Heroin half-life
Heroin itself is rapidly deacetylated, with a parent half-life measured in minutes.
Every curve begins at 100%. No dose or measured body concentration is assumed.
X-axis: elapsed time. Y-axis: modeled percentage of the relative starting point remaining. This is a mathematical visualization, not a personal concentration estimate.
Heroin: evidence and interpretation notes
Parent drug, metabolites, and formulation
Heroin itself is rapidly deacetylated, with a parent half-life measured in minutes. The six-minute curve is labeled narrowly because 6-monoacetylmorphine and morphine carry much of the later pharmacokinetic story.
The calculator follows Heroin with a 6 minutes half-life. That simplification is useful for curve shape and comparison, but it is not an individualized pharmacokinetic estimate.
Heroin is a short parent-compound entry where metabolites are essential to interpretation. The parent molecule can decline quickly while 6-monoacetylmorphine and morphine remain relevant.
The 0.1 hour value produces one of the steepest curves in HalfLifeDB. It should be read as a parent-compound illustration, not a complete opioid exposure model.
The citations include heroin pharmacokinetic review literature, metabolite-focused review work, and the compound record.
The calculator does not estimate overdose risk, impairment, treatment needs, or testing outcomes.
For Heroin, parent-drug decline should be read separately from analgesia, respiratory risk, metabolites, and formulation. Opioid risk is not proportional to the percentage remaining in this simplified chart.
What each source contributes
- Rook EJ et al. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetic variability of heroin and its metabolites: review (2006). This metabolism study identifies pathways, metabolites, or analytical targets and does not by itself create a complete human concentration-time curve.
- Gottås A et al. Heroin and its metabolites: relevance to heroin use disorder (2023). This metabolism study identifies pathways, metabolites, or analytical targets and does not by itself create a complete human concentration-time curve.
- PubChem: Heroin. This identity record confirms names and compound identity and does not supply a human half-life.
For Heroin, the numerical model is tied most closely to Rook EJ et al. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetic variability of heroin and its metabolites: review (2006). As a metabolism study, it identifies pathways, metabolites, or analytical targets; it does not by itself create a complete human concentration-time curve.
Why there is no range on the chart
This profile plots 0.1 hours for Heroin without adding an unsourced high-low band. A single supported center is more honest than manufacturing a range from unrelated routes, populations, or formulations.
InterpretationReading the curve and its category context
Reading this curve
HalfLifeDB uses 6 min as a representative input for Heroin. In the simplified model, about 0.0% remains after 24 hours and about 3% remains after five half-lives, or roughly 30 min.
This is a very fast curve. The useful lesson is not "gone instantly," but how quickly a parent-compound model can move from prominent to low remaining percentages. The curve is relative: it does not estimate a person's measured concentration, effects, impairment, or time to clearance.
opioid context
Opioid pharmacokinetics can differ between parent compounds and metabolites, and timing can vary by route, formulation, and individual clearance.
- Half-life is not a measure of respiratory risk or functional impairment.
- Active metabolites can matter even when the parent compound declines.
- Extended-release products require separate source context.
ComparisonTimeline checkpoints and nearby profiles
Heroin timeline checkpoints
| Elapsed time | Modeled remaining | Reading note |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 3.13% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 1 h | 0.10% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 2 h | 0.00% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 6 h | 0.00% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
| 24 h | 0.00% | Low modeled remainder, not a clearance guarantee |
Nearby profiles by half-life
These entries sit near Heroin within the opioid group when sorted by representative half-life. That makes them curve comparisons, not statements about equal potency, effects, or risk.
- Morphine (2 h)
- Hydromorphone (2.3 h)
- Codeine (3 h)
- Meperidine (3 h)
EvidencePharmacokinetic inputs and source trail
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
| Representative half-life | 6 min |
|---|---|
| Curve type | Normalized, first-order decline |
Selection note: Heroin itself is rapidly deacetylated, with a parent half-life measured in minutes. The six-minute curve is labeled narrowly because 6-monoacetylmorphine and morphine carry much of the later pharmacokinetic story.
Sources and evidence context
A linked record is not automatically proof of the displayed value. Study, labeling, review, and compound identity sources serve different purposes; notes below identify limitations when they are known.
- Research abstract Rook EJ et al. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetic variability of heroin and its metabolites: review (2006).Metabolism-focused evidence used to identify pathways or analytes. It does not automatically establish a population half-life.
- Research abstract Gottås A et al. Heroin and its metabolites: relevance to heroin use disorder (2023).Metabolism-focused evidence used to identify pathways or analytes. It does not automatically establish a population half-life.
- Identity record PubChem Compound Summary: Heroin.Compound identity and naming record. It supplies chemistry context, not independent numerical support for the model.
BoundariesWhat this page cannot answer and where to continue
What this page does not answer
- It does not estimate impairment, intoxication, or fitness to drive.
- It does not predict urine, blood, saliva, or hair test results.
- It does not model repeated exposure, tolerance, withdrawal, or interactions.
- It does not replace clinician, pharmacist, toxicologist, or emergency guidance.
Continue with context
- All substance profiles
- Browse the opioid group
- Compare this curve
- Clearance and volume of distribution
- Bioavailability, route, and formulation
- Active metabolites and parent compounds
- First-order vs nonlinear kinetics
- Detection windows vs half-life
- Reading labels and source quality
Read the medical disclaimer, methodology, and research standards before using the model for comparison.