Percocet Withdrawal and Detox

Percocet Info

• Percocet Addiction and Abuse
• Percocet Symptoms and Warning Signs
• Percocet Treatment and Rehab
• Percocet Withdrawal and Detox

Percocet is an opioid drug with a chemical compound very similar to that of heroin. This means it is highly addictive, and can lead to withdrawal if you abuse it over a period of time and suddenly attempt to quit.

Percocet contains Oxycodone, which binds to the brain’s opioid receptors when consumed. Said opioid receptors are known to react to pain signals in your body, but using an opioid drug will leave you experiencing reduced pain sensations and much more. In this case, ‘much more’ refers to how opioid drugs like Percocet interact with the reward system of your brain by triggering a release of the pleasure hormones, dopamine and serotonin, as well as other neurotransmitters that elevate mood. Continuously abusing Percocet will over time negatively affect your body’s ability to produce these hormones naturally. If you suddenly try to quit the drug after a long period of abuse, you will experience withdrawal symptoms, as your brain is unable to release neurotransmitters at the appropriate level, without the influence of opioid drugs.

Also, if you wish to quit abusing Percocet, it is necessary that you first go through a detoxification process. However, it is impossible to undergo detox without experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Percocet withdrawal symptoms typically begin to manifest within a few hours after your last dose of the opioid. Because Percocet comes as in both extended and regular release form, the half-life of the drug can differ (that is, how long the drug stays in your system). The standard version can linger in your system for a little over three hours, while the extended-release version can remain in your system for between four and five hours. Through detox, your body can only fully rid itself of all traces of the drug after five half-life cycles.

What Is Percocet Withdrawal?

Percocet is a pain relief medication that contains both Acetaminophen and Oxycodone – both of which are potent pain relievers. Oxycodone is part of a category of drugs classified as an opioid or narcotic, due to its high rate of abuse and likelihood to give rise to dependency.

Suddenly quitting Percocet or trying to go ‘cold turkey’ after you have developed a physical dependence on the drug can lead to a variety of withdrawal symptoms. Some of which might be mild, while others can be fairly intense in nature. The more intense withdrawal symptoms are, the more difficult they will be to cope with – both physically and psychologically.

Going through Percocet detox and the resulting withdrawal can be quite a painful experience. This is why most addicts are unable to summon the courage to quit. However, the truth of the matter is that withdrawal symptoms are only temporary and soon as you are over them, you can focus on addiction rehab and living a healthier and more fulfilling life.

Causes of Percocet Withdrawal

Withdrawal is the combination of symptoms an addict experiences upon attempting to quit their drug of abuse. The symptoms are brought on by the body trying to adapt to the sudden chemical changes it is experiencing, whilst continuing to function without the influence of the abused substance.

Different classes of addictive substances usually have their own unique withdrawal symptoms. But for opioids like Percocet, its oxycodone component targets certain brain receptors and interferes with pain signals. The drug can also influence and interfere with the receptors related to your body’s breathing regulation – as well as the brain’s pleasure centres and reward system – by reshaping the chemical structure of your brain. Once you stop abusing Percocet, withdrawal symptoms will begin to manifest, as your brain’s receptors attempt to adapt to functioning without the effects of Percocet’s active components.

How you try quitting Percocet plays a big part in determining how intense the resulting withdrawal symptoms will be, and gradually weaning yourself off by tapering the dosage over time can mitigate the severity of withdrawal.

Another circumstance that can lead to withdrawal is using certain substances alongside Percocet that might interfere with its potency and negate its effects on your brain. Opioid agonists such as naltrexone, pentazocine, and butorphanol can have such an effect.

The Phases of Percocet Withdrawal

Typically, the Percocet withdrawal process can be broken into three stages; the early phase, the peak phase, and the late phase. Withdrawal symptoms often vary from phase to phase.

• Early withdrawal phase: During this phase, symptoms will be mostly physical, but you might also experience intense cravings, insomnia, anxiety, and restlessness. The other primary symptoms of the early phase closely resemble that of flu and include: watery eyes, sweating, runny nose, body pains, dilated pupils, involuntary twitching, chills, and goose bumps.
• Peak withdrawal phase: This phase is often reached within two to three days after the initial withdrawal symptoms. These can consist of increased severity of body pains and intensified flu-like symptoms. You might also experience abdominal cramping, vomiting, diarrhoea, elevated heart rate and breathing. Psychological symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, depression and cravings can also become more evident.
• Late withdrawal phase: By the seventh or tenth day, Percocet withdrawal symptoms should begin to dwindle, with physical symptoms reducing as the brain begins to naturally produce more neurotransmitters. This will lead to improved mood and a more positive mindset. Although you might still feel sluggish and fatigued, these symptoms will gradually fade in time. Long-term psychological complications such as anxiety and cravings might linger for a while longer, but this can be managed with rehab such as behavioural therapy.

Diarrhoea, vomiting, and excessive sweating can also lead to becoming dangerously dehydrated, as your body loses fluids and electrolytes. This can cause your heart to beat faster than normal and could even lead to a heart attack, as well as other circulatory problems. This is why it’s important to stay properly hydrated throughout detox in order to avoid such complications.

Other risks can include the danger of major depressive disorder and the urge to use more drugs. The intensity of cravings places you at risk of suffering a fatal overdose in the event you suffer a relapse. This is because detoxification reduces your tolerance and leads to your body being unable to handle the Percocet dose it was accustomed to before detox. Furthermore, severe depression can place you at risk of self-injury or even attempted suicide.

How high or low the risks associated with Percocet withdrawal are can be influenced by the following factors:

If you were using higher doses of Percocet more frequently and over a long period of time, your withdrawal symptoms will likely be more severe. This will in turn increase the risks of the process.

Percocet Withdrawal Symptoms: What to Expect

During Percocet detox, you can expect to experience a variety of withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can be both physical and psychological, and can be quite hard to bear if not properly managed. Some commonplace physical symptoms of Percocet withdrawal include:

Psychological symptoms that you might experience during Percocet withdrawal include:

Timeline of Percocet Withdrawal

How long it takes you to get through Percocet withdrawal is dependent on how long you were abusing the substance, as well as the dosage you were used to. However, there is a general timeline for a typical Percocet detox process, as seen below:

Regardless of how long it takes, it pays in the long run to stay committed to sobriety. We can help you achieve a lifetime of sobriety and happiness, where you don’t have to depend on the fleeting satisfaction of drugs.

Factors Influencing Withdrawal and Detox

Factors that can determine the duration and complexity of withdrawal and detox are diverse. Generally, such factors that influence the process for all Percocet addicts include:

1. Genetics: If you have a family history of substance abuse, chances are the withdrawal period will be tougher.
2. Brain chemistry: All our brains are wired differently and certain oddities within your psyche can lead to a complicated withdrawal process. For instance, if you have a psychological disorder or a shortage of neurotransmitters, or any co-occurring disorder, it can really complicate both the psychological and physical aspects of detox.
3. Environmental factors: Your environment might possess stressors and triggers that drive you to crave drugs. Examples of such environmental factors include peer pressure or easy access to opioids.
4. Physiology: Your body mass and how healthy you are can positively or negatively influence the withdrawal process.
5. Dosage: How high the Percocet doses were before you quit can also affect how intense your withdrawal symptoms will be. How frequently you were abusing the drug can also be an influencing factor.
6. Polydrug use: If you were combining Percocet with other substances to intensify its effects, you are likely to experience more severe withdrawal symptoms.

Medically Supervised Percocet Withdrawal Detox

It’s in your best interests to undergo Percocet withdrawal detox in a medical facility, such as a detox centre or hospital. This is because it’s where you can be provided a medically supervised Percocet withdrawal that helps you avoid most or even all the adverse symptoms.

Medication-assisted detox has grown in popularity over the years, because of how it reduces the discomforts that one would normally experience during detox. It is accomplished by a medical expert administering medications that will simulate the effects of Percocet in the brain and thus trick your system to believe you are still taking the drug. This in turn will significantly reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms. You can also be administered other medication to effectively manage symptoms such as diarrhoea and nausea.

Some of the prescription medication used during a medically supervised/assisted Percocet detox include:

Treatment for Withdrawal

Treatment for Percocet withdrawal can be provided either at an outpatient or inpatient treatment facility. Under an inpatient programme, a tapered approach to quitting Percocet can be followed. This method is generally preferred to the ‘cold turkey’ approach, because it leads to withdrawal symptoms being less severe. However, the cold turkey approach can still be used to care for addicts with less severe addiction symptoms.

Tapering or gradually reducing the amount of Percocet dosage will minimise withdrawal symptoms, allowing you to steadily get through detox. On the downside however, tapering can make withdrawal symptoms last longer by up to weeks or months.

For a more effective detox, a medication-assisted detox can be provided at an inpatient facility. This line of treatment will be provided alongside counselling and other forms of therapy to diagnose any co-occurring disorders, as well as help you heal physically and psychologically.

Drug treatment for withdrawal

Naloxone and Naltrexone can be described as opioid receptor blockers and are both effective at negating the effects of Percocet. Administering receptor blockers is useful, because it will prevent an addict from experiencing any of the desired effects of using Percocet.

FAQs

What Recovery Programme is Right for Me?

The recovery programme that is right for you is dependent mostly on the intensity of your addiction. If your addiction is less severe, an outpatient programme is more than capable of helping you make a full recovery. However, if addiction is severe, an inpatient programme is best.

Best results are often attained when inpatient and outpatient treatment programmes are combined. By evaluating you, our experts can recommend the best recovery programme for your condition. Contact us today for a quick and accurate evaluation.