Percocet is prescribed by doctors for pain relief. As with many pain relievers, some people overuse the drug to double its effects, only to grow addicted once tolerance takes hold. This has created a need for treatment programs for Percocet addiction.

What Is Percocet?

Percocet is a brand name for a combination of oxycodone and paracetamol. It’s prescribed as an analgesic drug. Some users grow addicted to Percocet due to the presence of oxycodone, a highly addictive drug that is often abused for recreational purposes.

Percocet is a Schedule II drug that can only be obtained with a doctor’s prescription. The drug is generally prescribed and taken in pill form.

Why Do People Take Percocet?

People take Percocet as a pain reliever. The drug contains oxycodone, an opioid used in the treatment of severe pain. As such, many users grow addicted to oxycodone and medications like Percocet that contain the opioid. Oxycodone takes effect within fifteen minutes and lasts up to six hours.

Percocet also contains paracetamol, a moderate pain medication used for the treatment of fevers, migraines and episodic headaches. Paracetamol use doesn’t cause tolerance or addiction. However, its effects on fever symptoms are a subject of dispute. As a headache medication, paracetamol is inferior to ibuprofen.

Side Effects of Percocet

As with most opioid prescription medications, Percocet has its side effects. The negative effects of Percocet may include:

• Euphoria – The presence of oxycodone makes Percocet a euphoric drug. This effect makes Percocet a powerful pain reliever but can also make it addictive to users who fail to regulate their intake.
• Constipation – Opioids drain bodily fluids before they reach the intestine, resulting in hardened stool. People should always drink lots of water with drugs like Percocet.
• Nausea – Percocet can cause people to feel nauseous and somewhat disoriented, especially as the euphoric sensations wear off.
• Vomiting – This may occur when symptoms of nausea take hold.
• Appetite loss – Accompanies symptoms like constipation, nausea and fatigue.
• Drowsiness – Tends to accompany depressant drugs (opioids) and symptoms like constipation. Percocet relieves pain, which has a mellowing effect that causes users to feel relaxed, hence sleepy.
• Dizziness – This accompanies nausea and may occur as the euphotic sensations give way to irritability and other come-down symptoms.

Additional side effects of Percocet may include itching, dry mouth and sweating. 

Signs of Percocet Addiction

People who grow dependent on Percocet eventually show the tell-tale signs of opioid addiction, which may include:

• Substance abuse – The mixing of two or more drugs with alcohol. People who abuse opioids like Percocet place themselves at risk of an overdose if mixed with alcohol and other depressants. The risk factors increase with binge drinking.
• Irritability – Opioid addiction causes irritability in users when the drug is unavailable. Addicted individuals constantly think about their opioid drugs of choice and tend to withdraw from other topics and interests.
• Depression – This accompanies the come-down from the Percocet high. Once the drug loses its effects, the user has a mood crash that can only be reversed with another dose. The cycle gets worse as the body grows tolerant to the oxycodone with Percocet.
• Mania – Extreme changes in mood, marked by the contrast between the Percocet high and the crash.
• Delirium – Feelings of disorientation, which often occur when users take excessive Percocet doses.
• Hallucinations – Experienced by users who abuse Percocet. Hallucinations may accompany the euphoric high during extreme doses. If mixed with actual hallucinogens (LSD), the user might have disturbing, frightening and dangerous hallucinations (flying wings, landing strips outside balconies, etc).
• Hypoventilation – Intense breathing problems caused by the depressive effects of Percocet. Irregular oxygen intake can cause brain damage.

Other symptoms of Percocet addiction include gastroparesis, bradycardia, and hypotension. People allergic to codeine may also be allergic to Percocet due to the oxycodone content.

Percocet Withdrawal Symptoms

When a person enters medical detox or quits Percocet cold turkey, he/she is bound to experience withdrawal symptoms, which may include:

• Drug cravings – Once cut off the Percocet, the user will experience strong cravings for the drug, especially during the second and third days out from the last consumption.
• Anxiety – Feelings of irrational fear and irritability are common when separated from a drug of choice.
• Restless legs – A symptom of restlessness and anxiety caused by sudden drug abstinence.
• Diarrhea – Without the bowl-hardening effects of opioids like Percocet, the user might experience the reverse effect as fluid enters the system. Related symptoms like nausea and vomiting might also occur.
• Sweating – During withdrawal, detox patients might experience heat sensitivity that causes perspiration in normal and cool temperatures.
• Increased heart rate – The heart may fluctuate as the body clears itself of Percocet, which slows the heart rate due to the presence of oxycodone.

Opioid withdrawal symptoms may be avoided if the user weans off Percocet at a slow pace. In cases of hardcore addiction, where the user must quit sooner than later, medical detox and supervised treatment are the best options.

Percocet Treatment Centers

People struggling with Percocet abuse should enter an addiction treatment center for supervision and guidance in the recovery process. Treatment generally includes the following:

• Detox – The first stage in recovery, where the patient stops using Percocet and enters a facility. Doctors may employ medication-assisted treatment to curb withdrawal symptoms. Detox should always be done at a treatment center. People who attempt detox unsupervised tend to relapse.
• Physical therapy – Many people grow addicted to Percocet and other opioids because of their analgesic effects. At today’s treatment centers, they practice alternative forms of pain relief, such as stretching and physical therapy.
• Inpatient treatment – The main phase of the addiction treatment process consists of inpatient care, where the patient stays at a residential facility for 30-90 days. Inpatient treatment includes wellness exercise, healthy meals, group discussions, private therapy and outdoor activities. Most treatment centers are located in country settings.
• Outpatient programs – The alternative to inpatient care is outpatient treatment, where the patient comes to the center during daytime hours and goes home each night. Intensive outpatient programs include the same features as inpatient treatment, including group meetings where patients discuss addiction and mental health disorders.

Treatment centers help people overcome their problems with prescription drug abuse and addictions to illicit opioids.  

Fight Percocet Addiction: Find Drug Abuse Treatment Centers

Substance use disorder is a major plague on American communities. In every town and city, people grow addicted to illicit and prescription opioids.

If someone you know struggles with Percocet addiction, don’t let that person succumb to the drug. Before he/she has a Percocet overdose, contact the nearest treatment centers and ask about their program options. Your call could save that person.