According to statistics, nearly 9 million people over the age of 12 use prescription pain medications in America. Prescription pain medications like opioids are typically classified as schedule II controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) because of their high potential for abuse. Pain medications like oxycodone are used to treat moderate to severe pain like that immediately following surgery. This may leave you wondering, “How long does oxycodone stay in your system?”
Knowing the answer to these questions can be a safety concern, especially if you take other medications. Doctors and medical staff need to know the answer to this question to safely prescribe medicines to their patients who may be treating chronic pain with oxycodone. One of the first questions drug rehab personnel ask is, “How long does oxycodone stay in your system?” The answer to that question varies as widely as the conditions it treats but that makes it no less important to understand.
Understanding the Oxycodone Half-Life
A drug’s half-life is the amount of time it takes for your body to process and eliminate half of the active ingredients in a dose of medication. This timeline can vary with patient physiology, medication formulation, and a few other factors. Oxycodone is available as an extended release medication or an instant release medication. Oxycodone’s half-life is generally about 3 hours for the extended release tablets and shorter for the instant release.
Factors Affecting Detectability
If you are wondering, “How long does oxycodone stay in your system?”, there are several ways to answer this question. Multiple factors can affect how long the drug is detectable in your system. Your diet, age, build, and tolerance can all affect how quickly your body processes oxycodone. Your kidney function, body mass index, and hydration level also help determine the speed at which your body eliminates the drug.
Additional important factors include the drug’s half-life, which is determined by its formulation, and your gender. Oxycodone is sometimes more concentrated in females. The length of time you’ve been using oxycodone along with your tolerance level and how the drug was ingested also affect how long the oxycodone can be detected in your system.
Types of Tests
Different tests detect oxycodone for various amounts of time. In addition to the other factors that affect the drug’s detectability, the type of test taken also has an impact. For instance, a blood test typically detects oxycodone for up to 24 hours after it was last ingested while a hair follicle test can reveal trace amounts up to 90 later. A urine test is the most commonly used test for detecting oxycodone. It can reveal trace amounts of the drug up to 4 days after it was last used, just like a saliva test. Keep in mind, these are general timelines rather than exact windows.
How long does oxycodone stay in your system?
The length of time oxycodone stays in your system depends on many factors, like how long you’ve been using the drug and your tolerance level. Understanding the drug’s half-life along with the type of test you may take can also help your cause. Patients, healthcare providers, and even drug rehab staff should all be able to answer the question, “How long does oxycodone stay in your system?” Not only is it a safety concern when it comes to treatments and other medications but it can also help determine a patient’s compliance to their plan of care or drug rehab treatment.
