6-Monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) Rapid Tests

6-Monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) or 6-Acetylmorphine (6-AM) is one of three active metabolites of heroin (diacetylmorphine), the others being morphine and the much less active 3-Monoacetylmorphine(3-MAM). 6-MAM is rapidly created from heroin in the body, and then is either metabolized into morphine or excreted in the urine. 6-MAM remains in the urine for no more than 24 hours, the best detection time was 2-8 hours after taking heroin2. So a urine specimen must be collected soon after the last heroin use, but the presence of 6-MAM guarantees that heroin was in fact used as recently as within the last day. 6-MAM is naturally found in the brain, but in such small quantities that detection of this compound in urine virtually guarantees that heroin has recently been consumed.