A Comprehensive Guide to Percocet Withdrawal
Percocet is a prescription opioid painkiller that combines oxycodone and acetaminophen to relieve moderate to severe pain. Percocet is a combination drug containing the opioid agonist oxycodone, which affects the body’s central nervous system, and acetaminophen, an analgesic (pain reliever).
Percocet binds to opiate receptors in the body and brain and relieves various chronic pain symptoms that could otherwise make it difficult for you to sleep, work, or function normally.
What Is Percocet Withdrawal?
Withdrawal from Percocet is a process that occurs when someone stops using this drug. It can occur quickly and without warning, which means withdrawal symptoms are often severe and can last for weeks.
When Percocet leaves the body, it can be reabsorbed, leaving you with a lower tolerance for opioids. This means that you may experience withdrawal symptoms if you try to use Percocet again.
How Long Does Withdrawal Take?
The length of time it takes to withdraw from an opioid is different for every person. This is because each individual experiences withdrawal differently. Some people may withdraw quickly and experience symptoms within a day or two of their last dose, but for others, it may take longer.
The length of time it takes to withdraw from Percocet depends on the amount taken and how often you were taking the drug. Excessively high or long-term users of an opioid may take longer to withdraw because their bodies may have become dependent on the drug.
Signs of Withdrawal From Percocet
You need to get medical help as soon as possible if you notice any of these withdrawal symptoms:
• Abdominal pain or cramping
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Back pain
• Bladder pain
• Constant nausea
• Convulsions
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Extreme restlessness
• Extreme sweating
Things to Remember When Helping Someone Through Withdrawal
• Be supportive: Anger and blame are never helpful during withdrawal. Instead, be supportive and understand what your friend or family member is going through. Listen to their feelings, and let them know you are there for them.
• Be realistic: Withdrawal from Percocet is often more intense than the average opioid withdrawal. This means it can be more challenging for the person to cope with the symptoms, resulting in depression or anxiety.
• Be patient: It can take time for someone to experience the different stages of withdrawal. Be patient, and let your loved one know you are there for them.
• Be careful what you say: While you want to support the Percocet user during withdrawal, watch what you say. You don’t want to add to their guilt or shame.
Levels of Care in Addiction Treatment
If you were a Percocet user, and the symptoms of withdrawal are too much for you to handle, don’t hesitate to seek treatment. Percocet is a powerful pain medication. However, much safer options are available to help you deal with your pain. There are several levels of care during addiction treatment. These include:
Early Intervention Services
The first step to getting through withdrawal is entering a drug treatment program. The sooner you enter a treatment program, the sooner you can start working on your Percocet withdrawal symptoms. If you begin to experience withdrawal from Percocet, you will want to enter an early intervention drug treatment program. This type of program can assist with your withdrawal by keeping you safe from any dangers associated with drug use and helping you address any mental health issues you may be experiencing.
Outpatient Services
If you are in an outpatient treatment program, you will be able to continue your life as usual. But you will also be under the care of a treatment professional who can monitor you for any withdrawal symptoms and connect you with resources that may be helpful for you in your recovery. Outpatient treatment programs can also provide you with medications, such as naloxone, to help with withdrawal symptoms. Naloxone is a medication that can help get you through Percocet detox, and it is also used to prevent people from going through opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Intensive Outpatient/Partial Hospitalization Services
These programs are slightly more intensive since you will be living at home while receiving outpatient/partial hospitalization care. You will be able to continue your everyday life under the supervision of a treatment professional.
Residential/Inpatient Services
Residential/inpatient treatment programs are the most intensive level of care you can receive when going through withdrawal. In an inpatient program, you will benefit from a combination of therapy and medications to get you through withdrawal. This care is only for a short period, usually four to 10 days. You will be under the supervision of a physician, psychiatrist, or other medical professional while you are in an inpatient program.
Clinically Managed Low-Intensity Residential Services
These are prescribed for clients who would benefit from a lower level of care than the traditional higher-intensity program offerings. This highly individualized treatment approach allows you to move at your own pace through a treatment regimen that is structured yet flexible.
Clinically Managed High-Intensity Residential Services
The level of care creates an intensive, highly monitored recovery experience for adults seeking a life of sobriety. This level of care includes individual counseling, case management, education, and medication management services.
Medically Monitored Intensive Inpatient Services
Intensive inpatient programs are similar to outpatient programs, except that you are admitted to a hospital for a limited amount of time. Intensive outpatient programs help you get through withdrawal by treating any unpleasant symptoms and providing medications to help with your departure.
Mental Health and Addiction Therapies
These clinical practices help individuals and their families manage mental health, mental illness, and addictive behaviors. There are several cognitive and addiction therapies to assist with withdrawal.
Psychotherapy
If you have a mental health issue or a substance use disorder, treatment may include therapy sessions in which you talk with a therapist. Psychotherapy can help you identify and cope with problems that may have led to your substance use, such as anxiety, stress, or depression. It can also help you identify coping skills and healthy ways to deal with these issues.
Individual Therapy
In individual therapy, you and your therapist work together to address your substance use and mental health issues. Your therapist may ask you questions about your substance use and mental health. This is an open dialogue between you and your therapist.
Group Therapy
In group therapy, you meet with other people with substance use disorders and mental health issues. This can help you:
• Identify patterns in your substance use and mental health
• Discuss your substance use and mental health in a safe environment
• Build relationships and support networks
• Develop a personal recovery plan
Intensive Therapy
In intensive therapy, you live in a residential setting while receiving psychotherapy and other therapy services. This can help you build coping skills and a support network to help you through tough times. Depending on your needs, you may receive individual, group, or couples therapy. This may prevent you from using drugs or alcohol when you’re not at the facility.
Online Therapy
Many online therapy services offer affordable plans with quality service. In the Percocet withdrawal timeline, you meet with a therapist through video or audio sessions. This may be a good option if you prefer communicating online. It’s also easy to switch between online and in-person sessions.
Behavioral Therapies
When you’re addicted to prescription painkillers, behavioral therapies are often recommended. These therapies have proven to be very effective at helping people change behaviors that led to opioid addictions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Rather than help you uncover the underlying causes of your symptoms and problems, this type of therapy focuses on helping you swap destructive behaviors for healthier ones. CBT helps you find links between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT teaches specific skills that can help people change how they think and act. The skills of DBT are based on the idea that our problems result from poor coping behaviors, leading to emotional instability and difficulties in relationships and areas of life.
Habit Reversal Training
This type of behavioral therapy aims to change how you think about and deal with unwanted behaviors. Habit Reversal Training can help with anxiety, depression, tics, Tourette syndrome, self-injury, gambling, eating disorders, and other behavioral problems that can lead to Percocet use disorder.
Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)
REBT is based on the idea that feelings play a crucial part in influencing people’s behavior. The cognitive approach focuses on the way individuals interpret, understand, and respond to events in their lives. When people have dysfunctional emotions, it leads them to act in unconstructive ways that ultimately increase their suffering and problems. An emphasis on unconditional self-acceptance is at the heart of REBT.
Cognitive Therapies
Cognitive therapies explain how the human mind works and provide practical tools to help change the habitual negative thoughts, feelings, and behavior of a person experiencing mental distress.
Cognitive Remediation Therapy
Rehabilitation therapists focus on building skills that enable clients to lead fuller lives. CRT is designed to help people use techniques that improve attention, processing speed, and complex reasoning skills. It is combined with concrete activities that build a wide range of individualized functional skills.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
MI is a technique used to encourage change in people’s behaviors and emotions. It is a short-term therapy that helps people overcome their opioid addiction. MI focuses on getting you to want to change by using a counselor’s motivational skills to get you to practice new behaviors outside of therapy. It is often used with medicines to provide more comprehensive treatment.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on exploring the root cause of one’s behaviors. Studying your thought patterns, past events, and relationships is a way to uncover the underlying causes of your behaviors. This can help you understand why you misuse drugs and why you might relapse.
Mindfulness Therapies
Many experimental therapies for various diseases and conditions involve stimulating or inhibiting brain cells via an electric current. A device generates a current within the nervous system by direct electrical contact with the skin.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps individuals to be present in their current situations and experience the full range of emotions that may arise with richer meaning. It provides individuals with skills to lead better, more fulfilling lives. ACT asserts that people are not separate from their outer environments. The goal is to become fully aware of your situation and to live authentically according to your values and in harmony with them.
ACT deals with therapeutic principles like being aware and accepting of your thoughts and actions and redirecting attention instead of fighting against it. The treatments have been proven effective in treating stress, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, pain syndromes, and substance abuse problems.
Experimental Therapies
Experimental therapies are being developed that involve stimulating brain cells using electric currents. These rapidly changing electric currents affect injury sites and interfere with nerve cell communication. These experimental therapies have shown many promising results.
Alternative and Holistic Therapies
Alternative and holistic therapies are different from conventional treatments. They consider all aspects of an individual’s health at once. This includes relaxation techniques (meditation), herbal remedies, diet changes, and stress management skills.
If you want to get off Percocet, you know that your body will have to go through some challenging withdrawal stages. Our goal is to help you understand what is in store if you decide to quit. These withdrawal timelines are based on academic research, user-submitted data, personal experience, and feedback from our support community.
