Percocet is one of many brand-name prescription painkillers sweeping the country as part of the opioid epidemic. This particular medication combines the powerful opioid analgesic oxycodone with the pain reliever acetaminophen. While the painkiller works well for injury, post-surgical or other chronic pain, it frequently leads to dangerous Percocet abuse, physical addiction, and psychological dependence.

How Percocet Works

Little white pills in large doses may equal percocet abuse.Percocet changes how your brain recognizes pain. It doesn’t kill the pain but tricks your brain into feeling less of it. The medication achieves this by triggering chemical events in your body at your opioid receptors. These opioid receptors are where the neurotransmitter dopamine delivers feelings of pleasure and motivation.

Percocet’s high is similar to the high of heroin. It causes euphoria, a sense of calm, relaxation and increased pleasure. Psychological dependence begins from these pleasing effects and the desire to experience them more and more often.

You can tell when someone engages in Percocet abuse by looking for the drug’s telltale signs and symptoms. These signs and symptoms of Percocet abuse include:

  • Confusion and sleepiness
  • Headaches, light-headedness and tiny pupils
  • Slow breathing, sweating, and dry mouth
  • Constipation and vomiting

It is very important to recognize these signs of Percocet abuse and psychological dependence as early in the drug use as possible. Catching the cycle of opioid use early means you gain recovery for yourself or someone else before the situation worsens to physiological dependency or a Percocet addiction.

When you wonder if your loved one is exhibiting signs of Percocet abuse, look for behavioral changes, too. These changes in behavior present a red flag signaling your loved one has moved beyond psychological dependence to potential full-blown opioid addiction.

Behavioral Signs of Percocet Abuse

There are many behavioral signs accompanying drug use, psychological dependence or addiction. These signs can confirm your loved one is stuck in a cycle of Percocet abuse, needing help. One such sign is using more Percocet than prescribed, such as running out of pills before they should because of increasing the dose.

Using the Percocet differently than prescribed is another warning sign. A good example of this is crushing the tablets to snort or inject them. If your loved one chews, crushes, injects or snorts Percocet, they need help.

If your loved one sees multiple doctors for a Percocet prescription, this is a major sign of abusing the drug. This is “doctor shopping,” a common behavior in the opioid epidemic. Forging prescriptions is common, as well.

The more your loved one uses Percocet, the less effective the dose becomes. This tolerance means her or his body grew accustomed to the drug and needs more to feel the same high. Tolerance is a first sign that Percocet addiction is imminent if they continue using the medication.

Percocet Withdrawal

Percocet withdrawal is an important stage of recovery from addiction to the opioid. Without going through withdrawal, the addiction continues in its cycle of drug using and drug seeking.

If you suffer addiction to Percocet, you feel the Percocet withdrawal symptoms when you skip a dose or try to stop using the opioid. These effects are temporary, typically only lasting about a week in a professional detox. But they are not comfortable and may feel like a bad case of the flu. In a licensed detox center, professionals keep you comfortable, safe, healthy, and supported.

Help for Percocet Addiction in Jacksonville, Florida

If your loved one suffers from a Percocet addiction, he or she needs help ending this addiction. Recovery begins in detox and grows stronger through therapies, support and education gained in a licensed and accredited rehab center. Without rehab, opioid relapse is highly likely, whether the relapse is on the same drug, another prescription painkiller, or even heroin.

Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida provides strong recovery from Percocet addiction through the therapies and other treatment methods you need. Therapies at Beaches include holistic therapies, evidence-based practice, family therapy, group therapy, individual counseling and trauma therapy. Beaches Recovery offers both 12 step and non-12 step programs, so you find the program best suited to your lifestyle and needs.

The programs at Beaches Recovery include:

If you or someone you love suffers from physical or psychological dependence on Percocet, don’t wait to call Beaches Recovery for the help you need. Lasting recovery is possible after opioid addiction. Call Beaches Recovery now at 866.605.0532.