How Long Does Oxycodone Stay In Your System?

Oxycodone is an opioid and is used for pain relief purposes. It is a potent pain killer, mainly intended to treat chronic pain and post-surgery pain. However, as an opioid, it can also be highly habit-forming, leading to addiction, overdose, and in extreme cases, even death. So, you must always keep in mind to not take any more than the recommended dosage.

If you have been prescribed oxycodone, how long does it stay in your system is a question that might have come to your mind very often. Very valid one, it is, too. Understanding how long oxycodone stays in your system helps in medical treatment and also in substance abuse treatment.

Typically, oxycodone stays in your system for only 22 hours, which is less than a day. However, depending on the test, it can be detected for a longer period of time.

How To Get Oxycodone Out Of Your System?

To get oxycodone out of your system, you need to let your body take its time in metabolizing it. However, metabolism also depends on a number of other conditions.

• Formulation: Oxycodone comes in immediate-release and extended-release formulations. While immediate-release formulations are metabolized and eliminated from the body pretty quickly, the extended-release formulations might take a longer time.
• Age: Age is one of the major factors affecting metabolism, as with increasing age, metabolism slows down. So, among older persons, oxycodone may be metabolized and eliminated from the body at a slower rate.
• Liver and Kidney Functioning: Liver and kidney health greatly matters when it comes to the elimination of oxycodone from your system, as it is mostly broken down by the liver and excreted by the kidneys. So, pre-existing liver or kidney conditions can hamper the rate at which oxycodone is eliminated from the body.
• Genetics: Typically, oxycodone is broken down by enzymes CYP3A4 and CYP2D6. These are liver enzymes. Depending on your genetics, you can have higher levels of it than others. Higher levels can quicken the rate at which oxycodone is eliminated from your body.
• Body Mass: Body mass once again affects the rate at which oxycodone is eliminated from your body through metabolism. Higher body mass may slow down this process.
• Hydration Levels: Keeping your body hydrated can boost your metabolism. So, while taking oxycodone, it is important to keep yourself hydrated by drinking adequate amounts of water.

Oxycodone is highly habit-forming. If taken more frequently and in higher doses than prescribed, oxycodone can accumulate in your body, leading to life-threatening conditions. This is when medically supervised detoxification may be required.

How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your Urine?

Typically, oxycodone can be detected in your urine for 2 – 4 days after your last dose. However, it does depend on certain other factors like dosage and hydration levels. Higher doses can take longer to exit the body, while greater hydration levels can decrease the amount of time taken to detect oxycodone by diluting the urine.

Urine tests are the most commonly conducted tests to detect oxycodone, as they are easy to administer and cost-effective.

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How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your Hair?

Oxycodone stays in your hair for the longest period of time, up to 90 days. This is because oxycodone may contaminate your hair long after you have stopped using it.

Hair tests are not as common as urine tests for detecting oxycodone levels in your body. Your hair roots may test positive for the drug even after weeks or months after you have stopped using it. However, in cases where long-term moderation is required, hair tests may be useful.

How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your Saliva?

Oxycodone can be detected in your saliva for 1.5 days after your last dose.

Saliva tests are easy to administer and non-invasive. However, as oxycodone stays in the saliva for a shorter period of time than, say, urine, it is mainly used for immediate detection purposes, like with law enforcement.

How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your Blood?

Oxycodone can be detected in your blood for the shortest period of time, only 22 hours to be precise. Or 24 hours if we are stretching it.
Blood tests are minimally invasive and are not generally preferred to urine tests or saliva tests for detecting oxycodone, however, they can be very accurate. They come in quite useful in clinical settings.

Test Type	Detection Window
Urine	2 – 4 days
Hair	90 days
Saliva	1.5 days
Blood	24 hours

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How Long Does It Take for Oxycodone to Take Effect?

Oxycodone is quite a potent painkiller and is preferred because of its fast-acting mechanism. Its immediate-release formulations kick in within 10 – 30 minutes of intake, and extended-release formulations can take 1 hour to start working.

Once oxycodone takes effect, you might also feel relaxed, sleepy, and even euphoric. However, some might also experience side effects like changes in breathing/heart rate, nausea, allergic reactions, and constipation. If the side effects are intense, contact the doctor immediately.

Half-Life of Oxycodone

The half-life of oxycodone varies between 4.5 – 6.5 hours, typically. This refers to the time taken for half of the drug to be metabolized and eliminated from your body. It might take several half-lives for the drug to be completely eliminated from your body, and that is around 24 hours.
Keep in mind, certain other factors like metabolism rates, age, genetics, and overall health can affect the half-life as well.

Peak Levels of Oxycodone

Immediate-release oxycodone can peak within 1 hour after intake, and its effects linger until 6 hours after which its blood concentration levels fall rapidly. It is possible to experience withdrawal symptoms after the 6-hour mark and can last up to a few days. On the contrary, extended-release oxycodone does not have a peak level

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Types of Oxycodone Testing

Different testing methods can detect oxycodone for varying lengths of time, depending on the test.

Urine Tests:

Most preferred, urine tests tend to be non-invasive and cost-effective. They can detect oxycodone for a considerable amount of time compared to some other tests on this list.

Hair Tests:

Hair tests have the longest detection window for oxycodone. However, they do not tend to be preferred as they can be time-consuming and detect oxycodone long after you have stopped using it.

Saliva Tests:

Saliva tests are quick and non-invasive. They are only preferred where immediate detection is required.

Blood Tests:

Blood tests for oxycodone are highly accurate, however, they can only detect oxycodone for a very short period of time. In clinical settings though, they can be quite helpful.