Author: James Anderson

Oxycodone and Alcohol: Is There a Safe Way to Mix Them? Delphi

According to the World Health Organization, about 115,000 people died of an opioid overdose in 2017. When opioids such as oxycodone and alcohol are combined, it can have devastating effects. Drinking alcohol while using opioids comes with many risks, including slower breathing, impaired judgment, and potentially overdose and death.

1. Avoid grapefruit products and drinking alcohol or taking illegal or recreational drugs while taking oxycodone.
2. You shouldn’t wait for the combination of alcohol and oxycodone to take your life or the life of someone you know.
3. Due to the competition for the enzyme, less acetaminophen is broken down and more of the active drug remains in the bloodstream.

If symptoms of an overdose occur, a caregiver or family member should give the first dose of naloxone, call 911 immediately, and stay with you and watch you closely until emergency medical help arrives. Your symptoms may return within a few minutes after you receive naloxone. If your symptoms return, the person should give you another dose of naloxone. Additional doses may be given every 2 to 3 minutes, if symptoms return before medical help arrives. If left untreated, respiratory depression can quickly cause brain damage and ultimately cause someone to die. Researchers have found that drinking even a moderate amount of alcohol along with taking just one oxycodone pill is enough to risk respiratory depression.

This means the effect of each substance is stronger when taken together than when taken separately. Moreover, if someone has co-occurring addictions to both substances, they should seek treatment for both disorders. Combining oxycodone with alcohol can have unwanted, unpredictable, and dangerous consequences. Both drugs can both make you drowsy, light-headed, and impair judgment. Even small amounts of alcohol combined with the drug can be harmful.

Risks of Combining Oxycodone and Alcohol

Anyone who obtains, sells, or possesses such a product without a written prescription from a physician violates state and federal laws. Oxycodone is the primary active ingredient in several medications, including Percocet and OxyContin. It is primarily prescribed in pill form, and it is most often prescribed to treat chronic or postoperative pain. Although the exact mechanism of how oxycodone works is not entirely understood, it attaches to receptors in the brain that are specialized for neurotransmitters like endorphins and enkephalins. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from light and excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

And do not give them through a nasogastric tube (NG tube; a tube threaded through the nose to deliver food and medication directly to the stomach). Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant that works by slowing down parts of the brain and inducing feelings of relaxation and intoxication. It is the most commonly abused drug in the United States, causing alcohol use disorder in 6% of the population.

Long-Term Risks

You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies. If you continue to have pain after you finish the oxycodone, call your doctor. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks.

If you are taking an oxycodone combination product, be sure to read information about all the ingredients in the product you are taking and ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Because of the intoxicating effects of both drugs, people may forget that they took a Percocet dose and take another. In fact, more than 30,000 people are hospitalized each year in the United States for acute liver failure as a result of acetaminophen-induced liver damage.

It offers both medical detoxification (to help the individual through physical withdrawal symptoms) and rehabilitation services. The individual in inpatient treatment generally lives in the center anywhere from a month to a year. If you think someone is having an opioid overdose (e.g., slowed or stopped breathing, disoriented, blue lips), call 911 immediately.

Oxycodone extended-release tablets and extended-release capsules should not be used to treat pain that can be controlled by medication that is taken as needed. Oxycodone is in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics. It works by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain. When alcohol is used in combination with opioids, the risk of respiratory depression increases exponentially.

Is Alcohol a Drug?

There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. So even if you don’t feel the effects of Percocet, it doesn’t mean you don’t have any of the drug still in your system. If you decide to have a drink, you could very well find yourself drunker than usual and unable to operate a car or heavy machinery without extreme danger. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records.

The article describes the risks of taking Percocet with alcohol, including the signs and symptoms of a medical emergency. Mixing alcohol and Percocet (oxycodone plus acetaminophen) can be dangerous. On their own, alcohol and Percoset can both slow breathing, impair judgment and coordination, and be toxic to the liver. Oxycodone is a potent pain-relieving medicine that should be reserved for mainly cancer-related pain. It carries a high potential for addiction and common side effects include sedation and constipation. When a person drinks alcohol, their bloodstream quickly distributes it to the brain, liver, kidneys, and lungs.

While taking oxycodone, you should talk to your doctor about having a rescue medication called naloxone readily available (e.g., home, office). Naloxone is used to reverse the life-threatening effects of an overdose. It works by blocking the effects of opiates to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood. Your doctor may also prescribe you naloxone if you are living in a household where there are small children or someone who has abused street or prescription drugs. Your doctor or pharmacist will show you and your family members how to use the medication. Ask your pharmacist for the instructions or visit the manufacturer’s website to get the instructions.

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Most outpatient programs last anywhere from two months to a year. People who do best in an outpatient program generally are willing to attend counseling, have a strong support system, housing, and reliable transportation to get to their treatment sessions. You may find that you utilize a combination of some of the most common treatment methods. Individuals consume alcohol primarily for its mood-altering effects. Alcohol works through the central nervous system and depresses or slows functioning of various parts of the brain.