Let’s talk about Percocet. Maybe it’s the angel of light for you. For me? It’s the devil.

After my C-section with baby #1, the nurses gave me Percocet. Then I vomited (and cried). A lot. So they gave me Zofran.

Never again

Throwing up is super fun after your stomach’s been cut open. Add to this a squirmy, little newborn who’s trying to suck your boob. Plus, you’re starving because they won’t let you eat before major surgery. I just figured vomiting was part of the post-labor excitement that all new mothers experience, so I started screaming, “I’m never doing this again!”

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Luckily for baby #2, my brother came to visit and clued me in on the Percocet-makes-you-sick genetic mess that I am. While my brother and I get to vomit on Percocet, it makes our dad do things like go on hikes in the mountains by himself without telling anyone and try to carry snow back in his pockets. Like I said, Percocet is the devil.

I left the hospital with prescriptions for Percocet and Zofran. It was like a 2-for-1 deal: Here, have some Percocet. And some Zofran for the nausea.

On the way out the door, the discharge nurse casually mentioned another option: 800mg of Ibuprofen. Wait, what?

“That’s right,” she said. “Just buy a 200mg bottle of Ibuprofen and take 4 pills every 8 hours. To manage the pain.”

Y’all, it was seriously a wonder drug. Worked gloriously!

Begging for Ibuprofen

When baby #2 arrived, the nurses went into full drug-pusher mode again. Dear, are you experiencing any pain? We have just the thing to get you flying high: Percocet…

Huh, doesn’t it show in my chart that Percocet makes me sick?

Why, yes, dear, but a little Zofran will fix that right on up. Come now, be a good little lady. Everybody’s doing it.

I think I’ll pass. Where’s the Ibuprofen please?

Cue nurse shift change.

Dear, how are you feeling? We’ll get you fixed up real quick with a little Percocet…

Um, like I told the last lady, Percocet makes me want to eat hot coals and then spew them across the room.

Oh, honey, no worries. We’ve got a great Percocet-Zofran combo that’ll do you good. What are you waiting for?

I think I’ll pass. Where’s the Ibuprofen please?

Cue nurse shift change. And so it went.

I started to feel like a pirah because I refused the riches they kept offering. Who doesn’t want to be pain free?

Hello? Ibuprofen is my friend. How many times do I have to say this??

Also, isn’t Percocet one of those drugs that people crush up and snort? Because they got addicted to it in the hospital?

Facts about Percocet

Percocet contains 5mg of oxycodone, which is also found in OxyContin, an opioid drug like heroin.

In other words, Percocet is a gateway drug to heroin.

Plus, a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that “there were no statistically significant or clinically important differences in pain reduction at 2 hours” between opioids (Percocet) and non-opioids (IBUPROFEN).

And then there’s this:

In America, two million people either abuse or are dependent on opiates or opioid pain medications…and misuse of them all often leads to heroin [because] heroin provides a similar high for a fraction of the cost….According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the number of people seeking care for abuse of prescription painkillers rose 400 percent from 1998 to 2008.

–David Sheff, Clean: Overcoming addiction and ending America’s greatest tragedy

(Y’all, this book, Clean by David Sheff, is excellent. I can’t recommend it enough. Super EASY TO READ and full of actionable steps to fight the epidemic of addiction. With lots of excellent information on Alcoholism.)

Ask your doctor

Ladies, talk to your doctor or midwife or doula about Ibuprofen BEFORE going the Percocet route. Especially if you’re anti-vomit like me. Especially if addiction runs in your family. Especially if you are in recovery.

Of course Ibuprofen has side effects (especially for pregnant women). The point is, Percocet isn’t the only postpartum pain medication available. You have options. Advocate for yourself and explore these.

And prego mommas, think on this when putting your birth plan together. We put a lot of effort into debating epidural or no epidural, vaginal birth or C-section. But where is the discussion about how to best handle post-delivery pain?

And where is the discussion about the medical infrastructure arming new mothers with prescriptions for drugs like Percocet? Especially when pills like that are contributing to the prescription drug addiction crisis in this country.

So Percocet: angel or devil? I’ll let you (and your OB) decide.

Proper disposal of narcotics

Now sometimes Ibuprofen ain’t gonna cut it. I get that. And luckily, that’s why your doc will probably write you a prescription for Percocet or Tylenol Codeine.

If you don’t use the whole bottle, here’s how to get rid of the unused pills in a non-addict-attracting way. This is pretty much verbatim from the FDA on safe medicine disposal

Put them in the trash

If no medicine take-back programs are available in your area, follow these simple steps to dispose of the meds.

1. Mix medicines (do NOT crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter or used coffee grounds.

2. Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag.

3. Throw the container in your trash.

4. Scratch out all personal information on the prescription label of your empty pill bottle or empty medicine packaging to make it unreadable, then dispose of the container. Recycle that baby!

NEVER FLUSH ‘EM

Let me repeat: never flush drugs down the drain. Unless your pharmacist explicitly tells you to do this. Because drugs are leaching into our waterways. YUCK for us and YUCK for fish.

Give them to the police

Call your local police department. They will often have a narcotics disposal program you can participate in.

What are your thoughts? Did Percocet save you or did Ibuprofen do the trick? Comment below or on Facebook at MothersRest.

Photo credit: from freestocks.org

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS
Love this note a momma shared on Facebook.

I just need to say thank you. I found your article on Pinterest about Percocet. I had my third baby via CS in September 2017. It was a hard recovery and the nurses kept reminding me to stay on top of my pain meds. So… I did. Every 4 hours like clock work. 10 days PP I got an incision infection. He gave me a couple more days worth of Percocet. About 2.5 weeks post partum, I stopped taking them as I was running low and wanted to taper off. I got sick as a dog. So sick, so anxious and wanted to crawl out of my skin. I thought it was the lexapro that I had just started. It was so bad, I wanted to check myself into the hospital. I called labor and delivery bawling and begging for help. Months later, it dawns on me. I was totally withdrawing off of pain meds.

It all makes sense now. I re-pinned in hopes that someone else sees it, too.

And from my friend who’s a pharmacist at Walmart:

Hey lady! Been a busy week and I just had time to read your blog this week.

First of all, it is very well written and great info! Your facts and links are spot on. Personally, Percocet makes me itch all over, and ibuprofen is truly my friend!

Just a couple of things on drug disposal. Wal-Mart pharmacies, with every acute narcotic rx dispensed, give out a little packet of a product called DisposeRx. It is a powder that you add with water to any remaining pills in the bottle. Then you shake the bottle for about 10 seconds and it turns into a gel that is safe to throw away in your regular trash (after taking your personal info off the bottle). There is also a National Drug Take Back Day every April.