How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your System?

How long the opioid medication Percocet stays in your system depends on factors like individual health, how much Percocet someone uses, and how long they’ve been using it. Understanding this timeline is important in avoiding Percocet addiction and preventing a potentially deadly overdose. Percocet contains oxycodone, which can lead to physical dependence. This dependence can lead to Percocet withdrawal symptoms when a person abruptly stops the drug after taking high enough doses for a long enough time. This can happen even if the drug is taken exactly as prescribed. 

How Long Does Percocet Last?

Percocet may last for 3–6 hours. A doctor usually sets a maximum number of tablets per day to help limit the risk of abuse and addiction. Percocet works best for short-term pain because of the fast action of both ingredients — oxycodone and acetaminophen. 

If a person takes Percocet for a long period, usually more than four weeks, their tolerance can increase. When someone becomes tolerant to this pain pills, they need higher doses of the drug to achieve the same painkilling effect. In this case, the effects of Percocet will not last as long as they will for someone taking the drug for the first time.

How Long Does a Percocet High Last?

While Percocet is an effective painkiller, there is a lot of concern surrounding its use because of the potential for abuse. As with other opioids, Percocet can produce a high. When Percocet is taken, opioid receptors are stimulated, and the more you take, the potential for Percocet addiction increases. This is why it’s important to take Percocet only as prescribed and directed by a doctor.

But how much Percocet do you need to get high? Like other prescription drugs, people usually start getting high on Percocet by exceeding the recommended dose. This can be either taking more pills at once or take pills more frequently. Previously, people would tamper with pills to snort or inject them. 

Because of this, people might try to get high on Percocet by mixing it with other substances. Common substances mixed with Percocet that could be dangerous include:

Statistics

Percocet statistics revealed that addiction to this prescription opioid pain killer is a significant issue, even in those who begin taking the drug for legitimate purposes. Detoxing from Percocet is something that a treatment clinic or medical professional can manage in a way that allows someone to avoid many negative feelings. 

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Percocet Half Life

What is the half life of Percocet? Percocet has an average elimination half-life of 3.5 hours, meaning this is the amount of time it takes for half a dose of Percocet to leave one’s system. This means it will take an average of 19 hours to eliminate all of the Percocet from the system. However, this can take longer for chronic, heavy drug users, as opioids will be absorbed by the body’s fatty tissues if there’s more Percocet in the body than the liver can handle at once. It takes longer for the traces of Percocet in these tissues to leave the body than that which primarily stays in the bodily fluids

How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your Urine?

Percocet Drug Test – Percocet Urine Test

• How long do Percs stay in your system and in urine? By far the most common form of drug screening, Percocet urine tests can confirm the drug in the urine for 48 hours following use. However, basic urine screenings (like immunoassay tests) may miss semi-synthetic opioids like Percocet. More advanced urine screenings (such as gas chromatography or mass spectrometry) are more sensitive and can report semi-synthetic opioid use more accurately. How long Percocets stay in urine also depends on several factors such as your metabolism, age, dosage, and more.

How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your Hair?

Percocet Drug Test – Percocet Hair Follicle Test

• As with most drugs, Percocet (Oxycodone) is detectable in the hair for an extended period. That said, hair testing is typically used to detect heavy, long-term use patterns and may not be accurate for short-term testing.

How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your Blood System?

Percocet Drug Test – Percocet Blood Test

• Percocet can be detected in the blood for about a day. However, more advanced drug screenings can confirm the metabolites of Percocet (oxycodone), not just the drug itself. This could result in a longer detection time from the test.

How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your Saliva?

Percocet Drug Test – Percocet Saliva Test

• Opioid-containing drugs like Percocet can be found in saliva for up to 2 days. Some authority departments may use saliva tests due to the convenience of roadside testing.

Factors that Influence “How Long Does Percocet Stay in System for Percocet Drug Test”

You may wonder “how long Percocet stay in your system?”, but it depends on several factors, including:

• The dosage
• How a person takes it (orally, intravenously, or nasally)
• The person’s metabolism
• How many doses do they take before stopping
• Their body size
• Their age
• any other medications the person is taking, as some inhibit the metabolism of Percocet and lead to increased levels in the blood

Researching “how long do Percocet stay in your system?” The Percocet drug testing method is essential since Percocet may remain in the urine, hair, and breast milk long after its effects wear off.

Percocet Abuse

Percocet abuse usually involves taking a prescription in any way other than prescribed (higher doses, more often, or crushing, smoking, or injecting Percocet) or taking it without a prescription. Percocet and other forms of oxycodone have a high risk for abuse and addiction.

Signs of Percocet addiction may include:

• Taking Percocet in any way other than prescribed
• Taking Percocet without a prescription
• “Doctor-shopping” to try to get multiple prescriptions
• Obsessing over finding oxycodone without care for the consequences
• Neglecting responsibilities or activities they once enjoyed
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking Percocet

Mixing Percocet and Alcohol

One of the Percocet addiction symptoms is mixing prescription drugs with alcohol. Mixing Percocet and alcohol has an additive effect on both central nervous system depressants. When used recreationally, Percocet can become dangerous and cause an overdose.

Can you drink alcohol with Percocet? It is extremely risky to take Percocets and alcohol together. Both substances act as depressants of the central nervous system. Alcohol slows down breathing just like narcotics do. The respiratory system can become overworked as the body struggles to resist the effects of both medications. Percocet and alcohol likely result in respiratory depression, characterized by little to no breathing.

What happens if you mix Percocet with alcohol? Mixing alcohol and Percocet can result in fatal side effects and raise the likelihood of major adverse reactions. When Percocet mixed with alcohol are used, some of the following symptoms may worsen. Percocet with alcohol side effects include sleeplessness, numbness, dry mouth, impaired judgment and thinking, constipation, reduced blood pressure, lowered breathing, heart problems, or liver issues.

Smoking Percocet

Can you smoke Percocet? Those who are addicted to the drug do. The euphoric effects of Percocet abuse will wear off faster when opioids are smoked than when they are taken as prescribed. This means that individuals are more likely to smoke, increasingly exposing themselves to the many dangers of tampering with the prescription drug. As the cycle repeats, the chances of opioid overdose deaths exponentially rise.

Smoking is the fastest method of ingesting a substance. Smoking Percocet facilitates a quicker, more direct, and more powerful onset of the desired effects. This also exposes users to the dangers of the constant activation of the opioid receptors in their central nervous system from full opioid agonists like oxycodone.

Percocet Addiction Treatment

First and foremost, if you think that a loved one is abusing Percocet or the counterfeit version known as yellow Percocet, you should first research the drug and addiction associated with it so that you can better understand what your loved one needs. Next, you must plan an intervention to provide your loved ones with options to battle their addiction in a safe and supportive environment. During this intervention, offer compassion and support instead of judgment. Lastly, show your support throughout the entire treatment process.

In addition, prolonged Percocet use can have severe physical and psychological effects, so seeking treatment as soon as possible is essential. Inpatient drug rehab offers intensive care that can help you promptly get through the early stages of withdrawal. 

Medically-Assisted Detox

Medical Detox is often considered the first stage of treatment. It will help you navigate the complicated withdrawal process but doesn’t address patterns of thought and behavior contributing to drug use. Various treatment approaches and settings can help provide the ongoing support necessary to maintain long-term sobriety after you complete detox.

Cravings are very common during detox and can be challenging to overcome. This often leads to relapse. Constant medical care provided during inpatient treatment helps prevent relapse. Clinicians can provide necessary medication and medical expertise to lessen cravings and the effects of withdrawals.

Psychotherapy 

Several different modalities of psychotherapy have been used in the treatment of mental health disorders along with addiction, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – is an effective treatment that involves making changes in both the patterns of negative thoughts and the behavioral routines which are affecting the daily life of the depressed person for various forms of depression.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)– is a comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment program whose ultimate goal is to aid patients in their efforts to build a life worth living. The main goal of DBT is to help a person develop what is referred to as a “clear mind.”