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Percocet is a painkiller containing a combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen/paracetamol. It is a Schedule II controlled substance, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse. Prescribed for moderate to severe pain, Percocet can be quite habit-forming and addictive, so people who initially used it to control pain may find themselves dependent on the drug.
Oxycodone is an opiate drug, working in the body’s endorphin system to reduce pain. Activating the endorphin system also causes a euphoric high, which can encourage people to abuse Percocet. Other effects of opiate drugs include:
- Drowsiness or sleepiness
- Relaxation
- Nausea or loss of appetite
- Constipation
- Chills or shakes
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Difficulty breathing
According to its manufacturer, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Percocet has a half-life of about 3.5 hours. This means that after 3.5 hours, half of the drug has been metabolized out of the user’s body, and after seven hours, three-quarters of the drug is gone.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that over 12 million people took prescription painkillers for a non-medical purpose in 2010, and in 2009, more than 475,000 emergency room visits were related in prescription painkillers. In 2008, 14,800 people died of prescription painkiller overdose. Over half of them had combined the painkillers with other drugs that interact dangerously with opiates, such as alcohol or benzodiazepines.
What Are the Dangers of Percocet?
Using more Percocet than your doctor prescribes can cause an overdose, where the drug would cause you to fall unconscious and then stop breathing. Taking more than two of the 2.5-mg Percocet tablets, or more than one of the higher-dose tablets, at a time can be dangerous. However, long before you take a high enough dose of Percocet to experience danger from the oxycodone, you could get in trouble first from its other ingredient: acetaminophen.
Using more Percocet than your doctor prescribes can cause an overdose, where the drug would cause you to fall unconscious and then stop breathing. Taking more than two of the 2.5-mg Percocet tablets, or more than one of the higher-dose tablets, at a time can be dangerous. However, long before you take a high enough dose of Percocet to experience danger from the oxycodone, you could get in trouble first from its other ingredient: acetaminophen.
Taking more than one gram of acetaminophen at a time or more than four grams in one day can lead to liver damage. Combining your doctor-recommended dose of Percocet with any other medication that contains acetaminophen, like Tylenol or cough syrup, can be very dangerous. Even if you only take Percocet as directed, doing so long-term can still cause liver damage. According to Consumer Reports, almost 80,000 people go to the emergency room every year because of acetaminophen overdose, and it is now the leading cause of liver failure in the United States. In 2009, an advisory committee recommended that the Food and Drug Administration place additional restrictions on drugs containing acetaminophen. They also recommended that the maximum single dose of acetaminophen should be 650 mg, not 1,000 mg (one gram).
How Can I Tell if I’m Addicted to Percocet?
Many people who use Percocet as their doctor directs to manage pain symptoms will experience drug dependence. This occurs because of a combination of two circumstances:
- Tolerance to the drug, where the user requires higher and higher doses to get the same effects
- Withdrawal symptoms if the user tries to discontinue use of the drug
Just because someone is experiencing dependence, it doesn’t mean that they are addicted. Although it’s possible to get addicted to Percocet if used as directed, most addiction will arise from abusing the drug. Signs of Percocet abuse can include:
- Taking larger doses of Percocet than prescribed
- Taking Percocet more often than prescribed
- Taking Percocet to get high
- Taking Percocet to deal with daily stress
Characterization of Addiction
- Craving Percocet when not using it or craving higher doses than you’ve taken as prescribed
- Feeling out of control of your use of Percocet
- Using the drug when you didn’t intend to
- Continuing to use Percocet despite adverse consequences
- Spending a lot of time seeking, using, or recovering from Percocet use
- Lying about or hiding the amount of Percocet you are using
- Neglecting responsibilities or obligations because of Percocet use
Getting Treatment for Percocet Addiction
If you’re afraid that Percocet abuse has taken over your life or that of a loved one, you don’t have to feel alone – we can help. Here at The Oaks at La Paloma, we offer a wide range of services to aid the recovery process. With proper treatment and support, you can effectively detox from Percocet, with the assistance of consulting physicians in a medically supervised program, and get the intense psychological treatment you need to leave Percocet in the past. Call us today for more information on how you can get started on the path to wellness. Our admissions coordinators are standing by to talk with you about your options.