Percocet Guide | Side-Effects | Treatment Options - Addiction Treatment & Mental Health for Adults in Raleigh, NC

Percocet Guide | Side-Effects | Treatment Options

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What is Percocet?

Percocet is a combination opioid prescription drug. Opioid medications can either be formulated in a lab by scientists or made directly from the Opium plant.¹ Opioids treat symptoms of pain with their relaxing properties.

Generic Names for Percocet

The generic name for Percocet is oxycodone acetaminophen. The combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, forms the brand drug Percocet.

Common Street Names for Percocet

Percocet goes by different names outside of its branded name.² Familiarizing oneself with the common street names helps prevent overusing the same medication, leading to an overdose.

Common street names for Percocet include:³

Blue Dynamite
No Buffers
512’s
Percs
Bananas
Tires
Rims
Buttons
Ercs. M-30s
Blue
Blueberries

What is the Difference between Percocet vs. Norco?

The difference between Percocet vs. Norco is in the Codone type. Norco is a combination drug that contains hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen. Percocet is a combination drug of oxycodone and acetaminophen.

Percocet Dosage

Percocet should only be taken when directed by a doctor. Outside of this, you could be placing yourself in harm’s way. Overconsumption of any medication can create severe side effects, such as developing tolerance and dependence on the drug. The amount of medicine taken should depend on the strength of the medication and your unique body composition. The number of doses you take each day, the time between doses, and how long the prescription lasts also depends on the medical problem as well.⁴ Each Percocet dosage oral route tablet contains oxycodone hydrochloride and acetaminophen. Percocet prescriptions come with various dosages and strengths.

Percocet 5/325 Tablet

Percocet 5/325 contains 5 mg of United States Pharmacopeia, USP, oxycodone hydrochloride, and 325 mg of USP acetaminophen.

Percocet 10/325 Tablet

Percocet 10/325 contains 10 mg of United States Pharmacopeia, USP, oxycodone hydrochloride, and 325 mg of USP acetaminophen.

The more oxycodone hydrochloride is in the tablet, the greater its strength.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Percocet Addiction?

Percocet is a great recovery option for relieving moderate to severe short-term pain. However, this recovery option does not take away from the fact that opioids, like Percocet, are highly associated with substance abuse, addiction, and overdose. Here are ways to identify a current or developing Percocet addiction.

Physical Signs of Percocet Addiction

Behavioral Signs of Percocet Addiction

Agitation
Anxiety
Depression
Euphoria
Irritability
Lack of coordination
Lack of motivation
Poor judgment or decision-making
Missing responsibilities
Sleep trouble and change to sleep patterns

How Long does Percocet Stay in Your System?

The length of time Percocet stays in your system has different variables. One variable is the health of your digestive and urinary system, especially the kidney and liver. A weak kidney or liver will allow the drug to last longer in the system. Another variable is the dosage; the higher the dosage and the more often taken, the longer it takes to leave your body.

Overall, Percocet generally leaves the blood in 24-48 hours, again considering the other variables. However, Percocet can still show up in the urine, saliva, or hair over 90 days.

Side Effects of Percocet

As with any medication, some side effects are expected to occur.⁴ Here are some short- and long-term effects:

Short-Term Percocet Side Effects

Lightheadedness
Dizziness
Sedation
Euphoria
Dysphoria
Rash
Itching
Nausea and vomiting
Slowed breathing

Long-Term Percocet Side Effects

According to the FDA, there are physiological and psychological long-term Percocet side effects, such as the following:

Signs of Percocet Overdose

According to the FDA, an opioid pain medicine that can put you at risk for overdose and death. Even if you take your dose correctly as prescribed, you are at risk for opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse that can lead to death.⁵
An opioid overdose happens when enough opiates are abused to produce life-threatening symptoms or death. In cases of overdose, breathing often slows or stops. Overdose decreases the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain, which can cause a coma, permanent brain damage, or death.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the signs of an opioid overdose include:⁶

An extremely pale face or skin feeling clammy to the touch
Body going limp
Fingernails or lips start to have a purple or blue color
Vomiting or gurgling noises
They cannot be awakened or are unable to speak
When breathing or heartbeat slows or stops

Signs of Percocet Withdrawal

Percocet withdrawal symptoms can begin as early as a few hours after the last dosage. The symptoms are uncomfortable in many cases.⁷ The symptoms include:

Percocet Treatment Options

Opioid treatments, such as Percocet, include medicine and behavioral therapy to help address a substance use disorder.

Detox

Detox centers are an effective way to detox from prescription medicine. With trained medical and clinical professionals, detox centers are a safe and supportive way to evaluate and address the needs. These centers often have individualized strategies to make the withdrawal process and comfortable as possible.

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medication-assisted treatments target the brain’s receptors involved in substance use disorders. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse,Two medicines, buprenorphine, and methadone, work by binding to the same opioid receptors in the brain as the opioid medicines, reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms.⁷ Another medicine, naltrexone, blocks opioid receptors and prevents opioid drugs from having an effect.

Outpatient Treatment for Percocet

For many people, detox or medication-assisted treatment (MAT) are not enough support to recover from Percocet addiction. They often require more support in order to withdrawal safely and then build new behaviors that can help them learn to manage cravings and build a life that supports longterm recovery.

There are typically two levels of care that help support a person needing treatment for Percocet addiction when that person is not able to make meaningful improvements with detox or MAT. Both of these levels of care come just before someone’s symptoms would rise to the level of an inpatient rehab. They are also both designed to provide a level of support that makes it possible to live at home, continue working, and keep up with family or other life responsibilities.

The first and highest level of outpatient care is a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). A PHP is designed to provide highly professional and evidenced-based care five days a week for five hours a day. These programs typically focus on group therapy, developing an understanding of craving and using patterns, and beginning to work with a therapist and psychiatrist to stabilize psychologically and physically. After someone has stabilized (usually a few weeks), that person may step down into the second level of outpatient care.

The second level of outpatient care is an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). An IOP typically meets three times a week for three hours and focuses on deepening one’s understanding of their specific relationship to substances, identifying strategies to manage them, getting peer support from group therapy, and working with a therapist and psychiatrist.

Many people find that IOP works better for their life schedule. For example, Green Hill Recovery offers both a morning and evening IOP which makes maintaining life responsibilities while getting high-quality treatment more accessible.

Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient rehab is a type of treatment where you stay at a treatment center 24/7 with medical guidance and support. This treatment includes behavioral therapy that focuses on changing how substance use disorder changes your behavior and helps you understand your relationships to substances.⁷The most common therapy type is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps modify drug-use expectations and actions while also effectively managing triggers and stress.

Outpatient or Inpatient for Addiction?

Trying to decide between going to an inpatient facility or an outpatient program for addiction can have different tradeoffs to consider.

Inpatient can be expensive and difficult to commit to because it often requires taking a leave of absence from work to address addiction issues.

However, outpatient addiction treatment may not be enough to address one’s issues. This is especially true if someone’s addiction has progressed to the point of having more severe symptoms like severe withdrawals, worsening underlying mental health conditions, legal consequences, or repeated overdoses.

All of these factors plus others should be considered when trying to decide between outpatient or inpatient addiction treatment.