Nonetheless, if you have been chronically abusing heavy amounts of opioids for an extended period of time, then the levels of opioids in your system will have built up in your fatty tissue and are more likely to be detected in an opioid drug test even outside the typical window of time. However, injectable opioids like heroin can get directly into the bloodstream where they work faster and leave the body sooner. If you are using prescription opioids such as Vicodin that comes in pill form, it means that it has to pass through your digestive system first before it can begin working, and will remain in your system longer. However, the exact timelines for how long a given opioid stays in your system and can be detected by an opioid drug test is going to vary based on both the opioid itself and the following factors:Īnother key factor involved in how long opioids remain in the body has to do with how they are ingested. And if you are exhibiting behavior that corresponds with drug use, you can be tested under reasonable suspicion.Īnd yes, many people who have completed addiction recovery treatment can be regularly drug tested if they are in a sober living home or as part of their aftercare treatment.Ī common characteristic of opioids is a short half-life, meaning that they leave your system fairly quickly.

If someone is involved in an accident in their workplace, drug testing will be used to determine if drugs were, in fact, a contributing factor to the situation. Potential employers frequently make passing a drug test one of their conditions of employment, and both student and professional athletes will often be subjected to drug testing as part of their overall physicals. In the midst of the country’s opioid epidemic, it is not only commonplace but also just good sense for these drug tests to specifically search for the presence of opioids. There are many reasons that you might have to undergo a drug test in your life, whether or not you have a history of previous drug use.

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