My g'mother had foot surgery and she's been taking Percocet every 6 hours for the last three weeks ever since she was releasted from the hospital. She says Percocet is the only medication that relieves the pain; that when she takes one, within 15 minutes, the pain is gone. (SHe has about 22 pills left).
2007-01-13 11:07:25 · 12 answers · asked by rare2findd 6 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
There is nothing wrong with taking this medication as Rx'd by the doctor. Many people are ignorant when it comes to narcotics, yes it is true that they can be addictive but if they are used as instructed and for pain then the chances of becoming addicted is very low ! If you have taken them for awhile your body does become dependent upon them but this is not addiction. Addiction is a psychological condition where the user takes them for the euphoria and continues to use them despite harm. Dependency is when your body becomes used to the meds. This happens with people who take insulin, high blood pressure medication. If use is discontinued abruptly withdrawal syndrome can occur so you will need to slow reduce your intake until the medication can be safely stopped. This is something that your doctor will discuss when the time comes. In the meantime if your grandmother is in pain she should be taking the medicine. It will help her to heal correctly.
2007-01-13 17:45:20 · answer #1 · answered by Vigilantis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely! Trying a medication prescribed to another person could be dangerous. You don't know what the strength is, how old the medication is or you could have a bad reaction to a narcotic up to and including Death. Some become more easily addicted to narcotics and other drugs than other people depending on family history and possibly low self esteem or abuse. Even getting a prescription from a licensed practionor could lead to addiction. It's safe to say don't take a narcotic out of curiosity if an addiction happens and you ever truely need to take it for serous pain the likelihood of it not working is greater
2016-05-23 22:16:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes Percocet is addictive. It is a narcotic analgesic. It sounds like she is taking the medication as prescribed though..usually 1 tablet every 4-6 hours as needed for pain. I am sure the doctor is monitoring. She will not be able to get a refill without the doctors approval. I would just watch and make sure she is not taking them even after the foot is no longer bothering her, and that her doctor does not continue to prescribe them for longer than he should! He will probably have her taper off the medication though so she does not go through any form of withdrawl due to the quick forming dependency to the meds. (it is not as scary as it sounds!!) All in all, it is perfectly safe and useful medication when used properly!!
And she should NOT wean herself off the medication...this needs to be done under the supervision of her doctor!! VERY IMPORTANT!!
2007-01-13 11:19:21 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, percocet is addictive. I'm not sure if your Grandmother is addicted after 3 weeks but it is possible. She may want to start tapering her use down since she only has 22 pills left. This will make the transition of stopping the pills easier.
2007-01-13 11:12:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes Percocet is very addictive. What doctor perscribed her that many pills? Most doctors will only prescribe enough for a couple of weeks and than if you are still in pain they will prescribe something else less addictive. They do work great, but I doubt very seriously if they will prescribe her more. She needs to call her doctor when she is down to like 6 and see if she can get something else for pain if she needs it.
2007-01-13 12:57:42 · answer #5 · answered by little lady 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Percocet is VERY addictive, as with most other prescription pain killers. She should be OK as long as she is only taking them as prescribed.
2007-01-13 11:10:28 · answer #6 · answered by I know, I know!!!! 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Percocet is very addictive! Much more addictive than codeine. Maybe she should try weaning herself off it by trying Aleve. If she takes a Percocet at 7:am, take an Aleve at 1:pm. Try alternating it that way, and she will be ok
2007-01-13 11:19:00 · answer #7 · answered by jadegreenkaty 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Percocet and Percodan are addictive. It is a very good analgesic, but it has to be administered and closely monitored by her physician. A good physician will not over prescribe the medication for the very reason that it is addictive, and the drug will eventually lose its effectiveness. If you feel any concern, talk to grandmas doctor. He will listen to you.
2007-01-13 11:18:16 · answer #8 · answered by cliff g 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, all pain relievers carry the risk of dependancy, she should start trying to ween herself off of them before she takes them all, she doesn't want to take all of them yet, the doctor may not perscribe her anymore, that can be rough, because she will start to feel like she needs them, her intake needs to be monitored closely, she may start to build up a tolerance to them, if this happens she will want to take more to kill the pain, this is how a friend of mine overdosed on the very same medication.
2007-01-13 11:12:46 · answer #9 · answered by Heavenly Bunny (VT) 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Any narcotic like that can be addictive. I would start weening off of it slowly and switch to aspirin - but with the doctor's concent.
2007-01-13 11:10:30 · answer #10 · answered by quatrapiller 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋