Percocet is a prescription medication that contains oxycodone and acetaminophen. Oxycodone is an opiate, while paracetamol is a mild analgesic medication. The combination of the two drugs produces the combined effects of the individual drugs. Percocet is used in the treatment of mild to severe pain. The addictive effects of Percocet are induced by oxycodone, which forces the user to take higher doses to produce the same effect. Therefore, this medication is one of the highly abused prescription drugs. It is widely abused for its anxiolytic properties and its ability to cause a state of euphoria.

The metabolites of Percocet, oxycodone, in particular, binds to body fat. Therefore, it takes more time for Percocet to be completely eliminated from the body. Infrequent Percocet users, it takes longer to be erased than in non-frequent users. The average elimination time of Percocet is up to 19 hours, but frequent users take several days. Larger doses of the drug will take longer to be eliminated from the system because most of the metabolites will bind to body fat.

However, the excretion of Percocet can be prolonged in chronic users and intense users. This is because the opioid component of Percocet is absorbed by fats in the body. It takes more time than the remains of Percocet in these tissues because they have to be free of fats.

Risks of Percocet in your system

The risk of drug interactions and overdoses of Percocet comes from both opioid oxycodone and acetaminophen. An overdose of acetaminophen can lead to irreversible liver damage and death. Often this can happen when a person does not realize how much of a lactophenol is in more than one medication.

A liver injury is possible when your dose of acetaminophen exceeds 4000 milligrams a day. You will need to make sure that you do not take paracetamol or acetaminophen in other over-the-counter medications or prescriptions. Trade names include Tylenol and Panadol. Combined medications such as Percocet are now limited to more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per tablet, capsule or dosage to prevent these dangerous overdoses.

Percocet’s Oxycodone can cause severe or fatal depression of breathing, especially when first starting a prescription or increasing dosage.

The use of Percocet with alcohol, other opioids, benzodiazepines or other central nervous system depressants may result in deep sedation, respiratory breathing, coma, and death. The drug may also interact with certain antibiotics and antifungal agents known as CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 inhibitors, and it is likely to increase the rate of oxycodone if used with Percocet or discontinued when using Percocet.

Routes of excretion of Percocet

Percocet can be detected in the body through urine, blood, saliva, sweat and hair follicles.

• The elimination of Percocet from urine is enhanced by an acid diet and frequent hydration. It remains detectable in the urine for up to 48 hours. The detection of the drug in the bloodstream can last up to days.
• The drug can remain detectable in the hair follicles for up to 30 days from the ingestion of the last dose.
• Another route of elimination is through saliva. Oxycodone appears in oral fluid within 15 to 30 minutes after oral administration of Percocet. Percocet prolonged release takes longer to appear in saliva, so it has a longer detection time.
• The occurrence of oxycodone in the blood also takes about 15 to 30 minutes from the time of oral ingestion. Traces of their metabolites can also be found in breast milk. Reports about the time it takes for the drug to be detected in breast milk have not been well documented. However, it can be safe to assume that it takes approximately the same amount of time for oxycodone to appear in breast milk, as it does in blood and urine. It should be noted that oxycodone is not ideal for ingestion in breastfeeding mothers because the baby can ingest small amounts of the drug and induce a dependence on drugs.

Percocet clearance of the system

In urine tests  , traces of Percocet can usually be detected for 48 hours, with detectable peak plasma concentrations within 2 hours after ingestion of the first dose. The active metabolites of Percocet can be detected in the blood for up to 2 days. Urine and blood tests are the most reliable indicators for the ingestion of Percocet. The urine test is commonly used for the detection of Percocet metabolites. The hair test provides an indication of when the last dose of Percocet was taken. The oxycodone component of Percocet is detectable in the hair follicles for up to 30 days from the ingestion of the last dose.

Percocet has an average elimination half-life of 3.5 hours. The half-life refers to the amount of time it takes to eliminate half of the medication in the body. Therefore, the total elimination of Percocet takes approximately 19 hours from the ingestion of the last dose.

However, it must be taken into account that for larger doses, as well as for chronic users, the Percocet will take more than 19 hours to be eliminated from the system. The concomitant use of drugs that inhibit the enzymes that act on Percocet will also mean that the drug will take longer to be eliminated from the body. This means that if you want to eliminate Percocet from your body at a faster rate, you need to ingest medications and foods that improve the activity of the enzymes that are responsible for the metabolism of Percocet in your metabolites. Conversely, if enzymatic action is inhibited, this means that larger amounts of the metabolites can be detected in the bloodstream that can be detected in the urine.

The average time of detection of oxycodone is of 5 to 12.5 hours in the urine. The maximum concentration of oxycodone metabolites is observed within 3 to 9 hours after ingestion. However, it must be borne in mind that these elimination periods and peak plasma concentration are averages and tend to vary from individual to individual, depending on how the variables affect each individual. These variables include renal function, age, dose and frequency of drug use. For example, a frequent user of Percocet will have larger amounts of the metabolites that accumulate in the system, which means that it will take more time for the medication to be eliminated from the body.

Percocet is detectable in urine samples within 2 hours after ingestion. The detection time can last up to 2 days after taking a single dose. Percocet metabolites remain at detectable high levels for up to 19 hours and then begin to decrease within 2 days, after the last ingestion. In the bloodstream, the medication can be detected within 15 to 20 minutes from the time of ingestion. The concentration reaches its peak within 1 hour but remains detectable at a constant concentration for up to 1 day. The metabolites of Percocet can also be detected in hair follicles for up to 1 month, sometimes up to 3 months. Detection through hair testing is quite expensive and reliable for routine drug testing. The drug is also detectable in saliva. It appears in oral fluids within 15 to 30 minutes from the time of ingestion. Saliva accumulation of the active metabolites of Percocet is detectable for up to 1 day but may last up to 3 days, depending on the variables of the individuals, such as the frequency of use, as well as the dose. The higher the dose, the longer it takes for the drug to be completely eliminated from the body.

Percocet removal time from the system

Percocet is excreted from the body through the kidneys through urine. Its metabolites are also excreted through the blood and hair follicles. Other routes of excretion are through the sweat glands and breast milk for nursing mothers.

Percocet has a short half-life of 5 to 12.5 hours. This means that it does not stay in the blood for long. It is completely eliminated from the system in 2 days. The maximum plasma concentrations of the drug are observed within 3 to 9 hours, which means that the detection of the drug in the bloodstream is very likely during this period of time.

In urine, Percocet is detectable for a maximum of 2 days. It can be detectable for up to a week in chronic users and when taken in higher doses. The detection time of Percocet is longer for people who have kidney failure. This means that the kidneys can not excrete the metabolites of Percocet effectively. Therefore, it takes much longer for the improvement to be achieved.

In hair follicles, Percocet can remain detectable up to 3 months from the time of ingestion of the last dose. Hair testing is not an accurate method to determine how much Percocet is circulating within the system. However, the detection of Percocet in the hair gives a clear indication of how long a person has been taking the medication.

Variables that influence the excretion of Percocet

Several factors can influence the Percocet excretion rate of the system. These include individual factors such as age and body weight, the frequency of ingestion and dosage.

Individual factors are factors that are present in different people and determine that person’s ability to eliminate the medication. For example, the younger individual has a much faster elimination rate than an older person because of the efficiency of the kidneys in eliminating the drug. In people with a large body mass, Percocet will clean Percocet at a much faster rate due to the increased metabolic rate.

To improve the elimination of Percocet from the system, several steps can be followed. These include acidifying the diet, frequent hydration, frequent exercise and ingestion of drugs that induce the enzyme CYP2D6. A diet rich in acidic foods such as oranges and lemons, will acidify the pH of the urine and, therefore, enhance the rate of excretion of the drug. Frequent hydration will increase the rate of excretion of the kidneys, thus increasing the amount of Percocet that is removed from the system.

Frequent physical exercise will help increase the metabolic rate and the subsequent elimination of drug metabolites through sweat. However, physical exercise is not as effective as acidification of diet and frequent hydration. Certain drugs that induce the enzymes that metabolize Percocet, CYP2D6, will help to excrete Percocet much faster. However, these inducers should not be abused, they should only be exploited if one is already in them by prescription and under the supervision of a doctor.

The clearance of Percocet from the system is slow when taken with food because this tends to slow down the absorption of the medication and the subsequent elimination of the system. Certain foods also inhibit the drug’s first-pass metabolism, which means that it will take more time for the drug to break down in its metabolites.

Liver function influences the rate at which Percocet is eliminated from the system. The acetaminophen contained in Percocet is metabolized mainly in the liver. This means that people with kidney failure will have decreased and the time of subsequent elimination will increase by up to 2 days because the liver will not metabolize the medication efficiently. In addition, the acetaminophen present in Percocet puts the intensive users of the drug at risk of liver failure. As a result, the liver will not metabolize Percocet effectively, so it will remain in the system for longer periods. When this happens, the user risks their health and, in extreme cases, this can be fatal.

The acidity or alkalinity of the urine also influences the rate at which Percocet is excreted. The more acidic the urine, the faster the drug is removed from the system. Therefore, eating a diet rich in acidic foods will influence the speed at which the medication is eliminated. On the contrary, a diet rich in foods with alkaline content will reduce the time of excretion of the drug by the kidneys.

Overdose of Percocet

Knowing how long Percocet stays in the system can help prevent an accidental overdose by taking more medications too quickly. If you think you have taken more than 4,000 milligrams of acetaminophen daily, contact your doctor immediately, even if you feel well and have no symptoms.

Crushing or cutting a capsule or extended-release tablet may result in a large dose at one time, which may result in overdose. Here are some of the symptoms of Percocet overdose:

• Difficulty breathing
• Slowing or stopping breathing
• Excessive drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Box or weak muscles
• Narrowing or widening of pupils
• Cold and moist skin
• Slow or stopped heart rate
• The blue color of skin, nails, lips
• Loss of consciousness or coma

If you think someone overdoses on Percocet, call 9-1-1 immediately. First responders should be able to restart the overdose victim using Narcan if they are promptly notified.

conclusion

Percocet is a medication that has a combination of opioid oxycodone and acetaminophen. It is used for its analgesic effects. It is one of the widely abused drugs and can cause addiction. It is eliminated from the body by saliva, urine, blood, and sweat. Percocet excretion time varies according to some factors that influence its rate of excretion, such as body weight, urinary pH, hydration and the acid content of the diet. Evidence of elimination of the drug from the system is observed within 5 hours after ingestion of the medication. 50% of the drug is detectable in urine, saliva, and blood within this period of time. The elimination of medications through urine, blood, and saliva can take up to 2 days.

Related: How Long Does Hydrocodone Stay in System