How Long Does Heroin Stay In Your Body? - Cirque Lodge

Heroin stays detectable in the body for up to 60 hours in urine, 2 days in blood, 5 hours in saliva, and up to 90 days in hair after use. Detection time varies based on the test method, frequency of use, and individual metabolism.

Drug Testing Detection Time for Heroin

The rate at which heroin leaves the system depends on how quickly the body metabolizes it. While heroin itself disappears quickly, its metabolites—particularly 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM)—are what tests typically detect.

Here are the approximate detection windows for heroin across common drug testing methods:

Test Type	Detection Time	Details
Urine Tests	Up to 60 hours after the last dose	Most common method; detects heroin metabolites like 6-AM.
Blood Tests	Up to 2 days	6-AM is detectable in the bloodstream but only for a short duration.
Saliva Tests	Up to 1 hour (injected) or 5 hours (smoked)	Rapid metabolism limits detection time in saliva.
Hair Follicle Tests	Up to 90 days (single use) or 6 months(heavy use)	Detects long-term heroin use due to drug traces stored in hair.

Factors That Affect Heroin Detection Time

The time heroin remains detectable in the body can vary based on:

• Metabolism rate: Faster metabolism eliminates heroin more quickly.
• Frequency of use: Heavy or repeated use leads to longer detection times.
• Body composition: Weight, hydration, and overall health affect drug metabolism.
• Method of use: Injecting, snorting, or smoking heroin can influence how quickly it is absorbed and metabolized.

Heroin’s rapid breakdown and short half-life make it harder to detect in saliva and blood, but its metabolites remain identifiable in urine and hair for longer periods. Hair follicle testing is the most effective for detecting long-term heroin use, while urine tests are the most widely used for recent detection.

Jump To section How Does Heroin Metabolism Work? How Long Does Heroin Last? How Do Methods of Heroin Use Affect Its Impact? What Happens After Heroin Leaves the Body? Detox with Cirque Lodge

How Does Heroin Metabolism Work?

Heroin has a short half-life of only a few minutes, yet its effects can last for hours due to how the body metabolizes it. Unlike many drugs that require liver metabolism first, heroin largely bypasses the liver and enters the bloodstream quickly, allowing it to rapidly cross into the brain.

Once inside the brain, heroin breaks down into morphine and 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM), which are the compounds responsible for its intense effects. These metabolites interact with the brain’s opioid receptors, producing the drug’s euphoric high and pain-relieving properties.

This fast and direct absorption, combined with its short half-life, explains why heroin’s effects are felt almost immediately but linger for hours after use.

How Long Does Heroin Last?

Once heroin enters the body, it races to the brain’s opioid receptors, and your body begins to break down the heroin to restore homeostasis.

The exact rate at which heroin and its subsequent components are metabolized is different for every user.

The amount of time heroin will stay in the body is dependent on:

• Overall bodyweight
• Body fat content
• Age
• Sex
• Dosage volume
• Hydration
• Quality and purity of the dose
• Liver and kidney health

On average, heroin has a half-life of two to eight minutes, meaning that it has broken down to 50% of its initial volume in that period. It takes between four and five half-lives – somewhere between eight and forty-eight minutes – for heroin to be eliminated entirely from the system.

When it breaks down, this semisynthetic opioid becomes metabolized into morphine and 6-acetyl morphine (6-AM). Morphine has a longer half-life of the two, lasting up to seven hours. Once morphine breaks down, the high subsides, but the compounds it turns into are detectable in urine tests for days.

How Do Methods of Heroin Use Affect Its Impact?

The method of heroin use determines how quickly the drug reaches the brain’s opioid receptors but does not alter the rate of metabolism.

• Injection: Heroin has an average half-life of 3 minutes when injected, delivering an almost immediate “rush” as it reaches the brain before significant metabolization into morphine occurs.
• Snorting or Smoking: Heroin takes longer to reach peak blood concentration—about 5 minutes—by which point much of the initial dose has already been converted into morphine.

Intravenous users often chase the intense initial rush by taking repeated doses. This behavior increases the risk of overdose, as the previous dose may still be present in the body while new doses are added.

What Happens After Heroin Leaves the Body?

Once heroin leaves the body, withdrawal symptoms begin as the system crashes out of balance. This process marks the first step toward recovery but also one of the most challenging stages.

Withdrawal symptoms usually start within 12 hours of the last use, peaking rapidly over the first 3 days. While most symptoms ease within 1 to 2 weeks, some individuals may experience lingering effects for over a month.

The severity of withdrawal varies but can be physically and emotionally excruciating, especially for heavy or long-term users. Even moderate symptoms can disrupt focus and make it difficult to remain committed to sobriety as the body reacts to the absence of heroin. Seeking professional medical support during this time is crucial for safely managing withdrawal and staying on the path to recovery.

Detox with Cirque Lodge

If you are planning on stopping heroin use, Cirque Lodge can help.

Medical assistance can be the difference between success and relapse. Our heroin addiction treatment options can ease withdrawal and help pave the way to long-term sobriety.

We offer medically assisted detox for clients suffering from heroin addiction, as well as an extensive therapeutic treatment programme and follow-up support to help you treat your condition at its core.

Recovery is Just a Phone Call Away

(800) 582-0709