Recovering from a Percocet addiction means stopping the medication completely. However, this should never be attempted on your own, outside of medical supervision. Doing so can result in serious withdrawal symptoms that are difficult to manage on your own.

Some examples of common opioid withdrawal symptoms include:

• Difficulty sleeping at night
• Having an almost constant runny nose
• Aches and pains in your muscles
• Onset of restless legs
• Stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting
• Agitation and irritability
• Excessive yawning
• Onset of diarrhea
• Hot or cold sweats
• Tearing of the eyes
• Muscle aches and pains

These and other withdrawal symptoms usually cause people to go back to using opioid drugs. They don’t know the proper way to relieve them otherwise.

Going to a Percocet detox facility can help you by protecting you from relapsing and possibly overdosing. It can also provide you with relief for these uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. This gives you a much better chance of being successful in your recovery.

The withdrawal timeline for Percocet is going to vary from individual to individual. Factors like unique genes and physiology, addiction severity and duration, and access to professional support will all come into play.

As a result, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly how long a person’s withdrawal will last.

However, just like other opioids, Percocet withdrawal breaks down into two phases, each with their own unique symptoms. According to MedlinePlus, these phases are as follows:

Early symptoms of withdrawal include:

• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Muscle aches
• Increased tearing
• Insomnia
• Runny nose
• Sweating
• Yawning

Late symptoms of withdrawal include:

• Abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea
• Dilated pupils
• Goose bumps
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Usually, the specific timeframe for detoxing from Percocet looks similar to this:

• Day 1: Your early symptoms will begin within the first 12 to 24 hours. This is based on the amount of time Percocet stays in your system. At first, they should be fairly mild and easy for you to manage without much assistance.
• Day 2: Your withdrawals will start to become worse. You may notice new symptoms that you didn’t have the day before.
• Day 3: You will be approaching the peak of withdrawal by this point. You may have all of the common detox symptoms and feel very uncomfortable.
• Days 4-5: Your symptoms will begin to improve. Some will disappear completely, whereas others will still be there, but they’ll be less bothersome.
• Days 6-7: More symptoms will resolve and you’ll start to feel like yourself again. However, you may still have periods of time when they become worse, or reappear.

Yes, it is. Even more so than professional detoxification programs.

That’s because rehab gets to the underlying cause of an addiction. And when this underlying problem isn’t addressed, it means the addict will likely keep on returning to substance abuse time and time again – even if the physical side is overcome with detoxification.

In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse bluntly states that rehab is a critical part of any recovery program. It says:

“ …medical detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use.”

Without the help of a rehabilitation program, then, detoxification doesn’t really do any good to ensure long-term sobriety.

Is rehabilitation necessary, then? Yes, it certainly is.

In order to treat the underlying compulsive behaviors of an addiction, a Percocet rehabilitation program will likely employ the use of several different kinds of treatments. The three most common found in most programs are one-on-one counseling, group talk sessions, and behavioral therapies. 

One-on-One Counseling – This type of therapy will likely be a major part of most treatment plans. By talking individually with a counselor, patients will be able to analyze their personal reasons for their Percocet abuse. Maybe they’re self-medicating an underlying mental disorder. Or they could have a hard time dealing with the normal day-to-day stresses of life. Or maybe they have some sort of emotional trauma that they just haven’t dealt with yet. 

A personal counselor will help bring these problems to the surface so patients can examine them and find a better way to cope with them that doesn’t involve substance abuse. 

Group Talk Sessions – Following in the footsteps of 12-step groups like AA and NA, many Percocet rehab programs will also use group talk sessions to get patients to open up about their experiences that led to substance abuse. This format is also helpful because it allows patients to learn from the lives of others and to gain a new perspective on their own problems. 

Plus, group talk sessions can also help patients develop a strong social support network that can end up lasting a lifetime. And that can be an integral part of staying clean and preventing relapse. 

Behavioral Therapies –These treatments are designed to focus specifically on real-world skills to help patients overcome powerful cravings and avoid unexpected triggers. Essentially, they provide the tools to build a new and drug-free life. 

There are a number of behavioral therapies endorsed by NIDA, including: 

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Contingency Management Interventions/Motivational Incentives
• Community Reinforcement Approach Plus Vouchers
• Motivational Enhancement Therapy
• The Matrix Model

Among those with a substance use problem, co-occurring disorders are incredibly common.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, half of all addicts will also suffer from a mental disorder. And in that same vein, half of people who struggle with a mental disorder will also have a substance use disorder as well.

To give some perspective, only about 1 in 5 Americans will suffer from a mental disorder at some time in their lives. That means that addicts are more than twice as likely to have a problem like this compared to the rest of the population.

They are, then, especially common – which is all the more reason why an addiction treatment facility should be equipped to diagnose and treat a co-occurring disorder.

When it comes to co-occurring disorders, both the addiction and the underlying mental disorder have to be treated at the same time.

That’s because in most cases, both of these disorders are intertwined. And when only one is treated and the other still remains, it’s much more likely that the patient will end up relapsing.

For instance, if a patient is struggling with depression or anxiety, they may start abusing Percocet for the relaxation and euphoria that it provides. But if the Percocet use disorder is treated using a professional program, that depression or anxiety will still remain. And more likely than not, the patient will end up turning back to using to treat the symptoms – just like they did in the first place.

Now, treating co-occurring disorders can be quite a bit harder than treating an addiction on its own. But doing so properly with a qualified dual diagnosis program is the only way to ensure the absolute best outcome and long-term sobriety.

It’s possible that while you know you probably take too much Percocet, you’re not really sure that you’re addicted. In fact, you actually feel in control of your drug use, and you’re sure you can stop taking it if you really wanted to.

There are some signs of addiction you can look for to determine whether or not you should consider getting recovery help. These include:

• You’re crushing and snorting, or injecting your medications
• You’re taking too much of it at one time to get some relief from your symptoms
• You’re doctor shopping in an attempt to get more of your medication
• You’re purchasing the drug illegally
• You’ve stolen it from someone in your family, or from a friend
• You’re mixing it with alcohol or other drugs in an attempt to enhance the high.

Any one of these indicates that you may have an addiction, and you should seriously consider going to rehab to get help. However, you may still be unsure even after looking at this list. If that’s the case, you may want to take a prescription drug addiction quiz.

This quiz has very detailed questions. It will cover many different areas of your life, and it’s important to be honest with your answers. You may find that you do have a Percocet addiction that needs to be addressed.

If taking a quiz doesn’t help, you may need to speak with a professional. Many Percocet treatment programs offer free phone assessments. This will allow you to explain your drug use to someone who understands addiction. They will be able to tell you more, and recommend rehab for you, if necessary.

This is a difficult question to answer because everyone is so different. There are people who take Percocet for years, but who never become dependent on it. There are others who take it for just a few years and end up feeling like they can’t live without it.

When you take any type of opioid medication for a long period of time, it changes the chemistry of your brain. In as soon as 30 seconds, this drug reaches your brain. Once it gets there, it binds to your opioid receptors. This triggers a flood of dopamine that helps you feel better. Many people experience sensations of euphoria when this occurs. Your brain will release dopamine on other occasions as well, but it releases more when you’re taking a drug like Percocet.

There are some individuals who crave this dopamine response. This is what makes the drug addictive.

Percocet can be so addictive for some people because the brain begins to think it needs more of it. It starts to believe that getting more of the drug is the only way to recreate that positive experience. As a result, it immediately starts to urge you to take more doses.

As time goes on, with continued opioid use, the brain gets used to that flood of dopamine. People find that they build a tolerance very quickly when it comes to opioid medications. This means that their usual doses start to be less effective. To compensate for this, they will take larger amounts.

It usually isn’t long before the brain becomes dependent on the opioid medication for dopamine. It doesn’t release it on its own anymore. As a result, people continue taking the drug in order to feel happy, or even to feel normal. It’s at this point that addiction is in place.

It’s important to know the difference between substance abuse and addiction. Sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing.

If you’re someone who is abusing an opioid medication like Percocet, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re addicted. It does mean that you’re misusing it in some way. This could mean many different things, such as:

• You’ve been taking the drug for longer than you should.
• You’re purchasing it illegally, either on the street or online.
• You’re taking it in a way that’s different than simply swallowing pills (for example, crushing and snorting it).
• You’re taking it with alcohol or other drugs to enhance the high it produces.
• You’re using it purely for its euphoric effects, and not for its pain-relieving qualities

The difference between abuse and addiction is that someone who is abusing it can usually stop any time. They don’t feel compelled to use it, and they do it because it’s enjoyable for them.

Once you become addicted, you’ll take Percocet because you feel you need to. Addicts tend to think about their drug of choice almost all the time. They’re always careful to be sure they have plenty of it on hand. It eventually will become the most important part of their lives.

Most of the time, people who abuse Percocet tend to focus on the positives of the drug. They see it as something that will relieve their pain, and/or produce euphoria. What they don’t realize is that abusing an opioid medication is going to result in potentially serious side effects.

It’s possible that you might experience some or all of the following Percocet abuse side effects:

• Frequent mood swings
• Bouts of depression
• Confusion
• Increased fatigue along with insomnia
• A reduction in your breathing rate
• Excessive sweating
• Problems with coordination
• A low blood pressure

Everyone responds to this drug differently. There are those who will appear to be high or even hyper in the way they act. There are others who may act sedated or need to sleep all the time.

It is often prescribed for any number of reasons related to pain. It’s often the go-to choice for people who have just been through major surgery. This is because it acts quickly to provide them with the pain relief they need. This applies to all types of surgery, including C-sections, back surgeries, and knee replacements.

However, there are other types of pain that may result in a prescription for this opioid drug as well. It’s a commonly prescribed medication for people who are involved in pain clinics. It may also be given to treat toothaches or migraine headaches.

The problem isn’t that this medication is being prescribed. It’s more that it’s being given out so often when it might not be needed. For example, consider this story about a woman who was prescribed 90 Percocet pills for mild knee pain. She was appalled at the amount of medication she was given, even after the pharmacy refused to fill the full prescription. She still came home with 42 of them, when she said her pain was about a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Even if you take the recommended dosage of Percocet, you should expect it to make you drowsy. One of the more common side effects is fatigue and sleepiness. Unfortunately, sometimes people can grow reliant on this effect, and it becomes one of the main reasons they take it.

As time goes by, you may find that it doesn’t work as well for sleep as it did in the beginning. Even if you increase your dosage, many times people will begin to experience insomnia. They may feel tired, but be unable to fall asleep as easily as they once did.

For many people, adding alcohol seems like the logical choice when they want to enhance the effects of Percocet. What they may not realize is that the combination of the two can be very dangerous. This is mostly due to the fact that both carry risks of respiratory depression. When you drink and take this opioid medication together, there are even more risks of breathing problems.

Your breathing may become very shallow and irregular. Eventually, it might just stop. This might happen while you’re asleep, so you won’t know it’s taking place. The result is possible oxygen deprivation, which can cause your organs to shut down. It’s possible to die if you drink while taking this medication at the same time.

When you’re comparing oxycodone vs. Percocet, it’s important to know the differences between them.

Oxycodone, for example, is the core chemical opioid compound. It’s the ingredient used in drugs like OxyContin. And Percocet is actually made up of oxycodone, but with an added bit of acetaminophen – the pain reliever found in Tylenol.

Both may be comparable in strength, but the addition of acetaminophen often results in Percocet being stronger than just oxycodone.

Percocet is known as the strongest combination prescription pain medication. It provides quicker pain relief than Oxycodone does. This may be because of the anti-inflammatory properties of the acetaminophen in the drug.

Most people would prefer to take Percocet over any other type of prescribed medication. It’s shown to work well, and it starts working very quickly too.