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My Story: How one Percocet Prescription Triggered my Addiction

It all started with a Percocet prescription 4 years ago. One night, while working as a nurse in one of the busiest emergency departments in Philadelphia, I was exposed to meningitis. Coincidentally, I became very ill a couple of days later with persistent high fevers. Finally deciding to seek medical attention, I underwent a lumbar puncture, which fortunately came back negative. However, the following morning, I awoke with an indescribable positional headache that prevented me from functioning in any capacity. Returning to the emergency department, I was diagnosed with a spinal headache as a result of my lumbar puncture. I was discharged home with a prescription for Percocet, instructed to…

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 Fentanyl in pressed oxycodone pills: A qualitative analysis of online community experiences with an emerging drug trend

There is a growing concern over the increased prevalence of fentanyl contaminated oxycodone pills, referred to as M30s.

Articles of Interest

Among prescription painkillers, drug abusers prefer oxycodone

Although the drugs are meant to be taken orally, almost 64 percent of oxycodone abusers and just over one-quarter of hydrocodone abusers crushed the tablets and inhaled the drug, while one in five oxycodone abusers reported that they sometimes dissolved the drug in water and injected it. Less than 5 percent reported taking hydrocodone intravenously.

Hydrocodone vs Oxycodone – What are the Differences?

For example, oxycodone is made from a chemist-induced reaction with thebaine, and as a result, its effects on the body mimic a state of euphoria stronger than that of the opium plant. Hydrocodone on the other hand is made from codeine, which is another compound within the opium plant, but its side effects are slightly less than that of oxycodone, albeit very minor. Oxycodone was built to be a replacement with a low-risk profile compared to hydrocodone, but obviously, we know a different truth exists today.

Is Oxycodone Still a Problem?

Like other opiates such as codeine, heroin, and morphine, oxycodone is derived from opium, a milky substance excreted by the poppy plant and later dried into a resin, or produced from mature and dried plants. The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) indicates that “oxycodone is manufactured by modifying thebaine, an alkaloid found in opium.” In generic form, it’s known as oxycodone hydrochloride, but you might be more familiar with it by the brand names OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, and Tylox.

Oxycodone - Liver Tox

Oxycodone is a semisynthetic, moderately potent, orally available opioid that is widely used for acute or chronic management of moderate- or moderately severe pain either alone or in combination with acetaminophen. Oxycodone by itself has not been linked to serum enzyme elevations during therapy or to clinically apparent liver injury. However, the combination of oxycodone with acetaminophen has been linked to many cases of acute liver failure caused by unintentional overdose with acetaminophen.

Straight Talk - Oxycodone

It is found in several products: in combination with other drugs, in products such as Percocet, Oxycocet and Endocet by itself in immediate-release (IR) products, such as Oxy-IR by itself in controlled-release (CR) products, such as OxyContin (no longer available), OxyNEO, Apo-Oxycodone CR and PMS-Oxycodone CR.

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StatPearls

Oxycodone is a potent semisynthetic opioid agonist prescription medication with agonistic properties on mu-, kappa-, and delta-type opioid receptors. This drug is beneficial when used judiciously for pain management, yet it carries the risk of inducing physical dependence and addiction.