How Long Does Heroin Stay In Your System and What Factors Impact Detection Time

In 2021, an estimated 42,000 people in Florida consumed heroin. Some of them got drug tested. Most people have taken one at some point in their adult lives. Often, you have to take a drug test before starting a new job. Some jobs will ask you to take a test at random or if they suspect you’ve been taking substances while at work.

If you’ve had heroin recently and are afraid of getting tested yourself, you probably want to know how long heroin stays in your system. The answer may surprise you.

At Real Recovery, we know that the consequences of taking heroin can be life-changing. That’s why we’re here to support you. If you’ve lost your job due to a heroin use disorder, our case managers will work with you to find education, SNAP benefits, employment opportunities, and more.

So let’s discuss how long heroin stays in your system.

How Heroin Is Metabolized in the Body

Once heroin enters the body, it is quickly broken down into different metabolites, which produce its euphoric effects. Plasma in the blood works with the liver to produce 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM). The 6-MAM metabolite is what most tests use to determine whether or not there has recently been heroin in the system.

6-MAM is then broken down further into morphine. Morphine is the substance that creates heroin’s desired effects.

Understanding Heroin Duration & Half-Life

A substance’s half-life refers to the length of time it takes for the amount of that substance in the bloodstream to be halved. It is used to estimate how long you will feel its effects and how long the substance will be in your system. The half-life of heroin is about 2–6 minutes.

Because of the way that the body breaks down heroin, some side effects last long after heroin is no longer actively in the bloodstream. Once heroin is converted to morphine, it has a much longer half-life. Usually, this is about 2-4 hours.

The initial “rush” associated with heroin usually comes on within just a few seconds after it is injected. It lasts anywhere from half a minute to three or four minutes. Some of heroin’s effects, like nodding in and out of consciousness, can be felt for up to an hour but don’t normally last much longer.

To avoid withdrawal symptoms, someone who has a dependence on heroin will usually take the substance once every six to 12 hours.

How Long Heroin Stays in The Body: Detection Methods

The most common detection methods for heroin involve a sample of urine, blood, hair, or saliva. Let’s examine the differences in detection time between these methods.

How Long Heroin Stays in Your Urine

Heroin is typically detectable in the urine for about a week after your last dose. Depending on the test, it could also detect other opioids in your system. Prescription painkillers, codeine, or fentanyl also result in a positive test. Urine tests are the most common way to test for heroin. It is often used by employers and law enforcement alike.

How Long Heroin Stays in Your Blood

Heroin metabolites can be detected in the blood for only about 6 hours after the last time heroin was consumed. Because heroin does not show up in the blood for a very long time after use, blood tests are less common, but they’re highly accurate.

How Long Heroin Stays in Your Hair

The heroin metabolite 6-MAM can be detected in the hair for an average of 90 days. Heroin, or remnants of it, enters the hair follicles as the body metabolizes it. Once those metabolites reach the hair follicles, the body stops metabolizing them. This is why heroin is detectable in your hair for so long after your last dose.

How Long Heroin Stays in Your Saliva

Heroine can usually only be detected in saliva for about four hours. Saliva tests are the second most common way employers test for substances, after urine tests.

Factors That Affect How Long Heroin Stays in Your System

There are a few things that impact how long heroin will be detectable in your system. These include factors like your health, ingestion method, and frequency of consumption.

Your Individual Factors

Your health, age, and genetic makeup can affect how long heroin is detectable in your system. In particular, your liver health will affect how long heroin stays in your system. If you are living with liver failure or other liver conditions due to years of substance use, your liver will have a harder time ridding the body of that substance. Metabolic rates are another important factor. If your metabolism is faster (or slower) than average, that will be true for heroin, just like anything else you put in your body.

Physical size also plays a role in how long heroin stays in your system. Generally speaking, the same dose will be detectable in a large person for a shorter period than it will be for a small person.

Heroin Ingestion Method

The ingestion method impacts how long a substance is detectable, depending on the test. If you smoke or snort heroin, it will show up on a saliva test for a little bit longer than if you use other methods because it goes through the mouth directly. If you inject heroin directly into the bloodstream, it will be detectable in the blood and urine for longer.

This does not mean a certain ingestion method will prevent heroin from showing up on a certain test.

Heroin Dosage & Frequency of Use

The amount of heroin you consume and the frequency at which you consume it have a serious impact on how long it is detectable.

If you take heroin frequently over an extended period of time, the body will start to store its metabolites in your fatty tissue. This means it can continue to show up even for weeks after you’ve stopped taking the substance. Heroin metabolites are also stored in the hair. Chronic, long-term use of heroin also leads to higher detectable levels of them in hair follicles.

High doses of heroin also play a role in how heroin can be detected. Because your tolerance level builds and you need more of a substance over time to get the same effect, high doses of heroin are associated with long-term use. Higher doses of heroin show up in the blood at a more concentrated level, which makes them easier to detect.

Myths About Getting Heroin Out of Your System

Once heroin has entered the bloodstream, only the metabolic process can rid it from the system. While things like exercise, drinking water, or taking a cold shower help you feel more awake, they will not speed up the process of getting heroin out of your body. There is also no evidence that “rapid detox” drinks or pills are effective at removing heroin from the system.

Withdrawal from heroin is associated with uncomfortable flu-like symptoms, including sweating, nausea, and chills. If you want to detox from heroin, an inpatient detox program is a good fit for you. In some cases, detox programs will provide you with medication-assisted treatment to help you through the worst of your symptoms.

Finding Heroin Treatment in Tampa, FL

If you’ve tried to quit heroin multiple times and can’t, it’s time to consider heroin rehab. A strong program should support your needs. Look for features like withdrawal monitoring to ensure that you safely get the substance out of your system. A good program will also offer evidence-based therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In CBT, you will address any underlying mental health conditions that are contributing to your heroin use disorder.

You should also consider sober living facilities. When you participate in sober living, you stay in a house with other people who are also working to manage life after substance use. In this setting, you and your housemates get to support each other and hold one another accountable.

It is never too late to heal. You are worth the effort that recovery takes. You’re capable of doing what it takes – you just need the right support treatment program.

Real Recovery Solutions provides Florida’s largest sober living network, with countless alumni testimonials on how effective our treatment methods are. Between our substance use disorder treatment facility in Tampa and various sober living homes across eastern Florida, there’s a place for you in the Real Recovery community. If you’re serious about recovery from heroin use disorder, we’re serious about doing everything we can to set you up for success on that journey. Call us at 813-373-6762 to learn more about how we can help today. 

Real people. Real solutions. Real results.