A commonly prescribed opioid pain medicine, hydrocodone, can help with managing pain that ranges from moderate to severe. Hydrocodone is found in brand-name medicines like Vicodin and Norco, working by altering how both your brain and body respond to pain.
While it’s effective for pain relief, there’s a risk of dependence and misuse, especially when it’s used over an extended period, which is true with other opioids as well.
Understanding how long hydrocodone stays in your system is important for a few key reasons. Whether you’re getting ready for a drug test, detoxing from the drug, or simply trying to manage your prescription, knowing the detection timeline can help you make informed decisions.
Various factors, such as age, dosage, metabolism and how frequently you use hydrocodone, influence how long the drug stays in your body and how long it can be detected in tests like urine, blood, saliva or hair.
How Hydrocodone Works in the Body
When you take hydrocodone, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream through your digestive system. From there, it makes its way to the brain, where it binds to opioid receptors, blocking pain signals and creating a sense of relief.
As hydrocodone moves through your body, it’s primarily metabolized by the liver, where it’s broken down into several metabolites. One of those is hydromorphone, which contributes to the pain-relieving effects of the drug.
Once metabolized, hydrocodone and its byproducts are gradually eliminated from the body through urine. The length of time hydrocodone stays in your system can vary depending on factors like:
- Metabolism: Those with faster metabolic rates process and eliminate hydrocodone faster than those with slower metabolisms.
- Dosage: Higher doses take longer for the body to process and eliminate, which extends the detection window.
- Frequency of use: If you have a history of long-term or chronic hydrocodone use, it may take longer to clear it from your system because it builds up in the body’s tissues.
- Other factors: Age, body mass, hydration levels and liver function can also affect how long hydrocodone stays in the system.
We’ll talk in more detail about these factors below.
Hydrocodone Detection Times by Test Type
When it comes to detecting hydrocodone in your system, the type of drug test used plays a role in how long the substance is traceable. Here’s a breakdown of average detection times by the most common test types:
Urine Test
Urine tests are the most regularly used method to detect hydrocodone.
Typically, it’s detectable in urine for 2 to 4 days after the last dose, but this window can vary depending on factors like metabolism, dosage and frequency of use.
Urine tests are noninvasive and relatively inexpensive, so they’re widely used for employment screenings, medical monitoring and legal purposes.
Blood Test
Hydrocodone can be detectable in blood for a much shorter period compared to urine tests. On average, hydrocodone can be traced in the bloodstream for up to 24 hours after the last dose.
Blood tests tend to be used in emergencies, like determining if someone is currently under the influence of the drug. Still, they’re less common for routine testing because of the narrow window of detection and the invasiveness.
Saliva Test
Saliva tests are a noninvasive drug detection option, and hydrocodone is usually detectable 12 to 36 hours after the last dose. This method is sometimes used in roadside testing or by employers for fast screening.
While saliva testing is less common than urine, it can provide a reliable measure of recent use.
Hair Test
Hair tests provide the longest detection window for hydrocodone, as they can detect the drug’s presence for up to 90 days after use.
When hydrocodone is metabolized, trace amounts are deposited in the hair follicles, remaining as the hair grows.
Although hair tests aren’t used as commonly, they’re effective in identifying long-term or chronic drug use over an extended period. It’s important to note that hair tests don’t reflect recent use within the last few days.
Factors That Impact How Long Hydrocodone Stays in Your System
This was briefly touched on above, but there are individual variables that can cause hydrocodone to clear faster or stay in the body for longer periods.
Metabolism
One of the biggest factors that influence how long hydrocodone stays in your system is your metabolic rate.
Individuals with a fast metabolism process eliminate hydrocodone more quickly, whereas those with a slower metabolism may find the drug stays in their system longer.
Metabolic rate is influenced by genetics, diet and overall health, all of which can affect hydrocodone’s clearance.
Age
As we age, our body’s ability to metabolize and eliminate drugs tends to slow down. Older people often have reduced liver and kidney function, resulting in longer periods for hydrocodone to be processed and eliminated from the body.
This means older adults may retain hydrocodone in their system for longer compared to younger people.
Body Mass
Your body composition also affects how long hydrocodone remains in your system.
Those with higher body fat percentages may store hydrocodone for longer since the drug can get trapped in fatty tissues.
Those with more muscle mass are likely to metabolize and eliminate the drug faster since muscle tissue has a higher metabolic activity than fat tissue.
Hydration and Activity Levels
Staying well-hydrated and physically active helps the body eliminate hydrocodone faster.
Proper hydration supports the function of the kidneys, helping flush the drug out of the body through urine.
Physical activity can increase your metabolism, speeding up drug elimination. In contrast, dehydration or a sedentary lifestyle may slow the body’s ability to clear it.
Dosage and Use Frequency
The frequency of hydrocodone use plays a major role in how long the drug stays in your system. Higher doses take longer to metabolize and eliminate, lengthening the detection window.
Additionally, regular or chronic hydrocodone users have more of the drug and its metabolites that build up in their system, making it detectable for longer.
In contrast, occasional or low-dose users are likely to clear the drug faster.
Understanding the Half-Life of Hydrocodone
The half-life of a drug is how long it takes for half the drug to be eliminated from the body. This concept is crucial to understanding how long hydrocodone remains in one’s system, as the half-life helps determine the drug’s metabolism and clearance.
For hydrocodone, the average half-life is around 3.8 hours. This means that in roughly 3.8 hours, half the dose you take will be metabolized and eliminated from your body. However, it typically takes several half-life cycles for a drug to be completely cleared.
Based on this half-life, hydrocodone can usually be fully eliminated within 20 to 24 hours, although it may stay detectable for longer depending on individual factors.
If hydrocodone is taken in multiple doses over time, it can accumulate in the body. With every additional dose, the total amount of the drug in the system increases, extending the time it takes the body to eliminate it all.
Detoxing From Hydrocodone
Detoxing from hydrocodone may be needed if you’ve developed a dependency or you’re preparing to stop using the drug.
The detox process can take anywhere from a few days to a week, with common symptoms including anxiety, sweating, nausea and muscle aches.
Since withdrawal can be uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous, it’s important to get medical advice or professional help when detoxing from hydrocodone to make sure it’s a safe, effective process.
Help for Hydrocodone Addiction
Hydrocodone stays in your system for different lengths of time depending on the type of test and individual factors. Understanding how long it stays in your system can be important if you’re preparing for a drug test or trying to stop using the drug.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with hydrocodone addiction, Alamo Behavioral Health is here to provide needed support and treatment to help begin recovery.
References:
- National Institute of Health (NIH): Hydrocodone
- The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics: Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and Morphine Metabolism and Drug–Drug Interactions
- Oxford Academic: Relationship between the Concentration of Hydrocodone and its Conversion to Hydromorphone in Chronic Pain Patients Using Urinary Excretion Data