Morphine is widely used around the world – it is prescribed by doctors to help patients who experience significant pain as a result of a severe injury or chronic illness. Despite that, this short-term pain relief may develop into morphine addiction which is extremely dangerous for anyone’s health and life.
How long is morphine in your system? How do clinical professionals detect its presence? And what happens if morphine is administered all the time? Let us explore morphine metabolism in further detail and learn more about the adverse effects of this opioid.
How Long Morphine Stays in Your System
The human body needs around three days to get rid of all traces of morphine. After seventy-two hours, most testing methods cannot detect the presence of this opioid. Moreover, the half-life of morphine is very short – only two or three hours can go by, and the elimination is already halfway done.
Overview of Morphine and Its Uses
Morphine is a widespread prescription drug – doctors administer it all the time to relieve the pain their patients cannot manage on their own since it triggers the release of dopamine in the person’s body. However, morphine is also a popular drug of choice among people who take drugs recreationally – it is a very addictive substance, and many drug addicts rely on high doses of morphine to experience euphoria and get rid of pain that bothers them.
Factors Affecting Morphine Metabolism
There is a reason a healthcare provider assesses the patient very carefully before prescribing morphine to them – a doctor must take several physiological and pharmacological variables into account before making a decision regarding the medication the patient is supposed to take to feel better. These factors will also play a major role during a morphine screening in case there is reason to believe the individual has been misusing drugs:
| Factor | Description |
| Overall Health of the Patient | In case the person has chronic illnesses or has not been taking care of their body to the detriment of their health, it will change the drug detection time. For example, if an individual has a chronic liver disease, morphine may affect their wellness much longer – its rate of toxicity is increase |
| Age | Studies have shown that the morphine half-life is longer in older patients – it may be up to three and a half hours. Besides, even when the dosage is correct, the adverse effects of morphine are more evident if the patient is elderly – their breathing might be too slow or too shallow, and they will struggle to stay awake |
| Frequency of Administration | Even when a medical provider has extensive experience of administering this prescription drug to their patients, they must exercise caution when choosing the initial dosage and figuring out how frequently a person is supposed to be injected with morphine. The chances of addiction are higher when the dosage is not calculated correctly, and the dependence on morphine will alter the patient’s metabolism |
| Genetics | While this patient-specific factor is still up for debate, according to many scientists, the person’s genetics and ethnic background may impact their metabolism. Since the individual’s genes typically affect the likelihood of morphine abuse as well as more severe symptoms of opioid withdrawal, this aspect must be checked as well |
Detection Timeframes in Different Tests
There are four testing methods to confirm a certain individual has been using morphine – they differ from one another based on the time of morphine excretion.
Urine Test
This method is the most common – a urine sample is easy to collect, and the person is not experiencing any unpleasant sensations compared to a blood test. In the event of a urine drug test, the detection window varies from one to three days after the last dose of morphine was administered.
Blood Test
The detection of morphine in someone’s blood is usually possible within twelve hours after the last dose. In recent years, a blood test for morphine has been refined – these days, you can tell if someone used morphine within twenty hours that passed since the last administration of the drug in question. The testing process is tricky – opioid half-life is only two hours in this case, and when a person with a high metabolism rate is tested, the results may be incorrect.
Saliva Test
This is arguably the least common way to conduct a morphine screening – still, saliva tests are used by some laboratories since this is the least invasive way to check the traces of morphine in someone’s system. An individual in charge of the testing has only two days after the last dose to confirm the presence of this opioid.
Hair Follicle Test
Hair follicle drug tests are growing in popularity, and there is a good reason for that. The detection timeframe is unprecedented – this type of testing can confirm the person used morphine for up to three months that have passed since they had their last dose. All you need to obtain is a hair sample – you would not need to use long hair, a hair as short as two inches would be quite sufficient.
Comparing Morphine Duration With Other Opioids
Morphine is not the only opioid prescribed to patients – fentanyl, codeine, methadone, and tramadol are just a few opioid drugs used as painkillers and anesthetics. How long is morphine in your system compared to other opioids? The duration of this drug in someone’s system is basically the same when you examine detection windows of other opioids – for instance, fentanyl is detectable in urine for up to three days while methadone is detectable via a blood test for twenty-four hours after the last use.
Implications of Morphine Presence in the System
Unfortunately, long-term morphine use leads to numerous consequences especially if the individual continues to ignore the problem and does not take care of their health in general:
| Side Effect | Description |
| Cognitive Decline | Morphine may cause cognitive impairments – many people reported memory issues and poor concentration after prolonged use of this drug |
| Gastrointestinal Issues | Nausea, vomiting, and constipation are quite common – while a doctor may warn you about these problems, if they are too much to bear, there may be a need to look for a different way to relieve pain |
| Mental Health Issues | Anxiety, depression, delusions, and hallucinations are not very common but some individuals abuse morphine to the detriment of their mental wellness |
| Withdrawal | When you stop using morphine, the symptoms of withdrawal may be rather severe especially if you made this decision without consulting with your physician beforehand |
| Overdose | If you continue to increase the dosage against the instructions given to you by your doctor or use morphine for recreational purposes, it can result in an overdose – seek immediate medical help if you have seizures, your breathing becomes irregular, and your skin tone suddenly changes |
Manage Morphine Use Safely at Bakersfield Recovery Center
Morphine use may transform into morphine abuse through no fault of the person who used this prescription drug – addiction is an illness that must be taken seriously and treated under the guidance of mental health specialists who know how to help a person begin their recovery journey.
If you have struggled with morphine, other opioids, or any other prescription drugs that were supposed to bring you pain and anxiety relief, contact Bakersfield Recovery Center – together we will map out a strategy to put an end to your addiction and create a healthier and happier life for you.
FAQs
What is the typical detection time for morphine in a urine test?
Urine tests show the person used morphine during the last seventy-two hours – this is a reliable and relatively easy method of testing. This testing procedure gives the most accurate response to the question “How long is morphine in your system?” which explains its prevalence.
How does the body metabolize morphine, and what is its half-life?
Two organs in the human body are responsible for morphine metabolism – the liver and kidneys, and the elimination half-life is usually two or three hours. After the liver metabolism, the kidneys excrete the metabolites. This process depends on numerous variables such as chronic liver failure and dialysis a patient is undergoing at the moment.
How does the process of opioid elimination affect morphine clearance from the system?
Since morphine half-life is rather short, the drug metabolizes and eliminates itself from the body of a person after two or three hours with the help of kidneys and liver – the latter organ is where the biotransformation of morphine occurs.
How long can morphine be detected in a blood test compared to a urine test?
Blood tests have a shorter detection window – either twelve or twenty-four hours depending on the capacities of the laboratory that oversees the testing process. A urine test is a better way to check if someone used morphine – you have three days to detect this opioid using a urine sample.
What factors influence the drug detection time for opiates like morphine in the body?
A doctor will need to examine the medical history of the person undergoing testing and evaluate their health – chronic illnesses, age, weight, hydration, and frequency of use will play their part when it comes to morphine metabolism.
