How Long Can Heroin Be Detected In Urine?

Heroin (also known as diacetylmorphine) is a synthetic opioid that can be very hard to detect in most bodily fluids.

In a urine drug test, for example, heroin is only detectable for about 2 days. However, heroin detection times can vary.

Read on to learn more about the process of detecting this drug in a urine sample, which is one of the most common forms of standard drug testing.

What Factors Affect How Long Heroin Stays In Urine?

The amount of time for half the amount of a drug to leave your system is called its half-life. For heroin, the half-life can be as short as a few minutes or up to half an hour.

This is why heroin may be difficult to detect: by the time the test is being administered, it may have already left the person’s system.

However, everyone reacts to substances such as these differently, depending on a variety of factors that can affect your metabolism.

The process of your body excreting heroin can be influenced by:

• height and weight
• age and gender
• fluid intake and diet
• genetic factors
• concentrations of this and other drugs in your system
• the amount and purity of the drug taken

Why Would I Need A Urine Test For Heroin?

Heroin is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Schedule I drug, meaning that it does not have any accepted medical use and has a high risk of substance use.

Drug testing is done for a wide variety of reasons. With urine sample testing being the most common, it can be an aspect of gaining or keeping employment, or part of court proceedings.

Urine tests are also commonly requested by doctors and other medical professionals as part of routine healthcare visits.

Alternatively, testing can be done at the request of a loved one. Home drug test kits for heroin are available for this purpose, but lab results tend to have much more accuracy.

Are False Positives Possible For Heroin Urine Tests?

On rare occasions, the consumption of large amounts of poppy seeds before drug testing may result in a false-positive result for heroin use.

This is because natural morphine is derived from the poppy plant, and it is chemically similar to the synthetic version found in heroin.

Heroin Addiction Services At Spring Hill Recovery Center

Substance use disorder takes on many forms. At Spring Hill Recovery Center, we offer heroin addiction treatment at multiple levels of care to meet your recovery needs.

You are not alone. Call us today to learn about your treatment options, and see if our heroin program is what you need to start your sobriety journey.