Opioid addictions are difficult to beat, and no opioid addiction does more damage than heroin. These poppy plant-derived substances are highly addictive, resulting in some of the most severe addictions in existence.
This illicit substance severely impacts the lives of many people, affecting their physical health, relationships, and brain. Even though some people can clean their system of opioids in two days or less, several factors come into play here, including the type of test administered.
Typically used to treat severe pain, prescription opioids rose in popularity during the 2000s. The main issue here is that these drugs are powerful, leading to severe dependency problems. Eventually, a prescription opioid addiction can lead to heroin use.
Whether an addict or the family of one, the struggle of addiction does become easier with the right help. If you or someone you love are struggling with this potentially life-threatening addiction, finding heroin addiction treatment is the best option.
At Transitions Recovery, we’re helping our clients find the best transitions of themselves. We’ll guide you on the path to success and long after, bringing you the long-term results you deserve. Please contact our Miami drug rehab today by calling 800-626-1980.
How Long Is Heroin Detectable?
Saliva: Approximately One Hour
Blood: Approximately Six Hours
Urine: Approximately Three Days
Hair: Approximately 90 Days
So how long does heroin stay in your system if you’re a heavy user? The drug itself does not stay active very long in the system, with an intense high lasting for around 30 minutes.
After just 30 minutes of pleasure, the high fades and the body breaks the drug down into morphine and 6-acetylmorphine. This makes it detectable on standard drug testing for between one and four days.
False Positive Testing
Even though drug tests are incredibly accurate, there’s always the chance for a person to test positive for heroin, even if you don’t have a heroin addiction. Eating certain foods containing poppy seeds can cause a person to test positive for opiates during a drug test. Since these seeds have trace amounts of codeine and morphine, eating a lot of them could trigger a false positive reading on some drug tests.
Some medicines can trigger a false positive, as well. These include quinolones, diphenhydramine, rifampin, and others. This is because the less costly tests commonly used for employment and medical drug screenings are highly sensitive.
Here’s how long heroin remains in the body, as detected by certain types of tests:
Blood: Approximately Six Hours
The 6-AM assay test was initially made to test urine. However, it’s impressive sensitivity enables it to detect heroin metabolites in the blood, as well. This test is useful for cases of overdoses and traffic accidents to determine whether the drug use was recent or involved therapeutic use of opioids to relieve pain.
Urine: Approximately Three Days
Drug screening agencies will generally administer urine tests because they’re not costly. They’re also somewhat easy to administer. This is a standard urine test that’ll detect substance abuse within between one and three days of the individual’s use. If your usage is substantial, the metabolites can stay in your system for beyond three days.
Hair: Approximately 90 Days
Hair follicle tests can detect heroin use for up to 90 days following drug use. However, if the person has been using heavily for an extended period of time, the detection of this drug is possible long after with hair tests. This form of drug testing can uncover heroin addiction quite long after you even put it in your system.
Saliva: Approximately One Hour
Saliva sample testing can reveal high levels of the heroin metabolite 6-acetyl morphine. This testing can be chosen over urine tests at times since it is a better indicator of heroin use. The main problem with saliva tests is that they have to be administered within an hour of a person’s use to remain effective.
More About Heroin Detection
The kidneys dilute and expel intoxicants from the body. With this being the case, like most other drugs, the body excretes heroin through saliva, tears, sweat, and feces.
But how long will heroin show up on a standard drug test? This depends on some other factors, including the individual’s body mass, personal metabolism, and weight. But an individual’s overall health can play a role in how the drug gets processed.
Liver and kidney function both play pivotal roles in clearing drugs from a person’s body. So if these vital organs aren’t working as they should, heroin can remain detectable for longer.
Drug Use Dosage & Frequency
Detecting heroin in a drug test also depends on how much of the drug the person is taking. Light users might find it’s detectable for one or two days. However, chronic heavy use makes the drug detectable in the urine for nearly a week.
Purity & Pairing
The purity varies from source to source. This is because there is no regulating force for this drug. While some doses are purer, others lack the same potency. If the drug is stronger, this generally results in its remaining detectable in the body for longer. Pairing it with other substances also impacts how fast the body metabolizes the heroin.
Getting Heroin Out Faster
Since the body metabolizes heroin fast, the majority of standard drug tests won’t detect it after approximately three days. With this being said, getting the heroin out of a person means ceasing all use of the drug. This gives the body time to metabolize and expel it from the system.
To increase your rate of metabolization, some options are available. Remaining healthy with regular exercise and a high fluid intake can improve your metabolic rate. In turn, your body will push the drug from your system faster.
Help for Heroin Addiction
Quitting heroin is problematic, especially for people who’ve been using for an extended period. As a heavy heroin user, it’s essential to have medical help when coming off of this drug. Treatment is necessary for this kind of addiction, so it’s always ideal to have professional assistance to ensure the withdrawal effects aren’t as severe.
Are you considering coming off heroin? We’ve successfully provided treatment to hundreds of people, helping them achieve the best transition of themselves. For more information call 800-626-1980.
