How Long Does Opana (Oxymorphone) Stay in Your System?

Oxymorphone is a strong, prescription generic opioid. This semi-synthetic opioid was first developed in 1914, and it can be administered by injection rectally, and it can also be taken as an oral tablet. There are both immediate- and extended-release oxymorphone tablets available. Oxymorphone indications include the relief of pain that’s moderate to severe. It can also be used to alleviate anxiety before surgery. Side effects of oxymorphone can include constipation, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and dizziness. Overdose because of respiratory depression is possible with oxymorphone as well as other opioids.

Oxymorphone is a Schedule II controlled substance. Schedule II controlled substances are viewed as having legitimate medical uses and applications in the U.S. At the same time, these substances are also classified by the DEA as having a high potential for misuse. This misuse can lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. Most opioids are Schedule II. When a substance is listed as Schedule II, there are strict guidelines surrounding not only how it’s prescribed, but also how it can be used and dispensed.

Oxymorphone is a drug of significant concern as the opioid epidemic continues to destroy communities and families in the U.S. Oxymorphone was at one point available in something called Opana ER. Opana ER was an extended-release version of oxymorphone. With extended-release opioids, they’re often misused by breaking the tablets and then snorting them or dissolving them and injecting them. This disruption of the tablets allows people to get high more quickly, and the high is more powerful because the full potency of the extended-release drug takes effect all at once. In the summer of 2017, the FDA asked Endo Pharmaceuticals to remove Opana ER from the market, which the manufacturer did. Currently, in the U.S., there are only generic versions of oxymorphone available. Other brand names of oxymorphone that have been available include Numorphan and Numorphone.

Since oxymorphone is an opioid, it affects the brain and body in the same way as other prescription narcotics and heroin. Oxymorphone binds to opioid receptors. These receptors are found throughout the spinal cord, central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. When oxymorphone activates opioid receptors, it changes how pain signals are sent from the body to the brain. What also happens is a slowdown of the central nervous system. This slowdown can cause symptoms such as slower breathing and heart rate, drowsiness and dizziness. Since there are opioid receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, people may experience constipation and other similar GI-related symptoms. Oxymorphone can cause feelings of euphoria in patients. When that happens and dopamine is released into the brain and body at high levels, addiction can develop.

The half-life of oxymorphone can range from nine to 11 hours. Half a dose of oxymorphone would no longer be active within that window of time for the average patient, and half the dose would still be active. It usually takes five half-lives for a full dose of a drug to be eliminated from the system of a patient. This means on average it could take around 45 to 55 hours for someone’s system to fully excrete a dose of oxymorphone. Because of the risk of overdose and the potentially deadly interactions between oxymorphone and other central nervous system depressants, it is important to know the half-life of this drug and how long it would take to leave your system.

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Average half-life estimates are available, but specific factors can influence how long oxymorphone stays in the system of a patient as well. Some of the factors that influence how long oxymorphone stays in your system include:

• Age: Younger people will often excrete a dose of oxymorphone more quickly than older people if all other factors are the same.
• Metabolism: People with faster metabolisms will usually have faster drug elimination times.
• Health: People in good health with optimal functionality of the kidneys and liver will excrete drugs more quickly than someone with health issues.
• How long oxymorphone has been used: Oxymorphone and other opioids can accumulate in the system of the patient, so if someone has been taking it for a long time, it may take longer for a dose to be excreted.
• Hydration: Most drugs are eliminated via urine, so a well-hydrated person will probably eliminate drugs from their system faster than someone who isn’t.

Other factors that influence how long oxymorphone stays in your system can include body weight, height and body fat percentage, and whether or not any other substances were used simultaneously. Urinary pH and physical activity can be relevant and can either speed-up or slow down how long oxymorphone stays in your system.

If someone were to be drug tested, oxymorphone might show up in a screening. In a urine test, which is the most frequent kind of drug screening, the use of oxymorphone might show up for two to four days after it’s used. It may take as long as five days for all of the metabolites of oxymorphone to leave the system and not show up in a urine test. Oxymorphone might show up in a hair test for up to 90 days after it was used and for around 24 hours in a blood test.