How Long Does a Percocet High Last?

Understanding the Percocet High and Comedown Timeline

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Percocet abuse is a slippery slope. Many people start out taking the drug because they have a chronic pain issue that requires relief, and the oxycodone component can help. However, the drug doesn’t have long-term effects and does lead to opioid addiction. How long does a Percocet high last?

Percocet has a short half-life of three to five hours. It usually leaves your system in 15 to 25 hours, but the high could last four to six hours before requiring another dose. This drug will stay in your system for three to four days (urine tests) but could be as short as 24 hours (blood tests). Hair tests show long-term drug use for up to ninety days.

Purpose Healing Center wants you to be able to live a life free of addiction. Our treatment options range from medical detox to outpatient care so you get the support you need most.

Here’s what you should know about a Percocet high and how it might impact your life.

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How Long Does a Percocet High Last?

Prescription medications can be a powerful tool to combat severe pain, but they won’t last indefinitely. The length of time that Percocet will stay in your system is based on a number of physiological factors and the science behind the combination medication. Here’s what you need to know about the high.

What is the Percocet Half-Life When Used for Chronic Pain?

If you’re using Percocet as prescribed without other substances, then you can determine how long the high will last based on the half-life of the drug. A half-life is the amount of time it takes for your body to reduce the amount of the drug in your system to half of its dose. This number varies from drug to drug.

Percocet has a relatively short half-life of just three to five hours.

That’s not to say that the drug is completely out of your system in three hours. It usually takes about five half-lives for the drug’s effects to reach your original baseline. That means that you might have Percocet in your system for about 15 to 25 hours.

How Long Does the High Last?

While it’s important to know when the drug will clear your system, it doesn’t necessarily tell you how long the high will last. Most people who take the drug, regardless of why, will experience the effects roughly an hour or two after taking Percocet.

They might feel the start of pain relief and maybe even some euphoria. This pleasant feeling will carry you for several hours, though you likely won’t feel the effects for the full 15 to 25 hours. Usually, doctors recommend taking another dose four to six hours later when used as prescribed.

The Effects of Taking Other Substances

Struggling with drug abuse often leads to the use of other substances to enhance the effects of the initial drug. For example, many people take their Percocet with alcohol but don’t really understand the risks and effects that it might have on their high.

When combining oxycodone and alcohol, you might find that you get a stronger high. This is appealing in the short term but might not be desirable in the long run. If you develop dependence on Percocet, it could be more likely that you’ll turn to another option when your drug of choice is unavailable.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s research shows that among people with prescription opioid addiction, 35 percent also have an alcohol use disorder. They might also turn to marijuana and other opioids like heroin.

How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your System?

Even though you know the half-life of the drug, you might have another concern: will it show up on a drug test? Percocet abuse can easily be detected with a simple screening, which could impact your employment, your healthcare, and more. Here’s what you should know about the most common tests.

Urine Drug Test: Most Popular with Moderate Detection Windows

Perhaps the most popular form of a drug test is the urine screening. It’s quick, simple, and inexpensive to run. Percocet will show up even on a basic panel due to the opioid in the drug. Typically, a urine test shows evidence of oxycodone in your system for three to four days after your last dose.

That’s not to say that all drug use will be out of your system in three to four days. Anyone who routinely takes Percocet (such as someone who has an addiction) may have a build-up in their system that takes longer to clear for a urine test.

Blood Tests: Shorter Detection Windows

Blood tests are a little less common than urine tests, but you might be lucky if this is the screening you must take. Urine tests have a much longer detection window than blood tests. Instead of showing the most recent use for days, blood only has a 24-hour window to detect Percocet.

Saliva Tests: Similar to Urine

Another non-invasive way that you might be tested for drug use is through your saliva. It takes just a minute to swab your mouth or collect a sample–no needles required. Like a urine screening, a saliva test may only show results for four days with chronic use.

If you don’t abuse the substance and take it just occasionally to treat moderate to severe pain, you might find that you get a negative result on your saliva test just 24 hours after your last dose.

Hair Tests: The Best Way to Determine Lasting Percocet Abuse

If someone really wants to get a clearer view of substance use, they might forgo a urine or blood test and opt for hair tests instead. Hair tests give the biggest detection window and can prove a history of Percocet addiction. It can take up to 90 days to eliminate Percocet from your hair.

What Does the Medical Reviewer Say About Opioid Dependence?

Medical Opinions About Opioid Dependence

Of course, the main issue with taking Percocet is that you run the risk of developing drug dependence. It’s important to look at the literature and see what the medical reviewer has to say about Oxycontin, which is the brand name of oxycodone and an extended-release version of the same drug.

According to the history of the drug, it was heavily marketed and advertised when it first hit the market. This led to a sharp increase in the number of people prescribed Percocet, taking the industry from $48 million to $1.1 billion in just four years.

Four years after that, it became clear that many people were abusing Percocet and developing physical dependence on it. But why is it so likely to lead to addiction?

Why Does Percocet Misuse Lead to Addiction?

Percocet is a powerful tool when used to treat chronic pain under a doctor’s orders. However, it comes with a high risk of physical dependence. It consists of both an opioid (your oxycodone component) and acetaminophen. While the latter doesn’t have any addictive properties, opioids do.

Specifically, oxycodone interacts with your opioid receptors to produce an analgesic effect, which is the reason the drug is great for severe pain relief. It also creates a mild euphoric Percocet high that people crave long after the drug leaves their system.

Over time, you can build up a tolerance to the effects of the drug. You’ll find yourself taking more and more to the point where you may be at risk for a Percocet overdose. Eventually, your body, brain, and nervous system will develop an addiction to the high, causing you to seek out addiction treatment.

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What to Expect from Percocet Withdrawal Symptoms

Unfortunately, you might have some issues when you decide that you want to conquer your addiction for good. There can be severe withdrawal symptoms that make you uncomfortable and put you in a vulnerable situation where you might turn back to drug use.

This opioid medication comes with some of these early withdrawal symptoms:

Agitation, anxiety, and restlessness
Muscle aches and pains
Watery eyes and runny nose
Insomnia and difficulty sleeping
Sweating
Yawning
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
Dilated pupils

While some of these symptoms are relatively benign, like yawning or a runny nose, that’s not to say that Percocet use has a mild recovery period. It can certainly be life-threatening with more severe effects, such as issues with the central nervous system. Withdrawal can also cause hypertension, hyperthermia, tachycardia, and more.

It’s best to attend a medical detox if you’re addicted to the opioid component of any drug.

What to Expect from a Medical Detox for Percocet Addiction

If you don’t want Percocet to stay in your system long-term, then it might be time to turn to a team of medical professionals who can help you recover. In a medical detox, we monitor every aspect of your early days of recovery, from impaired liver function to extreme withdrawal symptoms.

One of the perks of enrolling in a medical detox is that you gain access to around-the-clock care. Our team at Purpose Healing Center can offer medication-assisted treatment to make you comfortable as your body adjusts to not abusing Percocet.

We may be able to offer you something to help with nausea or insomnia, for example. However, you may also be eligible for other forms of medication-assisted treatment, such as the FDA-approved naltrexone,methadone, or buprenorphine.

Whether you need counseling or help battling a craving, our team is there for you day or night.

Transitioning to a Lower Level of Care

Percocet affects every person differently. Your response to addiction might be different from someone else, even if you both take the same substances. Purpose Healing Center understands that there should be a comprehensive and custom approach to helping you heal.

That’s why we offer a full continuum of care for all of our clients. We don’t just send you home after your medical detox. Instead, you can enroll in our residential treatment program. You can rest easy knowing that you’re in a safe space and take advantage of all the therapy our clinicians can offer.

If you need to return to your family or job, we also offer an outpatient program where you can attend the same sessions during the day but return home to sleep in your own bed at night. Usually, this is the preferred option when you graduate from residential.

Outpatient is a great way to transition back to normal routines while receiving support from our clinical team. We’ll monitor your progress and offer you the support needed to thrive.

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Seek Addiction Treatment at Purpose Healing Center

Are you ready to admit that your Percocet addiction is taking over your life?

Purpose Healing Center exists to help you break the habit of taking prescription painkillers to cope with the stresses of day-to-day life. We believe that there’s a better way to approach life without the use of substances, and we offer treatment programs that teach you how to handle cravings and drug use.

Our enrollment team is ready and waiting to answer your questions, verify your insurance benefits, and help you find a bed in our program today. Give us a call to see how we can help you start to live sober.