What Are the Side Effects of Vicodin and Percocet?
Opioid prescription pills vary considerably, with many different options available that tend to vary in terms of strength, potential for addiction, and how they are meant to be used as a strategy to manage and minimize pain.
Common prescription opioids include:
- Vicodin is a combination of the opioid hydrocodone and acetaminophen
- Percocet is a combination of the opioid oxycodone and acetaminophen
- Oxymorphone is sold under the brand name Avinza
- Codeine
- Morphine
- Fentanyl
- Demerol
- Hydromorphone is sold under the brand name Dilaudid.
All opioids act on the user by binding to or activating receptors in the brain, spine, or other organs that can affect how the person feels pain as well as possibly cause pleasurable, euphoric feelings. By attaching to the receptors, they can block out pain signals while also causing a surge of dopamine. Over a short amount of time, these powerful feelings can become addictive, and their brains start to change to reinforce their craving to take more of the drugs to continue feeling this way.
There are many possible side effects of prescription opioids, including:
- Drowsiness or fatigue
- Confusion and difficulty paying attention
- Nausea or vomiting
- Constipation
- Feelings of pleasure and euphoria
- Slowed or labored breathing, which can become a serious medical emergency
Can You Become Addicted to Vicodin or Percocet?
When considering Vicodin vs. Percocet, it’s important to keep in mind that both are prescription opioids, and even though they are medications that are generally safe if taken for a short period of time as directed by a doctor, both have a high potential of being misused or leading to addiction. Someone who misuses opioid medications might be noticed doing things like:
- Taking a higher dose than prescribed.
- Taking the medication in a way other than prescribed (such as snorting or injecting it).
- Seeking out more of the medication by taking someone else’s prescription.
- Seeking out more prescriptions to get more of the drug.
- Taking the opioids to get high, not to treat pain as it was initially intended.
With misuse, people can start to become dependent on the high they feel as the opioids bind to opioid receptors in the brain, causing a surge in dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter. In little time, they can quickly move from emotional and physical dependence on the drug to a growing tolerance, or need to take more to feel the same way. Eventually, they can develop a complete addiction to this drug. If they try to quit or stop taking the medication, they will quickly suffer from withdrawal symptoms and cravings to use the drug again.
What Are the Withdrawal Symptoms of Vicodin vs. Percocet?
No matter if it’s Vicodin vs. Percocet, both of these opioids are potentially addictive, especially with long-term use or misuse, and if someone becomes addicted to these drugs, they’re going to experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking the substances. Symptoms can begin as quickly as just a few hours after the opioid was last taken, and can include things like:
- Sleep problems and insomnia
- Diarrhea
- Cramping
- Goosebumps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Cold flashes
- Leg movements and tremors that are uncontrollable
- Agitation and anxiety
- Sweating
- Pain in the muscles or bones
- Powerful cravings and strong urges to use more of the drug in an attempt to feel better
While opioid withdrawal symptoms are generally considered not to be life-threatening, they can become quite unpleasant and uncomfortable. Those symptoms, added to the intense cravings to use the drug again to feel better, can make it extremely difficult for people to get through this withdrawal period without relapsing.
Fortunately, there are several medicines available that can help to minimize or prevent these withdrawal symptoms, keeping people more comfortable and able to focus on their addiction recovery rather than resorting to going back to their opioids to feel better.
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How Are Vicodin and Percocet Addictions Treated?
Whether it’s Vicodin vs. Percocet, the way addictions to these prescription opioids are treated is very similar. Many patients will first begin with a short period in a medical detox program. Here, they can receive round-the-clock medical support and monitoring, as well as access other medications that can help them minimize or manage their withdrawal symptoms that will start just hours after they last take their drug of addiction.
Addiction treatment for Percocet or Vicodin requires much more than just a week or two in a medical detox program, and detox should be thought of as only the beginning of the road to recovery. Following detox, patients will advance into a drug rehab treatment program that will offer either inpatient or outpatient assistance, support, monitoring, and help.
During rehab for opioid addiction, patients will receive a combination of individual and group therapy from specialized therapists who can help them identify and replace flawed or unhealthy ways of looking at and thinking about the world. This vital work can help people develop better coping skills and be much less likely to relapse after treatment.
Following rehab treatment, patients often continue to receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT), therapy, and assistance through support groups and alumni networks to help them remain in recovery.
Key Takeaways on Vicodin vs. Percocet
- Vicodin and Percocet are prescription opioids used to help patients manage pain.
- Most often, these drugs are prescribed only to be used for a short period.
- Both Vicodin vs. Percocet have the potential for misuse, dependence, and addiction, mainly if used for an extended period.
- People who are addicted to prescription opioids will likely suffer from withdrawal symptoms, including powerful cravings for the drugs, that can start just hours after their last use of the drugs.
- Addiction treatment is available to help patients get through withdrawal and address the physical and mental aspects of their substance use disorders.
Addiction to opioids can destroy lives and ruin the future of people who have fallen into dependency and substance use disorder, but help is available to overcome this significant problem. The team at Resurgence Behavioral Health in California has helped many people break the chains of opioid addiction and gain new strength to achieve long-lasting recovery. Call us at 855-458-0050 today to learn how to get started.
