percocet addiction

[BaloneyMe]

I have a friend who has been taking percocet every night for the past five years or so. She is up to seven a night(not sure of the milligrams). She works for a surgeon and  just calls the prescriptions in. My question is "how is her thinking affected during the day while she's not actively using? "She feels she is completely unaffected til she's taken them at night. I see her as very diiferent. She is forgetful and condescending in our conversations. What changes occur after long term use, even if its 12 hours , or more, after using? Thank you.

[notmenow!]

Her first step to remission is to realize that, Opioid addiction is a treatable chronic disease of the brain. And yes it does do damage to the brain, However this damage can stopped and she can put her disease into remission only. She will remain an addict for the rest of her life. Like other diseases such as diabetis or cancer there is treatment but complete recovery is not attainable at this time. However there is help for her in a drug called suboxone which has allowed users of opiates to recover slowly and taper down to a level to make her final attempt at remission attainable.
To learn more on this disease visit the following web site: www.naabt.org Here you will get professional answers to this disease. Order the free introductory kit that comes with a free CD that explains how the drug suboxone works, Once she commits to recovery she will not have to go through the horrific withdrawal she would experience if she were to try and detox on her own, The site is run by M.D. who specialize in addiction recovery. Please check it out for her sake and order the free kit, All the names and information are held in strict confidence as required by law. Getting her this free info kit which arrives in about 7-10 days in a plain envelope is well worth the time and effort. You are a good friend in helping to prepare for her future problems. Even if the DR. does retire she may be so confident in calling in medications. She will get busted sooner or later-----NOAH

[Lotsatrout]

She may feel like she's going to die as the withdrawls will not be fun in any way, shape, or form.  In fact, a lot of people don't make it through the WD's the first time around because it can be very agonizing.  I'm telling ya though... if she can make it past the first 3-4 days the battle will bet MUCH easier but it won't be over.  

Trout

[Lotsatrout]

no... not on Percocet.  I just quit all at once off the same drug.  I was taking upt to 60mg a day.  They were the big boys...  10/325.  Today is my 5th day off of them and I can tell you that I am a different person.  There is no risk of death or anything like that when withdrawing off of opiates.  However, other substances can be VERY dangerous to quit cold turkey such as xanax.  If percocet is the only thing she's popping then she can quit cold turkey, be miserable for 3-4 days, and then be a changed person who is not under the influence of opiates.  

[BaloneyMe]

Thank you so much for you input - it gives me hope for her....Is It dangerous to her to stop all at once as she says she's going to?

[Lotsatrout]

sorry....  I meant "within"....  Jeez what's up with my typing this morning?  

Trouuuuut

[Lotsatrout]

sorry.....  "if she has a Percocet habit and quits you will SEE some changes in HER withing a week".  Sorry about the typos

[Lotsatrout]

If you haven't seen signs of withdrawls and she has no "labido" and is constipated then she is difinitely a 24/7 user.  She is not just using in the evening.  That's the only time that you know about... that's all.  

Our brains change after using drugs for a period of time.  We think differently and we rationalize differently than we would when we are sober.  I hope this answers your question....  When we get clean and give our bodies time to "recover" from the temporary damage we have caused by using drugs our bodies do eventually regulate.  There may be some drugs such as methamphetamine that may cause permanent damage but if she has a Percocet habit and quits you will some changes in here within a week and even more as time goes on.  

I was a different person 2-3 days after I quit.

Trout

[BaloneyMe]

thank you for responding. actually she is not a nurse, she does office work but she and her"friend" are the only ones who totally run this cosmetic surgeon's office. She sleeps til 11:00-11:30 in the a.m. and doesn't go in to the office until 1-2 o'clock. She has carte blanche with her office manager. Not that she couln't be lying about using during the day( she just admitted recently she never stopped for any period of time) even though she told me that.My question is more about hte behavioral and personality changes that take place and if they are irreparable. Oh and the other thing is this physician is retiring in summer '08. She plans on just quitting at that time. I'm afraid she will really put herself in danger by doing that. I can't seem to get through to her. Is there any way to help her? Or do I just let her hopefully find her way and not kill herself in the process. I have offered for years to go with her to a twelve step for support ( I come from an addicted family), but she's never taken me up on it. She is pretty well off financially and her family has no idea. To look at her, one would never think drug addict( not that that means anything) Ihaven't witnessed any of the physical signs that you mentioned but she is and has been constipated for years and she never had much of a libido but, I don't think she ever has sex anymore. Her forgetfulness  has gotten much more prevalent and she seems to have mood swings within the conversation to understanding and compassionate to condesending defensive and arrogant. Is this a symptom of the drug use Or not. Thank you for responding, both of you.

[beachtowel]

notmenow knows her stuff it is true you cannot call in a schedule two drug.....and it sounds like she is very close to a pharmacy.....
I think she is calling in phoney scripts as well and is doing them by fraud......
She is an addict and if her drug using habit don't get her into hot water the fraud is going to get her nailed and into the judicial process.........

[notmenow!]

Percocet is a schedule 2 drug and is not allowed to be called in or given refills on written scripts. She is a nurse for the surgeon , she must call a lot of medications in to pharmacies for his patients.Vicoden and all pain killers containing hydrocodone are allowed to be called in and up to 5 refills may be given. There is no way she could take all that percocet or oxycodone the generic name, and get up and work all day without taking more during the day. Otherwise she would start going into withdrawal. The signs are constant yawning, goose bumps on flesh, tears coming from the eyes and chronic fatigue, lastly constant diarrhea. I think your wife definitely has a problem. Hopefully she is not doing anything illegal like writing her own scripts or calling them in to pharmacies under other patients names  and picking them up. I do not know but something is not right-----------------------------NOAH