the drug use lasted can alter testing periods. 
• Contamination: Using opioids with other drugs can impair your body’s ability to process them. 
• Physical: Your weight, metabolism speed, age, sex, ethnicity and underlying health can also change how quickly you process drugs. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

We’ve compiled some of the most frequently asked questions about how long opioids stay in your system. 

1. Nearly one in three people know someone addicted to opioids; more than half of millennials believe it is easy to get illegal opioids. American Psychiatric Association. Published May 6, 2018. Accessed June 28, 2023. https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/nearly-one-in-three-people-know-someone-addicted-t
2. Hydrocodone. Drug Enforcement Administration. Published October 2019. Accessed June 28, 2023. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/hydrocodone.pdf
3. Morphine. U.S. Department of Justice. Published April 2020. Accessed June 28, 2023. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Morphine-2020.pdf
4. Fentanyl drug facts. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Published June 2021. Accessed June 28, 2023. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl
5. Kharasch ED. Opioid half-lives and hemlines: The long and short of fashion. Anesthesiology. 2015;122(5):969-970. doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000000634
6. Argoff CE, Silvershein DI. A comparison of long- and short-acting opioids for the treatment of chronic noncancer pain: tailoring therapy to meet patient needs. Mayo Clin Proc. 2009;84(7):602-612. doi.org/10.1016/S0025-6196(11)60749-0