Oxycodone is an opioid drug for adults to treat moderate to severe pain. Oxycodone is available in several different formulations, combinations, and brand names. Percocet is one combination drug with Oxycodone. Percocet, like its parent drug, has addictive qualities and overdose side effects. So, it is worth learning ‘how long does Percocet stay in your system”—the detection period in urine, saliva, blood, and hair.
What is Percocet?
Percocet is an opioid drug for pain relief. It is a combination of Oxycodone and the mild painkiller acetaminophen.
Tylenol is the basic ingredient contained in Acetaminophen.
Percocet is a prescription pill recommended for moderate to severe pain. It is a short-term pain relief solution because it has a high risk of addiction and dependency.
In the United States, Percocet is a Schedule II drug, which means it is a controlled substance. A doctor’s prescription is necessary for purchasing this drug.
According to an FDA communiqué, the oxycodone ingredient in Percocet is a semisynthetic, pure opioid agonist whose principal therapeutic action is analgesia. Other pharmacological effects of Oxycodone include feelings of relaxation, anxiolysis, and euphoria.
Another ingredient Acetaminophen in this drug is a non-opiate, non-salicylate analgesic, and antipyretic. The antipyretic effect of Acetaminophen inhibits the endogenous pyrogen action on the hypothalamic heat-regulating centers.
What is the half-life of Percocet?
When you intend to quit using Percocet, you may want to know how long it will stay in your system. You can approximately calculate this by figuring out the half-life of this drug.
By definition, a drug reaches its half-life when the plasma concentration of a drug is halved after elimination. Several succeeding half-lives occur before the drug is fully eliminated from your system.
Like its parent drug, Oxycodone, the half-life of Percocet ranges from 3.5 to 5.5 hours. At this rate, a Percocet dose will stay in your system for approximately 20 hours. However, the metabolites of this drug stay detectable in urine, saliva, blood, and hair length.
How long does Percocet stay in your system?
The ingredients of Percocet in their potential form stay in your body for about 19–20 hours. However, its inactive metabolites can stay in your system for a few days to three months.
After you ingest Percocet, the liver metabolizes it and releases its active and inactive metabolites, which are the primary targets of Percocet drug tests.
Several factors determine how long Percocet takes to leave your system. Therefore, each user may have a different time duration for eliminating the drug from their body.
For most people, a major portion of Oxycodone and Acetaminophen will be cleared from their system within 24 hours.
Drug tests are performed to trace the presence of metabolites of the drug in the body.
Commonly used drug tests are a urine test, a blood test, a saliva test, and a hair test.
Urine
How long does Percocet stay in your urine?
Opioid drugs are easily detectable in a urine test. A major portion of the oxycodone ingredient in Percocet is expelled from your body via urine.
Oxycodone can be detected in your urine within 2 hours after you have taken a dose and can be detected for 2 to 4 days.
How long Percocet stays in your system depends on your urinary pH level. If you have more alkaline content in your urine, it will take the kidneys much longer to eliminate Percocet from your body.
Blood
How long does Percocet stay in your blood?
The easiest way to determine if you have opioids is to get a blood test.
Generally, Percocet can be detected in the blood within 15 minutes after you take a dose. The liver breaks down Percocet and exports large quantities of its metabolites into the bloodstream. If your liver functions normally, the particles of this drug will be detectable in your blood within a few minutes.
It takes about an hour for the Oxycodone and Acetaminophen to reach the peak plasma concentration level. As the hours pass, the presence of the drug metabolites in the blood depletes very quickly. Thus, Percocet stays in your blood for around 24 hours.
Saliva and Hair
How long does Percocet stay in your saliva and hair follicles?
Saliva and urine tests for opioid detection produce similar results. According to anecdotal evidence, Percocet is traceable in your saliva for up to 4 days. The presence of the drug in saliva can vary according to individual factors.
The hair follicle test is useful for detecting the misuse of opioid substances. A hair test can detect Percocet up to 10 to 90 days after quitting this drug.
Some research suggests that a hair test is beneficial for monitoring drug use in at-risk individuals when used alongside self-reporting.
The drug test for Percocet is reliable for only a few days after you have taken the last dose of the pill. The only long-term test for Percocet is the hair test, which can show Oxycodone buildup for up to 90 days. The duration of the detection period can vary according to several individual factors.
Influential Factors
Several factors affect the amount of time Percocet stays in your system. Here are some of the key factors that matter:
Age
According to anecdotal evidence, the plasma concentration of Oxycodone is 15 percent higher in older people (over 65 years old) than younger people. Most older adults have slower body functions that delay the absorption and elimination of drugs from the body.
Gender
Analysis of some of the drug detection tests’ data indicates that the oxycodone concentration for a healthy female was up to 25 percent higher than in males. There are no scientific reasons that explain this variation.
Kidney functions
Your body expels the metabolites of Percocet via renal functions. According to research, people with kidney problems take longer to reach the half-life point of Oxycodone.
Liver function
The liver primarily metabolizes Oxycodone. Any liver dysfunction can increase Percocet’s half-life by a few hours.
Alcohol
The potency and effectiveness of Oxycodone will increase if you consume alcohol. Alcohol delays the elimination of Percocet from your body. It can also lead to an overdose of the drug with fatal side effects.
Frequency and duration
When you take Percocet regularly for more than a month, the metabolites of the drug accumulate in the fatty tissues of your body. The longer you use this drug, the longer it will take for its elimination from the body.
Other medications
Your body clears Oxycodone through a cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) pathway. Some of the other prescription drugs can stop CYP3A4 from working, which slows down how quickly Oxycodone is broken down.
Combining Oxycodone with other medications like macrolide antibiotics, protease inhibitors, or azole antifungal agents also causes serious health problems.
How can I eliminate Percocet from my body faster?
The elimination of opioids from your system depends on the following functions:
- The kidneys’ ability to excrete drugs also depends on
- Urine flow
- Blood flow through the kidneys
- Healthy functioning of the kidneys
Percocet is converted to metabolites in the liver before it is excreted in the bile. Healthy metabolic activity in the liver is necessary to eliminate opioid drugs faster.
Your body may be able to get rid of opioids and other drugs more quickly if you detoxify them. Some of the best detoxification methods are:
- Stop using Percocet completely.
- Rehydrate your body.
- Add more nutritious foods to your daily diet, such as berries, green leafy vegetables, seeds, yogurt, and other foods rich in antioxidants.
- Engage in active physical exercise that boosts blood circulation and metabolic activities.
- Have herbal supplements for detoxification of the body.
The Bottom Line
The pain-relief effect of Oxycodone and Acetaminophen in Percocet will wear off within 12 hours. But the metabolites of this drug can stay in your body for 24 hours to 90 days.
- In urine, Percocet can be detected within hours of use and detectable for 2 to 4 days.
- Percocet can be detected in your blood 15 minutes after use for up to 24 hours.
- Percocet can be detected between 1 and 4 days after the last use of saliva.
- Percocet can be detected in hair after the last use and is traceable for up to 90 days.
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