Without a doubt, physical pain can occur from time to time. Medicines like Hydrocodone is used to treat such types of pain caused due to surgery, accidents, burns, arthritis, infection, fibromyalgia, etc. Its optimal dosages are administered after a health examination of the patients. A burning question that often arises is how long does hydrocodone stay in your system or the human body. In this blog, we are going to explore that. Now let’s get into it.

How Long Does Hydrocodone Stay In the Human Body?

Firstly, it is crucial to learn about the efficacy of hydrocodone in the human body. Doctors often consider the effectiveness before suggesting medicines, since this factor helps them decide which one to administer and in what case. Hydrocodone may take around an hour to start working.

The half-life of this medication drug is estimated to remain for around 4 hours. This is the time taken by it to hit its peak levels of efficacy. When it comes to determining how long the drug will stay in the human body, there are a few aspects that play their roles. For example, metabolism level and tolerance are two important factors.

The concentrations of this pharmaceutical medicine can be detected through urine, blood plasma, hair, or saliva. After monitoring the amount of hydrocodone in them, it is confirmed that the medicine is working. In different bodily fluids and parts, this medicine remains for different durations. We will now explore them.

In Urine

The presence of hydrocodone may last for around 2 hours to 3 hours in urine. Commonly, a routine opiate panel is used to detect hydrocodone. However, that does not work most of the time. This is because the panel detects metabolites of morphine. To monitor hydrocodone concentrations, the opiate panel needs some expansion.

After the expansion, the panel is able to detect hydrocodone apart from Tramadol, Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Methadone and Buprenorphine. Specialized medical equipment is used for the detection of these semi-synthetic narcotics. The panel test is less invasive in nature when compared to the other tests.

In Saliva

Saliva can also be examined to find out the concentration of hydrocodone. In this oral fluid, hydrocodone may remain for up to 2 to 3 days. Although the saliva test is uncommon, it could be done if the patient is going through certain medical conditions. A benefit of hydrocodone test through saliva is that it can be done anywhere with minimal equipment.

There is no need for specialized equipment for conducting the saliva test. Also, the risk of adulteration is minimized in this oral detection process. In individuals who have developed a tolerance to hydrocodone, it may be difficult to detect the levels of hydrocodone.

In Blood Plasma

Hydrocodone may stay for 3 to 8 hours in blood plasma. This drug mixes well with the blood and passes through the liver, kidneys, and other organs of the human body. A blood plasma test is useful for detecting the concentration of hydrocodone. If a healthcare expert has to examine the history of hydrocodone, plasma tests are more useful than other ones.

Laboratory and specialized equipment are required for the detection of hydrocodone in the bloodstream. Plasma tests are generally more expensive than the other tests. In addition, this test is non-invasive.

In Hair

Of course, hair can also be used to detect the concentrations of hydrocodone. The detection may take approximately 3 weeks or more. When individuals take dosages of hydrocodone, they subtly deposit this drug in their hair. Hydrocodone may stay for up to 90 days. However, for those who dye their hair, the deposition will take even more time.

Hair follicle testing is done to test hydrocodone concentrations. After taking the tests, results may come after two weeks.

Side Effects Of Hydrocodone

Side effects may occur after taking dosages of hydrocodone. Individuals who are taking this medication drug may suffer from constipation, dry throat, itching, rashes, pain while urinating, anxiety, tightness in the chest, nausea, hallucination, and loss of sexual desire. People must not be negligent but discuss these health complications with the concerned doctor.

Conclusion

Generally, Hydrocodone may take more than a day to be detected. In this blog, we have explored where the concentration of this medication drug can be found. Healthcare professionals may choose to go for any of these tests after checking your health conditions. We have also seen the side effects. Eventually, these health complications must be reported.