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percoset and/or alcohol
by Julie, Dec 01, 2000 12:00AM
I have just discovered the fact that my 17 yr old teen recently tried percoset. I know it is his intention to take the drug again and in conjunction w/ alcohol. He is not aware that I know. How long does the drug stay in one's system? Can we, as parents, buy a drug test to randomly give him? How dangerous is this drug? How can we tell if he is under the influence?
Dan..
One way to tell if he's high on percoset, look at his pupils(eyes). They will be pinpointed. He may also be very manic, mouthy, and slurring depending on how much is in his system. He may have spells of vomiting if drinking alcohol with them- I sure do. Nodding out in the middle of a conversation is a really bad sign as well. You better get this boy under control quick before the law gets a hold of him.
Sorry to hear about your son, but the good news is he has a Mother who cares enough to notice and seek information about the drug he is taking.
Percocet is a combination of acetominophen (sp?) or tylenol, and Oxycodone. It is a pretty strong narcotic pain reliever - not nearly as strong as Morphine, Demerol, Fentanyl, Dilaudid, etc. - but a big jump from Darvon/Darvocet, or Codiene; and a little stronger than Hydrocodone (as in Vicodin). It is typically prescribed for pretty high levels of pain - such as the relief of pain after breaking a bone or bones, or after surgery or maybe child birth - and not usually more than one time/prescription, and usually 12-30 pills in the scrip, because it is highly addictive and pretty strong for someone with no tolerance for narcotics.
It is considered more dangerous by the law too - as an example, it is classified Schedule II, the highest group of 'legal' drugs, based on potential for addiction and abuse, with Morphine, Demerol, Diluadid, etc. Only Heroin, Cocaine, and Crack (Schedule I) carry more severe penalties for possession. (Penalties for possession of Schedule III and IV drugs such as Valium, Vicodin, Codiene, Darvocet, etc., are not nearly as severe.)
It's effect on people can vary - for most people it gives a warm, happy feeling all over, energy, and a pretty decent feeling in general. It comes on strong, usually in 30-45 minutes, and the good feeling to new users can last anywhere from 2 to 6 hours or even 8.
Alcohol i combo can intensify the feeling, but often makes a person sick too. I dont have much experience here - maybe someone else does??
The narcotic in Percocet comes in many forms. Pecocets themselves come in different strengths (2.5 mg Oxycodone, 5mg, etc.). There's also Percodan - which is the same thing except it has aspirin instead of tylenol combined with the Oxycodone. There's generics for both. All are usually a little bigger than a straight tylenol, and can be white, blue, yellow - maybe other colors too that I haven't seen, Name Brand says Percocet and the strength, but generics do not. Cost of typically $5-10 each pill on "the street".
If he likes the Percocet, watch for Oxycontin - which is Oxycodone in a time release version (chewed up,it hits right away). Oxycontin comes in strengths of up to 160mg of Oxycodone in a single pill (80mg or 160mg can kill someone without a high tolerance!). They are tiny round pills, and say "OC" on one side, and the strength onnthe other. 10mgs are white, 20mg pink, 40mg yellow, 80mg blue.green, and 160mg is blue and oblong. Cost is really high on these. Hope he never tries them, because they are tought to get away from once started.
The downside is, the feeling is pretty good - but over time, it takes more and more of the drug to get the same feeling again. Some say the good feeling you get the first time is never able to be duplicated - but I disagree....it just takes a lot more to get there... It's definately an addictive drug, relatively expensive, and regular users become dependent on it pretty quickly. Stopping taking it after regular use for even 3-4 weeks can lead to withdrawal, which can be like having the worst flu ever, for days or even weeks. People dependent on Oxycodone may go to extremes to avoid this, and do things they never would consider otherwise to get the drug.
Technically, the drug is out of your system in 72 hours - that's about how long a drug test will show it. You might be suspicious if he is unusually happy and talkative. When the drug wears off, he may sweat - even in Winter when it's cold. These are some signs to look for, but not always present and not always the result of Percocet. Like Dan said, pupils do get diolated - that's the only real givaway.
Deendence on this drug is a scarey thing. Even though out of the system in 72 hours, for a regular user the mental addiction can still make you sick for a long time more.
Even if your son doesnt become addicted, and only uses it a few times, it's STILL nothing to mess around with. Look up the State Code for where you live on the Internet and read him the laws and penalties. It;s scary, and Percocet is a drug the law focuses on. Where your son may get away with a few Vicodin or Codeine, Percocet will get the attention of the law if he gets caught!
As an example, in my state if you possess (without a legit prescription) more than 25 times the daily dose (or 100 pills total), there is a MANDATORY MINIMUM 2 year prison term with no parole. 5 times to 24 times (25-99 pills) carries "assumed prison time". As little as a few pills can still be a felony.
I hope I included enough about this to help you deal with your son and head off this before it becomes a problem. Trust me, he doesnt want the problems that come along with the drug!!
Please write back and let us know how he is doing. I'll say a prayer for you and him.
Tom
The trouble with the Narcotics is this: I was watching Loveline (a show on MTV that deals with sex issues) and on there they have an Addiction Medicine Specialist called Dr. Drew. A caller told Dr. Drew that he had discovered a new aphrodisiac that made him last for 2-3 hours in bed. As soon as he told Drew that it was a Percocet combined with a couple of beers, Drew got onto him and explained it better than I've ever heard it explained. He said that it starts out with "Oh, I take a Percocet and I feel great and can last longer in bed" or "I can take a Percocet, feel great, and clean the whole house" and eventually the user gets to where he depends on the Percocet to do just about everything and wants to feel great all the time. The same can be said with most narcotics. As anyone on here will tell you it is a vicious cycle and it is NOT to be taken lightly. If he has "discovered" Percocet it is just a matter of time before Oxycontin comes into the picture. Tom put it very well in his post. Just please please please, Julie, try to find a way to nip this in the bud before it goes any farther. Be careful and keep hope alive. 3-D