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Having Chronic Pain. Using Percocet. Feel Restless And Talks To Oneself. Help?
Question: Hi, chronic pain sufferer using 75mg pain patch and 10 mg Percocet 4 times a day. Person is very restless, moans, hold conversations with themselves and sometimes shouts or murmurs. Can't tell if they are sleep or having nightmares. Is there anything that I can do to help them? Is this person XXXXXXX to others?
Hi,
Thanks for writing in.
Percocet contains oxycodone/paracetamol combination and is regularly used as a pain relief in chronic patients.
Oxycodone is an opioid pain killer and have few side effects. From what you have written, it looks like the patient might be having hallucinations during sleep after taking this medication. Details of duration of medicine intake are not mentioned though.
Commonly reported side effects of Percocet include nausea, stress and anxiety, weakness, fatigue.
Studies have been done on patients taking Percocet and having developed hallucinations. Following facts and figures on patients having hallucinations are available and may help you understand better:
297 patients out of 22,313 (1.33%) who have taken Percocet, have given a feedback of hallucinations.
Of these, 54.55% had the problem within a month of starting this medication.
41.30% of 297 patients with hallucination are over 60 years of age.
Nearly 150 (50%) of patients experienced severe hallucinations as expressed in the feedback.
From these findings, the possibility of the patient having a side effect is the first thing to be considered and investigated further.
I suggest you please contact your doctor and discuss the severity of the situation at the earliest. There is every possibility of the patient causing self harm and harm to others due to the hallucinations.
Hope your query is answered.
Regards.
Dr A. Rao Kavoor
Thanks for writing in.
Percocet contains oxycodone/paracetamol combination and is regularly used as a pain relief in chronic patients.
Oxycodone is an opioid pain killer and have few side effects. From what you have written, it looks like the patient might be having hallucinations during sleep after taking this medication. Details of duration of medicine intake are not mentioned though.
Commonly reported side effects of Percocet include nausea, stress and anxiety, weakness, fatigue.
Studies have been done on patients taking Percocet and having developed hallucinations. Following facts and figures on patients having hallucinations are available and may help you understand better:
297 patients out of 22,313 (1.33%) who have taken Percocet, have given a feedback of hallucinations.
Of these, 54.55% had the problem within a month of starting this medication.
41.30% of 297 patients with hallucination are over 60 years of age.
Nearly 150 (50%) of patients experienced severe hallucinations as expressed in the feedback.
From these findings, the possibility of the patient having a side effect is the first thing to be considered and investigated further.
I suggest you please contact your doctor and discuss the severity of the situation at the earliest. There is every possibility of the patient causing self harm and harm to others due to the hallucinations.
Hope your query is answered.
Regards.
Dr A. Rao Kavoor
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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