How Long Does Heroin Stay in Your System?

Because of its addictive quality, endangering nature, and the fact that it has no approved medical use, heroin is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in the U.S.

Heroin is not only highly addictive, but also life-threatening.

If you or someone you love is using heroin, we can help. Contact the best rated non 12 step rehab program and to speak confidentially with one of Honey Lake Clinic’s recovery professionals, right now.

How Long Does Heroin Stay in Your Blood Stream?

Heroin’s effects last longer than the effects of drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, but it has a particularly short half-life of only 30 minutes. This means that if a user takes a single dose of heroin, it will take an average of 30 minutes for half of the drug in their system to be flushed out.

The rate at which heroin exits the body affects how long it is detectable in various drug tests. The drug tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for heroin are those for the blood, saliva, urine, and hair follicle.

Typically, heroin is detectable in blood for up to 6 hours; saliva up to 24 hours; urine up to 3 days, and human hair follicles up to 90 days. The actual time for each of these can vary based upon several factors, including:

• Height and weight
• Age
• Genetics
• Body fat content
• The amount taken
• The quality of the drug
• Metabolism rate
• Health of the liver and kidneys
• Hydration

Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs in the world. Heroin use has been on the rise in recent years, and its use is spreading from being concentrated primarily in poor, urban areas to more suburban and affluent neighborhoods.

The addictive pull of heroin can be very strong, but there are many treatment options, including medication, rehabilitation, and addiction therapy.

With proper treatment, you can be free of heroin’s grip.

Get Help

There’s an old courtroom adage: The lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. The same could be said of a heroin addict who decides to tackle his or her addiction on their own.

Where heroin is concerned, withdrawal can be an excruciating process.

Having medical and mental health professionals assist and oversee your detoxification can be the difference between success and failure.

It is important to realize withdrawal can be very dangerous without proper supervision. If you or someone you love has developed a heroin addiction, we can help. Speak confidentially with someone who understands, right now. Make the call.

How Long Does It Take to Detox from Heroin?

Medical detox often starts before heroin completely leaves your system and usually takes between 5 and 7 days. For someone who is more heavily dependent on heroin, detox may last longer, perhaps up to 10 days.

Monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and temperature levels ensure patients remain safe throughout the process.

Short-Term Effects of Withdrawal from Heroin

Withdrawal symptoms can begin as soon as a few hours after the last dose of heroin taken. The short-term effects of heroin withdrawal may range from mild to moderate to severe and are different for each person.

Short-term physical and psychological symptoms of heroin withdrawal may include:

• A runny nose
• Dehydration
• Excessive secretion of tears
• Restlessness
• Insomnia
• Uncontrollable yawning
• Excessive sweating
• Muscle aches and spasms

Psychological Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms may include:

• Aggression
• Irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Mood swings
• Difficulty feeling pleasure
• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Restlessness

Long-Term Effects of Heroin Withdrawal

After the initial symptoms subside, more intense and longer-lasting symptoms start to manifest. How long does Heroin stay in your system varies from person to person, as everyone’s recovery journey is different.

These mental and physical effects may include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• High blood pressure
• Paranoia
• Hyperactivity
• Drug cravings
• Relapse

While this is the most difficult phase of withdrawal, symptoms subside over time as the body adjusts back to life without heroin.

As the effects of heroin withdrawal are both physical and psychological, it is important that your detox be medically supervised to keep you safe. At Honey Lake Clinic, our licensed and experienced medical and recovery professionals will walk with you every step of the way. Let us help you discover life after addiction.

Let Us Help You Find Treatment Options

If you’re ready to leave heroin addiction behind for good, let us help! Don’t let heroin addiction ruin (or take) your life.

At Honey Lake Clinic, our experienced staff is standing by to answer any questions you might have about drug abuse, addiction, or treatment.

It’s important to recognize, abuse and addiction don’t happen in a vacuum.

The path to recovery and wholeness involves getting to the root the problem. To get at underlying hurt and bring lasting healing takes a holistic—spirit, mind and body—approach to addiction diagnosis, management and treatment.

At Honey Lake Clinic, our experienced doctors and staff strongly believe that faith-based treatment, encompassing spiritual, physical and mental health, will help clients and their families bring spiritual power and clearer psychological understanding to their healing and recovery.