Percocet takes approximately 19 hours to fully leave the system.
Percocet’s half-life dictates how long it will stay in your system. The half-life of a drug refers to how long it takes for half of the amount of the substance to leave the body. Since oxycodone is a fast-acting drug, it has a relatively short half-life of 3.2-4 hours. Similarly, acetaminophen (the other ingredient in Percocet) has a half-life of 3 hours. To calculate how long the substance is completely eliminated from the system, one has to multiply the half-life by 5. In this case, Percocet will be entirely removed from the body approximately 19 hours after the last dose was taken.
What Is Percocet?
Percocet is a medication prescribed to relieve moderate to severe pain. It is comprised of a combination of two medications: opiate oxycodone and Acetaminophen (aka Tylenol), a non-opioid pain reliever and fever reducer.
Percocet is classified by the DEA as a Schedule II controlled substance due to its potential for abuse and addiction. The fact that it includes an opioid drug means that tolerance and dependence can rapidly develop, leading to addiction.
It’s important to know how long Percocet stays in the system, as awareness can help prevent one from taking other medications too soon or reaching for the next dose of Percocet too early.
Factors That Affect How Long Percocet Stays in The System
As with all other drugs, Percocet’s length of stay in your system will depend on several factors. These include the following:
- Liver and kidney function: Since the liver and kidneys are responsible for excretion, any impairment in that bodily system results in a slower elimination process.
- Age: Individuals over the age of 40 will experience slower elimination rates.
- Metabolism: The stronger the metabolism, the sooner the drug is removed from the system.
- Overall health: If there are any underlying health issues, the process of elimination will take longer.
- Duration of use: Extended use results in a build-up of Percocet in your system, making it more difficult to be removed from the body.
- Other Drugs: Other drugs can influence the elimination process of Percocet, either shortening or prolonging the drug’s stay in the system.
- Body mass: The larger the body mass, the longer it’ll take to rid the body of the drug.
- Amount of drug taken: The larger the amount of drug taken, the slower the drug is processed and removed from the system.
- Hydration: Water helps to flush out the drug from the system, so adequate hydration will quicken the removal of the drug.
Percocet Drug Test
Percocet is a highly addictive drug, so it will therefore be screened for in many drug tests. Most drug tests will detect Percocet, but advanced tests will detect even the metabolites of Percocet. (Metabolites are what remains of a drug after it has been processed by the body.)
Outlined below are some common Percocet testing methods.
How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your Urine?
Percocet can be detected in the urine for up to 4 days after the last dose.
Urine testing is a common method of testing for Percocet due to its low cost and availability. The duration of Percocet in the urine will depend on various factors (mentioned above).
How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your Blood?
Percocet in the blood has a shorter detection window of just 24 hours. There are more advanced blood tests that could detect the metabolites of the oxycodone in Percocet for up to 48 hours.
How Long Does Percocet Stay in Your Saliva?
Saliva tests can detect Percocet for approximately 2 days after it was ingested. Some drug tests can detect Percocet for up to 72 hours.
How Long Does Percocet Take to Kick In?
The amount of time it takes for Percocet to kick in depends on the dose being taken. Percocet comes in various doses, including:
- 2.5mg/3.5mg
- 5mg/325mg
- 7.5mg/325mg
- 7.5mg/500mg
- 10mg/325mg
- 10mg/650mg
(The first number listed refers to the amount of oxycodone, and the second refers to the amount of acetaminophen). The pain-relieving effects of a 5mg/325mg tablet will usually kick in 15-30 minutes after ingestion, and reach their peak after one hour.
How Long Does Percocet Last?
A 5mg tablet of Percocet will generally last for 4-6 hours. The exact duration of its effects will vary from person to person, as it depends on the factors mentioned above. In terms of withdrawal symptoms, withdrawal can begin starting 12 hours after the last dose and can last for up to 20 days.
Percocet Abuse Treatment at Avenues Recovery
Someone who is physically dependent on Percocet will experience dangerous and distressing physical withdrawal symptoms when stopping use of the drug. Quitting should not be done alone. Instead, enrolling in a detox center and rehab is the wisest choice and will ensure a safe and successful recovery.
Avenues Recovery Center offers quality, affordable addiction treatment in a safe, clean and homelike setting. Contact us today to speak to a skilled admissions representative who can guide you towards the treatment option that best suits your needs. We employ a fully customized treatment approach to help our clients to achieve meaningful and lasting recovery.
You can detox from Percocet in our comfortable and well-equipped facilities, where you’ll receive 24/7 monitoring and support from our highly trained and devoted staff. For further treatment, our inpatient and outpatient rehab facilities offer various therapies that can assist in the long-term recovery of substance use disorder. These include group therapy, individual therapy, family therapy and more.
Avenues is here to turn your dreams into reality. Contact us to hear more about our treatment programs and find out which rehab is closest to you.