noroxycodone and Vomiting

We prospectively investigated the efficacy of opioid rotation from oral morphine to oral oxycodone in cancer patients who had difficulty in continuing oral morphine treatment because of inadequate analgesia and/or intolerable side effects.. Twenty-seven patients were enrolled and 25 were evaluated. The rate of patients who achieved adequate pain control, which provided an indication of treatment success, was evaluated as primary endpoint. The acceptability and pharmacokinetics of oxycodone were evaluated in addition to the assessment of analgesic efficacy and safety during the study period.. In spite of intense pain, the morphine daily dose could not be increased in most patients before the study because of intolerable side effects. However, switching to oral oxycodone allowed approximately 1.7-fold increase as morphine equivalent dose. Consequently, 84.0% (21/25) of patients achieved adequate pain control. By the end of the study, all patients except one had tolerated the morphine-induced intolerable side effects (i.e. nausea, vomiting, constipation, drowsiness). Common side effects (>10%) that occurred during the study were typically known for strong opioid analgesics, and most were mild to moderate in severity. A significant negative correlation between creatinine clearance (CCr) value and the trough concentrations of the morphine metabolites was observed. On the other hand, no significant correlation was found between CCr value and the pharmacokinetic parameters of oxycodone or its metabolites.. For patients who had difficulty in continuing oral morphine treatment, regardless of renal function, opioid rotation to oral oxycodone may be an effective approach to alleviate intolerable side effects and pain.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Aged; Analgesics, Opioid; Constipation; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Humans; Linear Models; Male; Middle Aged; Morphinans; Morphine; Morphine Derivatives; Nausea; Neoplasms; Oxycodone; Pain; Prospective Studies; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Sleep Stages; Treatment Outcome; Vomiting

Thirty patients with cancer pain completed a double-blind crossover study comparing controlled-release (CR) and immediate-release (IR) oxycodone. In open-label titration (2 to 21 days), these patients were stabilized on IR oxycodone qid. They were then randomized to double-blind treatment with CR oxycodone q12h or IR oxycodone qid for 3 to 7 days followed by crossover at the same daily dose. Mean (+/- SD) pain intensity (0 = none to 10 = severe) decreased from a baseline of 6.0 +/- 2.2 to 2.7 +/- 1.1 after titration with IR oxycodone dosed qid. Pain intensity remained stable throughout double-blind treatment: 2.7 +/- 1.9 with CR oxycodone and 2.8 +/- 1.9 with IR oxycodone. Acceptability of therapy and pain scores correlated with plasma oxycodone concentrations for each interval and were similar for both medications (IR and CR oxycodone). Adverse events were similar for both formulations. Following repeat dosing under double-blind conditions, oral CR oxycodone administered q12h provided analgesia comparable to IR oxycodone given qid.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analgesics, Opioid; Biological Availability; Chronic Disease; Cross-Over Studies; Delayed-Action Preparations; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Morphinans; Neoplasms; Oxycodone; Oxymorphone; Pain; Pain Measurement; Therapeutic Equivalency; Vomiting