Oxycodone is a drug belonging to medicines known as narcotic analgesics, and it is used to ease moderate to severe form of acute or chronic pain. The medicine may be used in patients suffering from pain associated with cancer or some other forms of chronic pain. The controlled-release tablets of this medicine may be taken every 12 hours. In case you are taking this medicine you may be wondering, how long does oxycodone stay in your system.
Determining exactly the duration it takes for oxycodone to clear out of body may not be easy because there are many variables to be considered such as the body mass, individual’s metabolism, age, physical activity, hydration level, and health conditions. It therefore, makes is quite impossible to exactly determine the exact time traces of the drug remain in body.
Factors that influence the duration oxycodone stays in body
What patients need to know is that the duration of drug testing time for this medicine may not exactly suggest the time it remains active in body. The duration oxycodone stays in body will depend on how long various tests continue to show its presence in blood, urine, saliva, hair follicles, or sweat.
The amount of time the drug stays in body is that duration it continues to show positive results from the various tests. The various tests conducted may indicate the duration to be from hours to months. Different drug tests have varying drug sensitivity levels.
When more sensitive drug tests are used, they can pick up the drug detection for extended period. For example, urine tests tend to be more sensitive in testing presence of drugs than blood tests. In addition to that, saliva tests also show higher sensitivity than blood tests.
The dosage of oxycodone may also influence the drug detection. The time for drug detection tends to be longer in individuals after having heavy dosage. When a drug is taken more frequently, it may take longer to clear it from the body. For example, patients who take 5 to 15 mg of this medicine in every 4 to 6 hours may show an extended detection time compared to those who take 10 mg only once or twice a day. Abusers of this drug may not be able to pass the drug tests for a longer time.
Metabolism rate of an individual will influence the length of time the drug stays in body hence, the time it is detectable. People who have higher metabolic rates will tend to show shorter lengths of stay of the medicine in body. For instance, elderly people have lower metabolic rate meaning that the drug may not leave the body quickly and will stay for extended period.
The duration of use is also another factor to consider. Having prolonged use of oxycodone means that it will take more time to clear out of the system. When you have a shorter course of the drug, it means that it will stay in body for a shorter period.
The various oxycodone tests and the length of stay of the drug in body
There are various tests, which may be used to detect oxycodone in body. These tests will function for different durations and while some may only work for a short time, others can detect the drug for a longer time. Even when there are detectable traces of oxycodone, some tests won’t show it.
Blood tests may be used to detect this drug. When the drug is taken, it does not circulate in bloodstream for a longer period. A blood test may not be able to detect oxycodone after a period of 24 hours. Therefore, the test may indicate nil when there is oxycodone in the body— it’s only that the drug is in other parts of body and not in blood.
However, for chronic users of this drug, it may be detected in blood for a period of 3 to 5 days. When urine test is used, it may show positive results of presence of oxycodone for about 3 to 4 days. People who take the drug daily and in high doses may show its presence in urine for somewhere between 6 days to about 2 weeks from the time of the last dose.
Saliva test is another test used to indicate oxycodone in body system. The drug may remain in saliva for quite some time. Saliva test can show positive results for up to 4 days after you have had the last dose.
In hair follicle test, it is regarded as the most sensitive and often the lengthiest in showing results of the drug in body system. Using hair follicle test, a doctor may find out if you have taken oxycodone in last 3 months. The test can detect this drug for up to 90 days.
Where patients take extended release formulations of the drug, it even makes it stay longer in body. This is because the drug is being slowly released in the body. The drug will take longer to clear it off the system.
Withdrawal symptoms of oxycodone
Although oxycodone can be an effective painkiller, it on the other hand, may be associated with addiction. When not used properly, the drug may start bringing heroin-like high feelings. This is why it may be classified as an opiate.
Oxycodone is mainly eliminated from body through kidneys or urine, but it may also come out through sweat to a lesser extent. Doctors usually begin the prescription of oxycodone at a lower dose and increase the dosage with time if a patient is not getting relieve of pain with the low dose. The main reason why doctors start with low doses is to reduce the chances of developing addiction. It helps reduce addictive qualities of oxycodone.
The body may at times adjust to the medicine after a long period usage meaning that a patient develops oxycodone tolerance. Even if a patient uses a certain dose, it only takes a short time and they begin to have pain. This implies that a patient may have to take the doses frequently or use higher dosages.
Withdrawal symptoms may occur when addiction has developed in a patient from use of oxycodone. An abrupt interruption or stop in taking oxycodone may lead to withdraw symptoms. These symptoms include water eyes, restlessness, sneezing, runny nose, sweating, and yawning.
Oxycodone may be abused when the pill is crushed when taking it. It may also be abused when a patient snorts or injects the powder in body. Taking larger doses or using the drug more often amounts to abuse. The withdrawal symptoms of this drug tend to occur about 6 hours following the last dose. The symptoms can last up to a week and can be uncomfortable to bear.
In order to counter the withdrawal symptoms, you may want to seek help of a doctor to gradually reduce your dose as you near completion of the prescriptions so that the body starts to cope with the reduced use of oxycodone. Addiction may occur without knowing especially if a patient begins to take excess of the medicine without the approval of a doctor. A gradual reduction in taking oxycodone helps the body reduce its dependence on the drug.
