Navigation: Factors that Influence How Long Opioids Stay in Your System, Detecting Opioid Use, Urine Testing, Saliva Testing, Blood Testing
Opioids are a class of drugs that are commonly used as painkillers. Doctors prescribe them to help mitigate pain ranging from mild to severe. Opioids are prescribed for patients going through chronic pain, suffering from cancer-related pain; or recovering after an operation.
The effectiveness of opioids in terms of fighting pain has led to a boom in opioid prescriptions in the 2000s. Although they work well as painkillers, opioids can also be dangerous because of their addictive nature. Left unchecked, opioid use can lead to drug dependence.
Once taken, opioids can spend varying amounts of time in a person’s system.
Factors that Influence How Long Opioids Stay in Your System
Different opioids stay in a person’s system for different amounts of time. There are various factors that influence this, including body weight, speed of metabolism, dosage taken, method of administration, frequency of intake, presence of other drugs in the body, age, gender, ethnicity, co-occurring medical conditions, etc.
Both the rate at which they activate and the amount of time they are detectable within a person’s system depends on which specific opioid was used.
In pharmacology, these times are measured by elimination half-life. This refers to the amount of time it takes the body to metabolize and remove half of the original dose of the drug. It generally takes five half-lives to completely eliminate a drug from the body.
Opioids can be classified into three categories, based on their half-life: long-acting, short-acting, and rapid-onset.
Long-acting opioids stay in the body longer, meaning their effects can be felt for a longer period of time. Long-acting opioids are often prescribed for patients with chronic pain. These drugs can help minimize pain for long periods of time. Oxycontin, Methadone, and Buprenorphine are examples of long-acting opioids.
Sometimes, a dual prescription of long-acting and short-acting opioids is given to patients with breakthrough pain or acute pain that overcomes their current medication. This helps them manage the pain more effectively. Examples of short-acting opioids include Codeine, Morphine, and Hydrocodone.
Examples of rapid onset opioids are intranasal Fentanyl and sublingual Fentanyl, which can produce pain killing effects soon after being taken.
Detecting Opioid Use
Drug testing is commonly used as a precaution by employers to ensure that their prospective employees are reliable. Contrary to popular belief, not all drug tests sample urine.
Urine Testing
Urine tests are by far the most common type of drug test. Each drug can produce different byproducts as the body metabolizes them, and urine tests are designed to identify those byproducts that end up in urine.
Saliva Testing
Saliva testing is less invasive compared to urine testing. However, its window for accurately detecting drug use is much smaller than urine testing. So unless the drugs were consumed within several hours of testing, it may not identify their presence accurately.
Saliva testing also relies on detecting the metabolic byproducts produced by the body after consuming drugs. Because of its small detection window, saliva tests are not frequently used.
Blood Testing
Blood testing can produce an accurate picture of someone’s recent drug activities. It can also identify the levels of drugs in the blood at the time of the test. The downside is that blood tests are more invasive and expensive. Still, they are among the most accurate tests for drug use.
If someone in the family is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, it is important to seek help. A combination of medical detox and behavioral therapy can go a long way in the fight against substance abuse. But because every individual is affected by addiction differently, a comprehensive program tailored to their specific needs is necessary. Look for a nearby addiction treatment facility today and find out how drug treatment programs work.
Opioids: How Long Do They Stay in Your System? https://t.co/dYaVnRnFdw #rehabnearme
— RehabNearMe (@RehabNear_Me) May 30, 2024
