How Long Does Heroin Stay In Your System? Heroin can stay in your system for about 50-60 minutes. The exact time heroin takes nodding off for an individual can vary depending on the heroin half-life and certain physiological factors. Find out what these factors are and what you can do to remove heroin from your body.
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Table of Contents
What Does Heroin Do To Your Body?
Before we understand more about how long does heroin stay in your system, let us first clarify what heroin does to the brain and body. Although heroin is one of the worst addictive substances, it is unfortunately one of the most common drugs abused. It acts fast, producing a euphoria within a few minutes, which makes heroin highly addictive. According to NIDA, there have been 5,871 deaths related to heroin abuse. This dependence appears as:
- Poor performance at school and work
- Poor hygiene
- Often found out in dangerous situations
- Lending money
- Drastic changes in weight
Did you know Heroin is a Schedule I substance, which means it carries a high risk of addiction and has no medical use as well. Abusing it can lead you straight away into heroin dependence.
Did you know? Heroin is a Schedule I substance, which means it carries a high risk of addiction and has no medical use as well. Abusing it can lead you straight away into heroin dependence.
How Long Does Heroin Stay In Your System?
Heroin is consumed through
- Snorting
- injecting
- Smoking
Depending on how long does heroin last in your system, you can feel the effects of heroin euphoria and relaxation for four to five hours. Heroin stays for different lengths in different parts of the body.
How Long Does Heroin Stay In Your Hair?
The most effective method to detect heroin in your system is through a hair follicle test. Heroin can stay for up to 90 days, which means you need to take a medical detox approach to come out of heroin.
How Long Does Heroin Stay In Your Blood?
No matter how heroin is consumed, it always enters your bloodstream. But it stays there briefly and quickly moves to the brain and other regions if your body produces high. That’s why blood tests can detect heroin for only a few hours after the last use. Blood tests are performed only in emergencies because they are invasive and painful.
How Long Is Heroin In Saliva?
Just like blood tests, saliva tests can detect heroin within the first few initial hours of the last heroin dose.
How Long Is Heroin In Urine?
Urine is the most common way to detect heroin in the system. Heroin can be detected in urine for as long as four days.
In Which Ways Heroin Can be Used?
Factors Affecting The Heroin Timeline in Your Body
Certain factors determine how long does heroin stay in your system. Some of these factors are:
Your weight and age: Older people with more weight than an ideal mass can take longer to expel heroin from their bodies.
Type of heroin: Some types of heroin can take longer to leave your body than others. A few examples of heroin include purple heroin, black tar, Gas station heroin Zaza, and white heroin.
Metabolism: A faster metabolism will break down heroin quicker than a slow metabolism, leading to heroin nodding off your body faster.
Amount and frequency of heroin consumed: Frequently taking larger doses of heroin will slow down your body’s ability to process and may retain heroin for longer durations.
Another factor that determines how long it takes to get off heroin is the heroin half-life.
Heroin Half-Life
Half-life is the time it takes for half of the heroin to pass through your body. Heroin has a very short half-life of about 7.8 minutes when injected in muscles or under the skin and 3-4 minutes when injected into the veins. It means that heroin leaves your system within one hour.
Effects of Heroin On Your Body
The short heroin half-life and addictive nature of heroin make people crave it. The intense cravings end up developing into heroin addiction. Heroin can have the following effects on your body:
- Stomach issues
- Extreme drowsiness and wakefulness
- Declined mental functioning
- Shallow breathing
- Convulsions
- Comma
- Heroin overdose
- Withdrawal symptoms
If you have noticed these symptoms, then seeking a holistic heroin addiction treatment can help you.
Please note that this assessment is an initial self-screening and is not meant to be a medical assessment or clinical diagnosis of addiction. For proper diagnosis and treatment, schedule an appointment with ChoicePoint.
Reach Out To ChoicePoint in New Jersey To Get Heroin Out Of Your System
Quitting heroin cold turkey on your own can bring you unpleasant physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms with a high risk of going back to the drug. But for immediate assistance, you can reach out to ChoicePoint in New Jersey. Our DEA-certified addiction professionals will provide you with every support you need in heroin nodding off your body and managing withdrawal symptoms. ChoicePoint is a full treatment service, and besides heroin detox, we also offer therapies to improve the behavior that might have led you to heroin abuse in the first place.
Inquiry Section Answering Your Concerns Relating to How Long Does Heroin Stay In Your System?
With heroin being one of the most commonly abused illicit drugs in the United States, it is natural to have questions relating to heroin detox and addiction treatment. We have answered a few for you below:
What Does Heroin Do To The Brain?
Frequently using heroin to get pleasure and euphoria severely damages the brain structure, deteriorating the white matter of the brain. This can result in:
- Declined decision-making abilities
- Poor stress management
- Mood swings
- Episodes of negative behavior
How Long Do The Effects Of Heroin Last?
How long the effects of heroin last depends on how heroin is taken. For instance, injecting heroin directly into the veins creates an immediate rush that lasts for a few minutes. Injecting heroin under the skin can take longer to create feelings of pleasure, but the effects can last for around an hour if not more than that.
What Is The Half-Life Of Heroin?
Heroin half-life is around 7.8 minutes when injected directly into the veins and about 3 minutes when it is injected under the skin. It can take around one hour for heroin and all its residues to nod off your system.
How Long Does Heroin Withdrawal Last?
If you have been using heroin for quite some time now, then you can expect heroin to leave your system in at least 7 days. The withdrawal symptoms start appearing within 12 hours of the last dose of heroin and become intense as you reach the third day.
References
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Overdose Death Rates
https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates - United States Drug Enforcement Education. Drug Scheduling
https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling - National Center For Biotechnology Information. 2023. Heroin Toxicity
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430736/
Medical Disclaimer:
ChoicePoint aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use disorder and mental health issues. Our team of licensed medical professionals research, edit and review the content before publishing. However, this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For medical advice please consult your physicians or ChoicePoint's qualified staff.
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