How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your System?

How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your System? | AToN Center

How Long Does Oxycodone Stay in Your System?

What is Oxycodone?

Oxycodone Hydrochloride (Oxycontin) are opiate medications that are prescribed by a doctor (MD) for treatment of certain health conditions such as moderate to severe pain. Oxycodone opiates can be used to treat short-term and long-term pain in people, and are highly addictive and often abused. Taking something like heroin is a morphine derivative substance that’s exclusively recreational and highly illegal.

When taking oxycodone medications there is a health risk for overdose, detox, dependency and addiction due to the strong effects that oxycodone causes. It’s important for people to understand these risks when taking oxycodone, so that you can take these medications in the safest way. A detox after you stop taking this drug may require a medically monitored detox facility, to ensure the safest outcomes for your health.

Oxycodone Versus Oxycontin

Oxycodone and oxycontin are both prescription drugs that contain the same ingredient, oxycodone. They are different in how they are released in the body. Oxycodone is an immediate-release tablet and oxycontin is an extended-release tablet.

Oxycodone is an immediate-release tablet, so a person can take this medication as necessary every 4–6 hours. With the extended-release delivery system, the oxycodone in oxycontin provides continuous delivery over 12 hours. So, people take Oxycontin twice daily.

Typically, doctors will prescribe oxycontin for those with severe pain that require treatment for 24-hours. Others with mild to moderate pain can take oxycodone in an immediate-release form. Oxycontin can also be prescribed to adults and opioid-tolerant children who are aged 11 years and older that are tolerant of the drug.

How Long Does the Oxycodone Drug Stay in Your System?

Many people wonder, “How long does Oxycodone stay in your system?” and this is a good question to ask. The amount of time that oxycodone will stay in your system depends on many factors including the dosage, the individual’s metabolism, their body size, their age, how it is taken, if they are taking other medications, and the type of test that is being used.

Most people take oxycodone every 6 to 12 hours depending on what version of oxycodone they take. Most people taking oxycodone do not feel the effects of the substance from the previous dose once it is time to take the next dose. Despite this, the substance can last in your system for a longer period of time.

Factors that Influence the Timeline that Oxycodone will Stay in Your System

Many factors can change how long oxycodone will be in your blood, urine, hair, etc. The amount of time it will stay in your system is determined by things such as your age, weight, and health. Below are the major influencers for how long oxycodone will stay in your system:

Age and Organ Function

When taking most opioids it may come with a warning to those that have liver problems, noting it may not be medically safe for them to take it. If liver health problems are present, it may take longer for oxycodone to be excreted from your body.

Generally, younger individuals will have higher metabolic rates which can change the rate in which oxycodone is released from your body. Older people usually eliminate a drug at a slower rate from their body than those that are younger, but all of this depends on the health of the individual, the type of drug they are taking, and the dosage.

Oxycodone and Weight

The weight of your body will be a factor in determining how long oxycodone will stay in your system. Someone who weighs less will have oxycodone in their system for a shorter period of time than someone who is overweight. Obese people tend to have a slower metabolic rate than those who weigh less, causing them to process drugs in their system at a slower rate.

How Long Does it Take to Leave Your System?

So, how long does it take for oxycodone to leave your system? Drug testing will vary depending on the different types of drug test, time the test is taken, and how oxycodone will release from the body. The testing method that is used with oxycodone is important, as it stays in your body and remains in your urine, blood, saliva and breast milk long after the effects wear off.

Several factors can affect how long the drug remains in your body and will stay in your system, like liver function, weight and metabolism. These factors contribute to the length of time that oxycodone is detectable and will last by drug tests. A general rule of thumb for the timeline that oxycodone will stay in your system is:

  • Urine test: 3-4 days
  • Hair test: 90 days
  • Blood test: 24 hours
  • Saliva: 4 days


The most sensitive testing for oxycodone is in the hair. This is due to the fact that oxycodone can contaminate the hair even if an individual does not take it.

Oxycodone can stay in your system and stay on the ends of a person’s hair months or years after you stop taking it. Also, a test of the root of the hair can detect oxycodone for weeks or months.


Oxycodone has a half-life of 4.5-6.5 hours, depending on the type of drug dosage. The half-life is the amount of time that it takes for half the dose to leave your system.

Usually within 24 hours, the blood concentration of the drug is very low or nonexistent. People will typically have a negative test within a day or two of their last dose.


The amount of time that oxycodone stays in your body and your system will vary from person to person, and the same goes with how much an infant will be exposed to the drug. A lot of this depends on what type of milk is being retrieved.

For example, if the baby is just born and only drinks colostrum from the breast milk mammary glands, they will get less oxycodone than that of an infant that is breastfeeding many times per day.


The average amount of time that oxycodone will remain in your urine is approximately 2-4 days after taking it. One study that was done in 2013 determined that the average duration of time that it stays in urine is around 30 hours after a single dose.

However, the actual detection window varies due to several factors, including:

  • Dosage: Smaller doses will be removed from the body at a quicker pace. The body can generally metabolize a single dose faster than it can metabolize many doses.
  • Hydration: Intaking lots of water may help to dilute the urine and shorten the window of detection.
  • Metabolism: Metabolism can determine how fast a drug is eliminated from someone’s body.

Addiction to Oxycodone

When taking oxycodone it causes a release of dopamine into the brain that causes a euphoric “high” feeling. Because of this release and symptoms, many people begin to develop a dependence. Many will ask for additional oxycodone prescriptions once their prescription expires, and state that it is for pain management, but often it is to curb their dependence.

Misusing oxycodone, a generic opioid prescription pain reliever, can quickly lead to addiction.

Oxycodone addiction can cause a host of physical, psychological, and behavioral signs and symptoms to occur that include constipation, dry mouth, itching, abnormal thoughts, becoming secretive about whereabouts, driving under the influence, and many others.


There are physical, psychological, and behavioral signs and symptoms of oxycodone addiction. They include:

  • An interference of home life, work, school, or recreational activities from the use of oxycodone
  • Using oxycodone too often or in too high a dose, even without the intent of misuse
  • An inability to stop using oxycodone even though the individual knows it’s causing problems
  • An inability to cut back or stop using oxycodone
  • Spending a large amount of time acquiring oxycodone, using it, and recovering from it
  • Craving oxycodone

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms and are looking for help to stop taking oxycodone, please contact one of our addiction health specialists. Our admissions team is happy to help you get more info on how to achieve recovery from your oxycodone abuse.

Getting Help for Your Addiction at AToN Center

AToN Center is a drug and alcohol addiction treatment rehab center that is located in the beautiful hills of San Diego, California. Our recovery program addresses the underlying reasons behind a substance abuse problem, and allows our clients to move into a full recovery.

Our entire team of addiction specialists look out for the health and well-being of all of our clients during your stay at our facility. They dedicate hours and hours to ensure that each of our clients are comfortable, safe and that you remain in good health during the time of your recovery.

Our treatment consists of drug detox, behavioral health strategies, counseling and holistic health methods to treat your substance abuse. No matter what type of treatment you are looking for, you will find the right method for your situation at our center.

If you are looking for help for an addiction to oxycodone, please contact the admissions staff at AToN Center right away. Our admissions team will walk you through the entire process and help determine the right fit for your treatment.

In Network With

Blue Card HMO, EPO & PPO accepted
