How Long Does Lortab Stay In Your System

What is Lortab (hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen)

Lortab, a combination of its two active ingredients, hydrocodone bitartrate, a synthetic opioid, and acetaminophen, a painkiller, is a drug prescribed for treating moderate to severe pain and also for relieving chronic or post-operative pain.

How long do Lortabs stay in the system after the last dose

It depends on the separate half lives of the two components, hydrocodone and acetaminophen.

Hydrocodone half life and elimination

A 10mg dose of hydrocodone has a half-life of around 3 hours 50 minutes. So, it will take approximately 21 hours for it to clear from your system. When hydrocodone is metabolized by the liver, two further metabolites are yielded, norhydrocodone and hydromorphone. Only the half-life of norhydrocodone must be considered to determine how long Lortab will stay in your system. It has an elimination half-life of approximately 8 hours; therefore, the complete removal of norhydrocodone would take 44 hours.

Acetaminophen half life and elimination

The second active ingredient has a much shorter half-life of 1 to 4 hours, so it is eliminated from the system around 22 hours after Lortab ingestion.

Therefore, based on the above information, it would take around a day and a half on average for your system to eliminate Lortab. Exactly how long it will stay in your system depends on certain individual factors, like your age, build, fat percentage, food intake levels, hydration levels, etc. It also depends on what other drugs are being co-administered along with Lortab, how often Lortab is being ingested and how long it has been taken for.

How long does Lortab stay in your urine, blood, mouth swab and hair follicle
Urine Test	2-4 days	Hydrocodone will be excreted within 2 days but norhydrocodone is detectable for up to 4 days.
Blood Test	Up to 24 hours	Becomes detectable in blood an hour after ingestion. Traces of Lortab may be found even after 24 hours if the drug was abused, or taken for a long time.
Saliva Test	Up to 4 days	–
Hair follicle Test	Up to 3 months	–

How to get Lortab out of your system to pass a drug test

Urinary Acidification – Low pH level or alkaline urine slows down the process of excretion of Lortab, acidification of urine expedite this process by ensuring that re-absorption of the drug is kept to a minimal, and it is eliminated at a brisk pace.

Activated Charcoal – Using activated charcoal is a preferable way of ridding your body from the effects of acetaminophen and hydrocodone, as it detoxifies the gastro-intestinal tract. Bear in mind though the fact that this will only detoxify your body and will not expedite the process of Lortab excretion.

Glutathione – When acetaminophen is metabolized via CYP450 enzymes in the liver, a toxic metabolite by the name of NAPQI is yielded. People with high levels of an antioxidant called glutathione have a better chance of excreting NAPQI at a shorter period. As a result, taking supplements with glutathione is an excellent way of detoxifying your body from NAPQI.

N.B. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained within this work are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. We shall not be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions within this post.