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If you take oxycodone, you may occasionally be required to take a drug test. Employers, doctors or even court systems can order tests to check the amount of a drug in your body. Oxycodone can be found in common drug tests like urine, blood, saliva and hair tests. How long a test can detect oxycodone in your system depends both on the type of test used and whether you take the short or long-acting form of the drug.
Oxycodone is a Schedule II controlled substance and opioid prescribed for severe pain. The drug comes in both long and short-acting oral dosage forms:
If a medical professional prescribes you both long and short-acting oxycodone, it is important not to confuse them. You should always take oxycodone exactly as your doctor prescribes and not take more of the drug or take it more often than ordered. Doing so can increase your risk of side effects, addiction and overdose.
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic. As such, it works on the opioid receptors in the central nervous system of your brain to change your perception of pain. As an opioid, oxycodone is highly addictive, and you should only take the medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
Oxycodone can stay in your system for varying amounts of time, depending on factors like the dose of the drug and how long you have taken it. In addition, oxycodone detection times can vary widely depending on the test; for example, the drug will be detectable in your hair for much longer than in your urine. The most common types of tests for oxycodone are urine, saliva, blood and hair tests.
Oxycodone is detectable in urine between one and three days after the last dose. Similarly, its breakdown product noroxycodone is also found in urine during the same timeframe. Drug tests may test for oxycodone, noroxycodone or both, depending on the test.
Oxycodone stays in your saliva for a shorter time than in your urine: only 24 to 36 hours. For this reason, saliva tests for oxycodone are relatively uncommon.
Both oxycodone and its breakdown product noroxycodone remain in the blood for only three to six hours after the last dose. For this reason, blood tests for oxycodone are rarely given.
Hair tests can detect oxycodone is detectable for much longer than other tests. A 1.5-inch section of hair can show if someone has used any oxycodone over the past 90 days. For this reason, hair tests are among the most comprehensive tests to see if a person is taking oxycodone.
Your doctor, a court or an employer can order a variety of tests to show whether or not you take substances including oxycodone. Drug testing can be used to show:
The most common types of tests for oxycodone are urine, saliva, blood and hair tests. In general, blood tests are the least common, as they only show if someone has used oxycodone over the past few hours. Conversely, urine tests are the most common because they are the least invasive and expensive type of test.
Multiple factors can influence how long oxycodone will show up on a drug test. These include:
If you have specific questions about how long oxycodone will show up on a drug test, you should ask your doctor. If you are legally prescribed oxycodone, you should also inform your doctor if you are undergoing a drug test for oxycodone that a court or employer has ordered. Your doctor may be able to help you show that you have a legitimate medical prescription for the drug.
Oxycodone generally starts acting quickly, but this can vary based on the dosage form:
That said, your individual response to the drug can vary based on factors like the dose you are taking, your tolerance for the drug and how you are ingesting the drug.
The half-life of a drug refers to how long it takes for half of a single dose to be cleared from your bloodstream. In general, it takes five half-lives to completely clear a drug from your system. Oxycodone’s half-life depends on the dosage form of the drug that you are taking:
Some factors can influence the half-life of oxycodone. For example, older age and poor kidney function can prolong the drug’s half-life.
If you take oxycodone on a regular basis, your brain becomes used to the drug’s presence and adapts accordingly. This means that if you suddenly stop taking the drug, withdrawal symptoms may occur. These include:
These symptoms can last different periods of time depending on whether you take short- or long-acting oxycodone. If you take both, your symptoms may reflect the timeline for the longer-acting form of the drug:
Oxycodone withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable and hard to manage on your own. For this reason, it is recommended to seek medical help when withdrawing from opioids. A medically supervised detox can provide you with the tools and support to not only quit oxycodone but stay off the drug over the long term.
Oxycodone addiction is hard to overcome on your own, but recovery is possible with help. Oxycodone addiction recovery follows a multistep process, adapting to your needs as you progress through recovery:
If you or a loved one struggles with oxycodone, you are not alone. Contact our oxycodone addiction experts at The Recovery Village at Palmer Lake to see how we can help. Don’t wait: contact us today to learn more.
One of the cornerstones of addiction treatment in recent years is medication-assisted treatment. With MAT, we can help people with opioid addiction begin and maintain a long-term recovery.
Because heroin is an addictive, deadly and illegal substance, it’s common for people to wonder about what heroin looks like and how to recognize it – especially those who suspect a friend or loved one may be using.
Inpatient rehabilitation offers constant live-in care for people with substance use disorders. At an inpatient care facility, all evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation is supervised by medical professionals.
Women who are pregnant may find themselves wondering if it is safe to use hydrocodone during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Ultimately, using any kind of opioid while pregnant or breastfeeding should generally be avoided.
Medical detoxification, more commonly known as medical detox, this process is crucial to successful recovery. When you’re dependent on a substance, your body has to compensate for the constant presence of that substance.
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LabCorp. “Drug Test Summary for Urine Oral Fluid and Hair“>Drug Tes[…]luid and Hair.” Accessed June 25, 2023.
ARUP Laboratories. “Drug Plasma Half-Life and Urine Detection Window“>Drug Pla[…]ection Window.” September 2022. Accessed June 25, 2023.
ARUP Laboratories. “Therapeutic Drug Monitoring“>Therapeu[…]ug Monitoring.” February 2023. Accessed June 25, 2023.
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Drugs.com. “Oxycodone Monograph for Professionals“>Oxycodon[…]Professionals.” April 19, 2023. Accessed June 25, 2023.
The Recovery Village at Palmer Lake aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.
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