By We Level Up NJ Treatment Center | Editor Yamilla Francese | Clinically Reviewed By Lauren Barry, LMFT, MCAP, QS, Director of Quality Assurance | Editorial Policy | Research Policy | Last Updated: February 15, 2023
What Is Percocet Addiction?
Oxycodone is an opioid agonist of the morphine type. Such drugs are sought by drug abusers and people with addiction disorders and are subject to criminal diversion. Oxycodone can be abused like other opioid agonists, legal or illicit.
This should be considered when prescribing or dispensing PERCOCET tablets in situations where the physician or pharmacist is concerned about an increased risk of misuse, substance abuse, or diversion. However, concerns about misuse, addiction, and diversion should not prevent the proper management of pain; in this war on drugs, including prescription drugs, the patients who need them the most suffer as well. [1]
Opioids like Percocet activate the brain’s reward center. So you can become addicted to the way the drug makes you feel. But over time, the drug will stop working as well as it used to, and you’ll need to take more of the medicine to achieve the same effect.
Possible Signs Of Percocet Addiction
Percocet has several possible side effects. Identifying these side effects in someone who is using the drug can help you spot abuse.
Opioid Painkillers Like Percocet Produce Symptoms Including:
- Confusion
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- Low blood pressure
- Reduced breathing rate
- Sweating
- Difficulty with coordination
Social Signs Of Percocet Addiction
Percocet can be difficult to obtain because it requires a prescription. Many people cannot obtain enough Percocet through legal means, such as a prescription from a doctor. Therefore, people who are addicted may try anything to get the drug.
Individuals addicted may turn to stealing medication from friends, family members, or strangers or forging prescriptions. They may pretend to lose their drug or frequently request new ones. They may file false police reports so pharmacies will give them more medication. Some addicts will also visit multiple doctors or pharmacies, so they aren’t as likely to get caught.
Percocet addiction can affect work performance and personal relationships. In addition, people who abuse Percocet sometimes engage in risky behaviors. This may lead to motor vehicle accidents or accidents that cause bodily harm. People who are addicted may also find themselves involved in criminal activity, especially if they decide to steal, forge a prescription, or lie to get more pills. [2]
Percocet addiction and use can cause a person to develop obvious mannerisms like appearing high or unusually excitable. Alternately, some people also appear sedated or excessively tired.
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Percocet Addiction Statistics
Percocet statistics revealed that addiction to this prescription opioid painkiller 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.
In 2015–2018, 5.7% of U.S. adults used one or more prescription opioids.
Source: CDC
In 2015–2018, 10.7% of U.S. adults aged 20 and over, used one or more prescription pain medications (opioid or nonopioid) in the past 30 days.
Source: CDC
Nearly 92,000 persons in the U.S. died from a drug-involved overdose in 2020, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids
Source: NIDA
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In rare cases, acetaminophen may cause a severe skin reaction that can be fatal. This could occur even if you have taken acetaminophen or Tylenol in the past and had no response. Stop taking this medication and call your doctor right away if you have skin redness or a rash that spreads and causes blistering and peeling.
Oxycodone can slow or stop your breathing, and death may occur. A person caring for you should give naloxone and/or seek emergency medical attention if you have slow breathing with long pauses, blue-colored lips, or if you are hard to wake up.
This drug interacts with specific opioid receptors and provides feelings of pain relief, relaxation, and euphoria. The most common side effects include:
- Lightheadedness
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Sedation
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Other side effects of Percocet include slow breathing, constipation, reduced heart function, and cough suppression.
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FREE Addiction Hotline – Call 24/7Percocet Addiction & Overdose
Call emergency help immediately if you or someone else has taken too much Percocet or if someone experiences any of the symptoms of a drug overdose, including:
- Slow breathing
- Slow heart rate
- Unresponsiveness
- Constricted pupils
- Vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
Your doctor may recommend you get naloxone (a medicine to reverse an opioid overdose) and keep it with you at all times. A person caring for you can give them naloxone if you stop breathing or don’t wake up. However, your caregiver must still get emergency medical help and may need CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on you while waiting for help to arrive.
Anyone can buy naloxone from a pharmacy or local health department. Make sure any person caring for you knows where you keep naloxone and how to use it.
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Percocet Addiction Treatment Options
If you are suffering from an addiction to Percocet, please know that help is available. Contact a substance abuse professional to learn about the available treatment options to help you overcome your dependence on these drugs.
Due to the harmful and highly uncomfortable symptoms, you can experience during opioid withdrawal. It may be best to undergo medically supervised detox in a medical facility or detox center. In addition, some medications can be given to you to help minimize cravings and reduce withdrawal symptoms.
After completing detox, you will be ready for the rehab step of treatment, which can be done outpatient or in an inpatient residential program. Although treatment plans will vary based on your specific needs and situation, most programs incorporate some forms of individual counseling, group counseling, and family counseling. In addition, behavioral therapy is often a critical component of treatment that will identify and address the underlying causes of your addiction to Percocet.
Most Popular Percocet Addiction FAQs
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Is Percocet addictive?
If you are wondering, “are Percocets addictive?”, the answer is when people take more Percocet than is recommended or shatter the pills and snort them, they are abusing the medication. This amplifies the drug’s effects and can quickly result in addiction. When it is combined with other drugs or alcohol, it is also misused. By raising dopamine levels in the brain, a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure, Percocet has an impact on the brain. This might cause a Percocet high and encourage addiction.
-
How to know if someone is addicted to Percocet?
The signs of Percocet addiction are confusion, mood swings, depression, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, low blood pressure, reduced breathing rate, sweating, and difficulty with coordination.
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How addictive are Percocets?
If you are wondering, “how addictive is Percocet?”, the answer is the opioid Percocet has the potential to lead to addiction. A Percocet addict who needs help can contact an opioid addiction treatment center. All painkillers are not created equal.
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How long does it take to get addicted to Percocet?
Addiction to opioids is quite strong. After 3-5 days of taking a prescribed painkiller, a person is at risk of developing an opioid addiction. About 3/4 of people who use heroin began by abusing opiate painkillers.
We Level Up New Jersey Comfortable Drug Detox Program For Percocet Addiction
Treatment for Percocet addiction often requires several approaches. It may seem ironic, but prescription medications may help people addicted to prescription medications quit and recover from their addiction. In addition, medications are often needed to help treat the symptoms caused by detoxification and withdrawal. This may make kicking the addiction easier.
For anyone who suffers from addiction, just the thought of having to stop using can cause severe mental distress. But, with the help of a medical detox center, the medical detox process is managed. In addition, a comprehensive team prescribing medications can alleviate your withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours.
We Level Up NJ’s thorough approach to rehabilitation supports several levels of care to ensure the best possible outcome for every patient who enters our doors. From an intensive and more supportive atmosphere for those in the early days of recovery to a comfortable residential-style living dynamic upon completion of detox, we are here to help guide you down the safe and results-based path to your sobriety.
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Dual Diagnosis Treatment For Percocet Addiction
Because many addictions coincide with another disorder, you must find a rehab specializing in treating co-occurring conditions. This requires that the inpatient drug rehab understands the importance of taking the time to discover if there is another disorder at hand that may be playing into a substance use disorder before treating only the substance abuse. For example, a thorough investigation of an individual’s mental health condition before treatment will indeed receive the most effective and comprehensive treatment for their addiction and mental health disorder.
This only strengthens their chances of maintaining their sobriety upon leaving the inpatient drug rehab facility.
Recovering from Percocet addiction does not need to be overwhelming or burdensome. With supervision from an inpatient drug rehab, like We Level Up New Jersey, you will be on the way to lifelong sobriety in no time.
As such, don’t hold advancing in your sobriety. Instead, reach out today, and a dedicated and compassionate admissions specialist will answer any questions and handle any concerns you may have about going to an inpatient drug rehab.
Your call is private and confidential, and there is never any obligation.
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Sources
[1] PERCOCET® – FDA.GOV Access Data
[2] Percocet Addiction – We Level Up
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015, September 19). Prescription drug abuse: Definition
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prescription-drug-abuse/basics/definition/con-20032471
Percocet. (2010, July.) Retrieved from .
dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=3af57f54-117e-43fc-b0ae-21ef772d854e
Signs and symptoms of prescription pain reliever abuse. (n.d.)
narconon.org/drug-abuse/signs-symptoms-pain-relievers.html
Topics in brief: Prescription drug abuse. (2015, November). Retrieved from
drugabuse.gov/publications/topics-in-brief/prescription-drug-abuse
Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2014). Percocet (Oxycodone and Acetaminophen Tablets, USP). Retrieved on 18th March 2014 from http://www.endo.com/File%20Library/Products/Prescribing%20Information/PERCOCET_prescribing_information.html
Rx List (2014). Common Side Effects of Percocet. Retrieved on 18th March 2014 from https://www.rxlist.com/percocet-side-effects-drug-center.htm
WebMD. (2014). Percocet. Retrieved on 18th March 2014 from https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-7277/percocet-oral/details
Hedegaard H, Chen LH, Warner M. Drug-poisoning deaths involving heroin: United States, 2000–2013.
NCHS data brief, no 190. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2015. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db190.htm
