Until one has experienced severe pain caused by injury or illness, no one should judge a person for taking strong painkillers. Often, symptoms of a condition such as neuropathy or the effects of a major accident are so intense they interfere with a person’s ability to perform normal, daily functions and only a painkiller will help.
Without such drugs, an individual would be rendered incapable of doing the most ordinary things, and this could result in an altered personality. This affects everyone. A pill like Percocet is the painkiller of choice among numerous doctors trying to help patients cope with pain.
Bottles of pills, close-up
What is Percocet?
When you combine over-the-counter acetaminophen with oxycodone, the result is an effective opioid or narcotic drug only available legally with a prescription and prescribed cautiously by responsible doctors. Percocet is one brand name; there are several, all of them providing the same result: relief from serious pain. Taken as prescribed, these are highly effective and safe.
Who Should Not Take Percocet?
It is extremely important that a patient not assume his doctor will be aware of his entire medical history, especially anything that has gone unreported or is buried deep in a long history of medical treatment. Your doctor does not remember every medication he has prescribed and is capable of missing something like a past history of respiratory problems.
If you have been suffering with gastric complaints but not told your doctor, now is the time to let him know. Individuals with asthma and other breathing issues will probably not be prescribed this drug. Those suffering from gastrointestinal issues should reveal these before taking Percocet or any other narcotic because medication can cause symptoms to become more severe according to pharmacists.
Side Effects of Taking Percocet
Even if you don’t suffer from illnesses related to the stomach or lungs, it is possible to experience distressing side effects while taking any prescription medication. The question is always whether the side effects are more distressing or dangerous than the condition which led you to take the drug.
Breathing problems, dizziness, nausea, and itchiness are common complaints. Never take more medication to deal with these side effects before talking to a pharmacist first. Find out if antihistamines taken to stop itching or relieve a rash might interact with Percocet. There might be a safer approach.
Patients sometimes lose their appetite, their interest in activities they once loved, or even stop feeling anything at all for a period of time. Drugs like these frequently interfere with moods. Extreme emotions, however, such as panic or deep depression should be addressed quickly.
Addiction to Percocet and other Narcotics
Painkiller addiction has become the “middle class” addiction of the early 21st century. While stereotypes often suggest that substances are commonly abused by this or that class, the reality is that if you can’t afford a prescription for painkillers, it’s much harder to become addicted.
Moreover, prescriptions are some people’s first introduction to narcotic use; an introduction that might never have happened to someone with a stable home life and emotional state if it hadn’t been for a car accident or surgical procedure.
There are men and women in all areas of society who would never have considered taking drugs; they had too much common sense to experiment with heroin, LSD, crack cocaine, or meth. These individuals approached opiates with extreme caution. Later on, in spite of their common sense and good judgment, they developed reliance on these pills to fight pain.
Chemical Addiction
The human body is a miraculous and complex organism. It produces the chemicals needed to fight moderate pain, balance moods, digest food, and perform many other functions, but all in moderation. When extreme situations arise, however, a little bit of help goes a long way.
Unfortunately, taking narcotics for too long or at too-high a dose will cause the body to rely on this external source of painkilling medication as it ceases to produce its own pain-fighting drugs. Restoring normal order takes time, during which a person will experience withdrawal.
Withdrawal is a sign that one can no longer cope with pain naturally. Reducing the dose of a painkiller slowly is strongly advised rather than quitting out-right, all at once. A slow weaning process can prevent the worst sort of withdrawal experience so that one’s body can learn to produce the necessary chemicals and, if necessary, a patient has the opportunity to learn new methods of coping with extraordinary discomfort or pain such as undergoing massage therapy, learning to pray through pain, hydrotherapy, alternative herbs, or physiotherapy.
Recovery
When a person is unable to withdraw successfully or has started buying Percocet from illegal sources, intervention and rehabilitation might be needed. Medical detox is sometimes needed during which time a doctor supervises cleansing and potentially prescribes other medications to cope with agitation, headaches, and nausea.
After a period of time, in- or out-patient counseling is a good idea and should be tailored to the individual’s needs. Substance abuse triggered by a purely physical incident will probably respond well to out-patient services while someone with mental illness might require an in-depth residential approach.
About Jake Hansen
Jake is a marijuana advocate and voice of the people who are for the legalization of marijuana. As the webmaster, all views, opinions, and reviews on this website are based on his personal experiences. He hopes to educate people as well as help them find the best methods to pass drug tests.
