The past few years have demonstrated an unpleasant rise in both opioid and opiate addiction and abuse. This major increase in use is largely due to the misuse of prescription medications, due to opiates being extremely habit-forming.
Opiates are often prescribed to individuals as a method for pain management. Doctors routinely prescribe them to individuals after surgeries or series medical procedures. In others, opiates are given to patients to treat chronic pain conditions. Common medications like codeine, oxycodone, and morphine fall under the category of opiate drugs.
Depending on the type of opiate, as well as the testing method, the drugs can remain in a person’s system anywhere from 12-hours to 90-days after use.
Opiate Drug Testing
There are several methods used to test if a person has opiates in their system. Not every test will produce the same results.
Saliva Testing – This is one of the most common testing methods for opiate drugs. This can show drugs in a person’s system for up to 12-hours after their last use.
Blood Testing – This testing method can show opiates in a person’s system up to 12-hours after their last use. This method is often used in hospitals and by law enforcement.
Urine Testing – This test can show opiates in a person’s system up to 72-hours after their last use. This is a popular method often used by employers.
Hair Follicle Testing- This method is not as popularly used as the previously listed methods although it tends to be the most accurate method for testing. The hair follicle test can show drugs in a person’s system up to 90-days after their last use.
Contributing Factors for Test Results
Each testing method provides a general time frame for testing positive after use. The results can vary from person to person depending on certain characteristics. A person’s height and weight, as well as their general health, can all play a part in determining how long opiates remain in their system.
Individuals that are considered as being in good health often metabolize opiates a lot quicker than individuals in poor health. As a result, individuals in good health will have shorter periods in which opiates are traceable in their systems.
In addition to overall health, the amount and time in which a person has been using opiates has a major impact on results as well. A person who is a long-term user may need to take higher doses, which generally take longer to metabolize, which can cause testing methods to show positive for longer periods.
The bottom line is that no two individuals will have opiates in their system for the same exact amount of time.
If you want to rid opiates from your system, you may be able to go through a detoxification process. At Asana Recovery, we help individuals with opiate addictions cleanse the substance from their system through our specially designed detox program. This program has 24-hour monitoring and provides patients with a relaxing atmosphere that is safe and effective in helping them get through detox with minimal side effects.
If you or someone you know is battling opiate addiction, call us at (949) 438-4504 to get help today.
