Acetaminophen / oxycodone and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• jai...
• September 12, 2008

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "I had back surgery (Laminectomy of L4, L5, and S4, 8-inch titanium rod with 7 screws) in October 2006, plus I have severe Fibromyalgia. Although Percocet makes me a little sleepy, this is the first time in 4 years that I feel relatively pain-free. About 5 doctors were afraid of giving me anything stronger than regular Vicodin because of habit-forming. Who cared if I couldn't walk or participate in activities. I finally found a doctor that was willing to help! Sometimes they give dogs more palliative care than humans. I should have gone to a veterinarian instead."

• Kra...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 2, 2018

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Chronic Pain "This drug is a miracle for me, but the government has made my life miserable. I get pain relief only on this - no high, no low, no sleepiness, nothing but pain relief. I was on 75mg total a day with extended release and breakthrough, but they have forced me down to 40mg a day of only breakthrough. I spend half my day sitting or lying down in pain until the pills kick in for about two hours. I will be seeking medical marijuana now."

• Anonymous
• January 17, 2020

For Pain "BIG MIKE---YES, I'm on this horrible M523 acetaminophen/oxycodone after suffering stomach complications. Kings County Hospital was too paranoid to allow me pain relievers, so I had to ask my pain management doctor for my back, who usually prescribes me oxycodone 5 mg every month with no issues or running out of prescription. Unfortunately, I started using more of my back pain meds to deal with stomach pain (NOTE: oxycodone does not cause stomach issues as NSAIDs may cause issues long term.) I begged my pain management doctor for a new prescription, so he gave me 10 mg of the M523....it made me drowsy and lethargic while I still dealt with pain. Finally, through time, my stomach healed on its own, THANK GOODNESS. So now I'm going to take back the heap of fake pills back to Walgreens and just settle with my usual prescription, which is due today. DO NOT ACCEPT ANY PRESCRIPTION FROM Mallinckrodt INC! BEWARE."

• Anonymous
• July 24, 2009

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "I had cervical fusion spine surgery with laminectomy 5 years ago and still suffer from chronic pain. By the way, my surgeon went through the back of my neck instead of the front. This has greatly impacted my life in many ways but I have found that the most pain relief I get is from Percocet. The only real downside is that you do get sleepy, so I try to take it only in the evening but if I need to, I will take one during the day. Most people don't understand about chronic pain and as a result of their ignorance tend to be judgmental. My thoughts and prayers are with all who will read this as well as all who suffer with this problem every day."

• Anonymous
• April 5, 2021

For Chronic Pain "RP10/325 white oxycodone, made by Rhodes Pharm., is highly ineffective for the treatment of pain, this medication should be removed off the market. It causes stomach problems, irritability, and sleepiness. It really has only added to and aggravated my pain rather than helping to manage it. I don't know if it is the hydrochloride or what, but this is the worst pain medication ever, and I will be taking mostly Motrin this month and avoiding being active in an effort to manage my pain until my pharmacy gets me my more regular brand of prescribed pain medications and will only take one of these horrible ineffective pills at bedtime to ensure I don't suffer from opioid withdrawals so that I can go to work. This is all that this medication is good for, is simply to ensure that you don't get withdrawal symptoms until next month when I can get a decent brand of medication again."

• gir...
• March 13, 2008

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "This medication was a lifesaver for me. I have chronic back pain and nothing else helped me deal with the pain, which caused me to also be depressed. Percocet allowed me to be normal and function, it did not make me drowsy at all. Unfortunately, my doc wants me to take a break from it. I know it's good for my liver to stop, but it really helped with the pain. I would NOT recommend this medication to anyone who drinks alcoholic beverages!"

• Dev...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 2, 2022

For Chronic Pain "I take Oxycodone 30 mg. I have tried Purdue and Rhodes. They're both terrible brands. Mallinckrodt has gone way downhill. They used to be good. Now they just put you to sleep. I wish someone would recommend a good brand on here. People just talk about the bad brands. Some say Activas, but they're made by Mallinckrodt. So don't be fooled. Amneal and Camber, from what I hear, are terrible too. I have also tried Teva and they're a joke. I'm going to ask about Xanodyne at my pharmacy. But I think they're fed up with me asking questions. Can someone please recommend a good brand they know works on here?"

• Tom...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 7, 2021

For Chronic Pain "I’ve been on oxycodone for 13 years for chronic back pain. In the past, I’ve been on Camber, Mallinckrodt, Actavis, Rhodes, Watson. Sadly, Watson was discontinued and was truly the one brand that didn’t make me feel sedated and disengaged. For whatever reason, Watson made me feel energized and upbeat, and I miss feeling that way."

• 51s...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 17, 2021

For Chronic Pain "Just want to say that for the 4 years I have taken Mallinckrodt generic Percocet and have had really good results. After the initial pain from multiple surgeries requiring higher doses, I have been able to walk routinely, do housework, go shopping for a couple of hours using low doses of the medication. The Mallinckrodt brand did not cause sleepiness or tiredness at the low therapeutic dose. Yesterday, I picked up my prescription. It was filled with a generic from Amneal Pharmaceuticals, and on day one of taking this brand, I am here to say that this is a terrible substitute. It doesn't do much for the pain at the dose I'm accustomed to, and I have no intention of taking a higher dose. This brand makes me feel terribly depressed and physically lethargic, which did not happen with the Mallinckrodt brand. If you are able to choose your brand, stay away from Amneal. Reading previous posts about generics really has me worried. I have long suspected that not all generics are the same."

• bor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 9, 2018

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "Was prescribed generic 10/325 after wisdom teeth removal, and it made my recovery a breeze. Took one on a timer a few times a day, as advised by my surgeon, and it almost completely erased the pain. Only downside was that it wore off extremely suddenly (at least for me), so if I missed a dose, I'd be met with excruciating pain around the 6-hour mark. I had no side effects other than constipation (which was easily taken care of by an OTC laxative) and pretty extreme drowsiness. I didn't mind that, though, because I needed the rest to properly recover anyway."

• Sta...
• February 24, 2013

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Chronic Pain "Given by a dentist for a dry socket. This medication was the only one we tried that actually took away the pain without the drowsiness or confused feeling normally experienced with pain medications. I would recommend it 100%."

• Ama...
• March 27, 2012

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "I've taken Percocet for several short periods in my life, such as fall resulting in herniated lumbar disc, very severely abscessed tooth that required surgery, post-op for compound fracture of wrist, etc. Most recently, for a post-op pain reliever (ankle surgery). I'm currently on this medicine. I've been prescribed the 7.5-325. It's a wonderful pain reliever. Causes minor itchiness all over and significant drowsiness (these are normal side effects). Bothersome, but well worth relieving horrible pain! I do not get sleepless like I do on Vicodin. Actually, I am lulled to sleep when on this medicine. Not only does it successfully control significant pain, it also gives the user a feeling of peaceful serenity."

• Ama...
• December 6, 2010

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "I have tried several medications for my peripheral neuropathy, and Percocet is the only thing that has helped. It has been a life saver. While I do still have pain, it has greatly reduced the pain and given me my life back. Not only has it helped me with my pain, but, as I've seen others say, it has also done wonders for my mood. It has also made it possible for me to get some sleep at night without waking constantly in pain. Most of the other medications I have tried have had really bad side effects, and I have none with the Percocet except some mild drowsiness, but nothing severe, and that is actually a good thing when I need help sleeping at night."

• cra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 14, 2012

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "I had 3 impacted wisdom teeth removed under general anesthetic. The oral surgeon prescribed me Percocet. Percocet was a bit too intense for me, even though it did rid me of the pain. It was intense because it made me dizzy and drowsy. I found myself having to lay down most of the time when on it, as I also felt that my heart rate increased. I think that because I'm already a worrier, the side effects left me panicky."

• Mar...
• November 27, 2015

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "Prescribed this after impacted wisdom teeth extractions. Eased pain a little, but the headache, sleeplessness, constipation, jitters, and persistent nausea aren't worth it. Ibuprofen works much better without any side effects."

• Att...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 20, 2017

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "Percocet made tonsillectomy pain go from 9/10 to 4/10, allowing me to sleep comfortably at night. It also works for my migraines, as sleeping is the cure, and the drowsiness effect makes it easy to sleep. Finally, my ear is swollen shut now and *very* painful, and Percocet eliminates most of the pain."

• Ram...
• June 26, 2009

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "Took Percocet for 3 days after losing a couple of fingertips to a slamming door. It certainly helped with the pain, but made me nauseous, dizzy, and drowsy. I had to lie down most of the time I took this drug. I got off it as soon as I could."

• BCI...
• April 10, 2009

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "I have been taking Percocet 10/650 off and on for about 5 months for back pain and for joint pain, tendinitis, etc. It works great for me despite my tendency toward resistance to pain medicines. I take one when I really need it and sleep great or do whatever I need to do. The only real downside I can list is when taking it before bed I am inclined to oversleep and feel groggy the next day."

• Lau...
• June 14, 2020

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "My endodontist prescribed me this med before retreatment of root canal for pain relief. I liked it, it worked within 20 min, but it made me so drowsy it put me to sleep and relieved the pain for no more than 3 hours. The pain came back exactly after 3 hours, but I couldn't take it again right away because it would exceed the daily max. I switched to ibuprofen 600 mg the next day, and it worked as quickly as that med did, and the effect lasted about 5 hours, and it didn't make me drowsy."

• Ame...
• December 10, 2009

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "My husband had his wisdom teeth surgically removed a few days ago. His doctor prescribed this medicine for the pain, and he says it really helps him. They were giving him this in the hospital, and he went from a 7 to a 2. I say it does what it is supposed to do very well. He hasn't had any upset stomach problems yet, but it does put him to sleep."

• sm5...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 4, 2024

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "I got this medicine while I was dealing with wisdom tooth removal. It was a lifesaver! It's helpful to take when you are about to go to sleep, as the drowsy side effect can help you rest and recover faster. I only took it for 4 days before I switched to regular OTC pain control. It's best taken when you eat something, it reduces some of the side effects and is easier to process. It helps a lot during the initial recovery phase when the best medicine is rest and recovery for moderate/severe pain after surgery."

• Anonymous
• September 22, 2009

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "I love this medicine, but I can't perform on the job if I take it. I am at work right now, and I just want to sleep under my desk. But I now have minor pain instead of bad pain. Nice."

• kco...
• June 5, 2008

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "Magnacet is a lifesaver. The pain relief is unbelievable when taken with my other prescriptions. It does make me a bit lightheaded and drowsy, but since it helps with the pain, it is well worth it."

• Kri...
• June 28, 2013

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "Was given Tylox capsules after having back-to-back abdominal surgery. Pain was greatly reduced, and side effects were low, only itching and slight drowsiness."

• Fre...
• March 8, 2012

Acetaminophen / oxycodone for Pain "Excellent pain relief, without constipation associated with the use of narcotics. I didn't find that I got too drowsy from it either."