How Long Does Vicodin Stay In Your System? Factors And Detection Window Explained

Pain is an unpleasant sensory experience for everyone, not only old age people, but also young adults come under the boundary. Most people choose powerful medication from a pharmacy that helps them regain a quality of life without pain. But the experts who know about short-term pain medications deeply, they definitely prescribed Vicodin as a pain reliever in your prescriptions. If you have been using it for a long time, have you ever experienced the truth about Vicodin? No doubt, Vicodin is an effective medication, but did you know that during the withdrawal period, how long does Vicodin stay in your system?”

If not, this article helps you to know how much time Vicodin takes to clear from your body and which part of your body holds it for longer.

What Is Vicodin and How Does It Work in the Body?

Vicodin is a prescription combination medication that is used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is generally called hydrocodone/acetaminophen due to its two characteristic compositions, containing opioid and non opioid. Vicodin is classified as a Schedule II substance that produces severe side effects, potential for addiction, and physical dependence. It works by blocking the pain signal to the brain, which reduces the pain and produces calming effects.

This prescription painkiller is combined with Hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen, that formulate the amount 5,7.5 or 10 mg of hydrocodone with 325 mg of acetaminophen. Vicodin is addictive, composition of Vicodin leads to addiction that can only be cured through prescription drug addiction treatments. Vicodin is used for short-term pain relief; overdose or abnormal use may lead to serious health issues and life-threatening consequences.

Duration of Effects On Half-life

How we consider half life of a medication is related to “how long does a Vicodin stay in your system”. The consideration takes control when the onset of action of Vicodin takes 10 to 20 minutes to activate the opioid components. The half-life period of Vicodin is 3.8 to 4 hours; during this period, Vicodin drops up to 50 percent of its effectiveness. The rest of the less effective Vicodin works slowly compared to the first half-life. Healthcare experts found that Vicodin takes up to 4 to 5 half-lives ( approx 16 to 20 hours) to fully clear from the body.

Detection Windows by Test Type For Vicodin

Vicodin has a short half-life, it leaving the system quickly within a few hours due to its short-term effectiveness. Vicodin takes a maximum of 24 hours to be removed from the body fully. But Vicodin is seen in different parts of the body, including blood, saliva, urine, and hair, during drug tests, even after 24 hours.

Most of the people searching for “How long does Vicodin stay in your urine?”, “How long does Vicodin stay in your blood?” Here are some core details of Frequently asked questions, related to which part of the body keeps Vicodin for how long?

How Long Does Vicodin Stay In Your System Urine?

Vicodin is detected in human urine up to 3 to 4 days after the last dose. This drug detection process is simple and common. It is difficult to find the exact drug that is present in the urine. It shows the value, positive or negative, positive indicates the drug is present, while negative indicates the drug is absent. This test is required once a week for heavy and chronic users.

How Long Does Vicodin Stay In Your Blood System?

The blood test is more accurate than other tests to detect Vicodin. Blood test is considered a short detection window due to its lasting effects. Hydrocodone in Vicodin is frequently found if you test between 12 hours after taking the drug. Then the presence of Vicodin is gradually reduced to null when you check after 36 hours. The test counts as valid and positive when you test within 2 to 3 half-lives.

How Long Does Vicodin Stay In Your Saliva?

Vicodin is detected in saliva samples anywhere within 20 minutes, and it remains in saliva up to 36 hours from last use. It is found to be an uncommon test compared to the above two tests; this method is considered for drug detection.

How Long Does Vicodin Stay in Your Hair?

An advanced drug detection method through hair that is used only in a laboratory. Hair follicle tests are highly accurate and difficult to alter with washing. This process has a broader detection window of up to 90 days. But the test is less accurate than other techniques.

How Long Does Vicodin Stay in Your Sweat?

Sweat patch is a new technique to detect Vicodin present in the body or not. This clinically tested method, the process soaks sweat from the body, which absorbs the drug particle. Then it is tested between drug detection windows, between 5-7 days, to find whether Vicodin is present or not.

Factors That Influence How Long Vicodin Stays in Your System

Different factors keep Vicodin in the system for a long time. Some methods can detect the presence of Vicodin in the body, but they can not determine the reason behind a drug that stays in the system for a while. Different factors are structured for an individual based on health conditions, drugs, opioid use, and metabolism. The factors include

• Doses
• Age
• History of opioid use
• General health
• Liver and Kidney function
• Body fat
• Metabolism
• Alcohol consumption
• Other substance

Due to misuse and serious side effects, Vicodin or other opioid medication always be taken under the strict supervision of an expert. The side effects, such as cravings, mood swings, irritability, tremor, insomnia, and fatigue, are common. But inflammation, scarring, and liver damage can occur when you are addicted to or taking large amounts of acetaminophen.

Cure is more important than suffering. No worry, if you or someone you love is addicted to Vicodin or other opioids, it may be a beginner or an experienced user. Take a quick visit to the licensed centers that offer opioid addiction treatments and connect with other treatment centers to provide group and individual therapy.

Conclusion

Vicodin is one of the best chronic pain medications in medical settings. The pharmacy availability of this medication is high, similar to other opioids like Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, etc. But using it without knowing how long Vicodin stays in our bodies can lead to drug interactions that carry severe side effects and life-threatening consequences.