I'm reading this old thread, trying to educate myself on the difference in all the pain meds. I obviously want the least amount of Tylenol (which I have with Norco 10/325), but will more Tylenol help with pain relief any? And where does Percocet come into all of this? This thread was enormously helpful, thank you.

I personally don't think taking a hydrocodone pill with more apap (tylenol) will offer any more pain relief than a pill with a lower apap and the same amount of hydrocodone. In addition, increasing your apap intake will greatly increase your chances of long term liver damage that can be very serious. If you truely want more pain relief, you will have to increase your hydrocodone intake. For example, if you are taking vicodin 5/325, and it is inadequate, increase to vicodin 7.5/325 or to 10/325, rather than changing to vicodin 5/500. I hope that example helps you to understand what i mean. Percocet fits into the picture in that it is a preparation much like vicodin with tylenol and a narcotic. The difference being that the narcotic is oxycodone instead of hydrocodone. Oxycodone is generally somewhat stronger than hydrocodone, between 20-40% stronger milligram for milligram (however the difference can vary greatly from person to person). Oxycodone is also a schedule II narcotic, while hydrocodone is a schedule III narcotic (in most states) This means that for products containing oxycodone, including percocet, you are not allowed refills without a written perscription, the doctor cannot call the script in, you must fill the script within seven days of the date it was written, but not within 30 days of a prior prescription for the same product, or it is invalid; and it is just generally more regulated. Percocet comes in generic, and it comes in preparations similiar to vicodin including, 2.5/325, 2.5/500, 5/325, 5/550, 7.5/325, 7.5/650, 10/325, 10/650. Don't let the schedule II status of the drug scare you, it is more of a minor inconvenience than anything else, and many people find percocet to be more effective than vicodin. In fact percocet is the next logical step, once vicodin has failed. Take care.

Thank you so much! That is the answer I needed perfectly!

Now I see the reason when I read like those in Hollywood getting addicted to Oxy. I used to be on Oxycontin Extended Release (can't remember the correct name) and I kept thinking, "Why does everyone keep getting addicted to this?" because I didn't feel anything. Now I see, that it's really Percocet. I have got my facts straight, thank you again!

Actually you were on oxycodone extended release, which IS in fact known as Oxycontin. With the strongest dose of oxycodone in a Percocet tablet being 10 mg, you can see why oxycontin is so appealing to addicts. Oxycontin has no apap to od on, and the weakest oxycontin tablet is 10 mg! It ranges in strengths of 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg tablets, which is mighty potent- one 80 mg tab is equal to eight of the strongest percocets available. They used to make a 160 mg tablet, but the government forced them (purdue pharma) to pull it off the market. Take care.