OxyContin
je...@webtv.net
Is anyone using OxyContin? I'm using it on a trial basis for a month.
Anyone have any information they can share? Thanks
J
SLOT 46
i also am on oxycontin for pain and would also like more info about it like
what is it exactly thx
Sandy
Together We Are Strong
LaaDeDah
From Dr.
>Flechas handout
OT is a hormone produced in many parts of the body. OT is
>known to be
one of the controlling factors of the micro circulation of the
>human
body and brain. A decrease of OT can cause problems with
>decreased
circulation in the extremities. Therefore, patients often complain
>of
cold hands and feet, along with history of recurrent headaches.
>OT's
ability to vasodilate the blood vessels is due to its capacity
>to
stimulate the body's cells to produce nitric oxide.
>
*************************************
If violence isn't the answer.
then I
>don't understand the question.
*************************************
OOOOPS. Oxytocin (OT) and Oxycontin are not the same meds. OT is a hormone
(you may remember it as Pitocin, it is used to stimulate labor) and oxycontin
is a narcotic pain med (is it hydrocodone? I think so) in a time release
form.(that means its similar to vicodin but without the tylenol in it if I have
the correct codeine analog here) Be on the lookout for constipation (drink
extra water, consider some metamucil and laxative/bulk foods such as citrus,
prunes etc to head this off until your body adjusts) and the usual cautions for
taking narcotics apply to oxycontin, such as dont mix with alcohol, dont drive
a car and avoid heavy machinery (I know this is probably a big dissapointment,
but you cant go playing around on those bulldozers when taking this) I think
some people do adjsut so well that driving and such arent a problem when they
are using it long term(alcohol still is), but I still worry about the
liability/legal aspects of it if you were involved in an MVA-just something to
think about. I have seen quite a few chronic pain patients sing its praises,
and swear that it is giving them back some semblance of thier lives. Not a bad
tradeoff for having to eat prunes.
LauraA
BostonBill
<<
Is anyone using OxyContin? I'm using it on a trial basis for a month.
Anyone have any information they can share? Thanks
J >>
The following information is obtained from PR newswires, published
medical journal articles, and medical conference presentations.
Drug Name: OxyContin (oxycodone HCl controlled-release)
Company: Purdue Pharma L.P.
Approval Status: Approved May 1996
Treatment for: pain associated with musculoskeletal conditions
-- General Information --
OxyContin has been approved for the treatment of moderate to severe pain
which requires treatment for more than a few days, such as the pain
associated with musculoskeletal conditions.
OxyContin tablets are taken every 12 hours. Most pain medications must
be taken every three to six hours.
OxyContin is available in three tablet strengths (10, 20, and 40 mg). (80mg.
too)
OxyContin tablets are available by prescription only. The tablets are to
be taken whole. Taking broken, chewed, or crushed tablets could lead to
the rapid release and absorption of a potentialy toxic dose of
oxycodone.
OxyContin is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to
oxycodone, or in any situation where opioids are contraindicated. This
includes patients with significant respiratory depression (in
unmonitored settings or the absence of resuscitative equipment), and
patients with acute or severe bronchial asthma or hypercarbia. OxyContin
is contraindicated in any patients who has or is suspected of having
paralytic ileus.
OxyContin, like all opioid analgesics, may cause severe hypotension in
an individual whose ability to maintain blood pressure has been
compromised by a depleted blood volume, or after concurrent
administration with drugs such as phenothiazines or other agents which
compromise vasomotor tone. OxyContin may produce orthostatic hypotension
in ambulatory patients. OxyContin, like all opioid analgesics, should be
administered with caution to patients in circulatory shock, since
vasodilation produced by the drug may further reduce cardiac output and
blood pressure.
-- Clinical Results --
In clinical trials of OxyContin tablets, involving more than 700
patients, onset of pain relief occurred within one hour for most
patients.
-- Side Effects --
The most serious risk associated with opioids, including OxyContin, is
respiratory depression. Common opioid side effects are constipation,
nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, pruritis, headache, dry mouth,
sweating, and weakness.
-- Additional Information --
Among the most common causes of persistent, debilitating pain are
arthritis, lower back conditions, injuries, and cancer. For example,
more than eight million Americans are permanently disabled by back
pain--with 65,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
In advanced stages of cancer, nearly 75% of cancer patients have pain
that is moderate, severe, or very severe. In earlier stages, 30% to 45%
of cancer patients experience moderate to severe pain.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last updated on August 20, 1996
PAC>
CenterWatch Newly Approved Drug Therapies Listing
Copyright © 1995 - 1996, CenterWatch, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
OxyContin Tablets Hailed by World Pain-Care Community
------------------------------------------------------------------------
VANCOUVER, B.C., Sept. 27, 1996 -- OxyContin(TM) generated a groundswell
of international support at this year's meeting of the International
Association of the Study of Pain (IASP). The enthusiasm of IASP members
parallels the powerful U.S. response to the launch of OxyContin --
enabling the drug to achieve its entire expected first-year sales in
only eight months.
OxyContin, a unique, controlled-release form of oxycodone, fits the
profile of opioids hailed by experts at IASP. As Stephen Long, MD, Pain
Specialist at the Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of
Virginia, declared: "Now, thanks to controlled-release opioids, we can
give our patients around-the-clock, opioid pain control for both cancer
and non- cancer pain."
Dr. Long's opinion echoed through the 3-day meeting. Many IASP members
shared the opinion that OxyContin is an excellent opioid for moderate to
severe pain requiring opioid therapy for more than a few days. For
instance, OxyContin may be appropriate for pain of back injury,
arthritis, and other types of noncancer pain, as well as for cancer
pain. In the past, other opioid drugs, such as morphine, were generally
reserved for only cancer pain.
OxyContin reached total U.S. sales of $26 million, four months earlier
than projected by Purdue Pharma L.P. -- the company that developed and
patented OxyContin. Abbott Laboratories now copromotes OxyContin with
Purdue Pharma. By year's end, sales will range from $130,000 to $150,000
for each Purdue or Abbott sales representative, bringing total sales to
more than $40 million.
OxyContin is the only oral oxycodone that acts for a full 12 hours to
relieve pain -- making it the longest-lasting oxycodone ever. Unlike
Percodan(R)*, Percocet(R)* and other combination products, it contains
no aspirin or acetaminophen that may be potentially toxic in maximal
daily doses.
With OxyContin, analgesic onset occurs within 1 hour in most patients.
There is no ceiling effect to analgesia, allowing physicians to titrate
the dosage upward when needed for pain control. Common opioid side
effects, except for constipation, often diminish over time for many
patients taking OxyContin.
Please read the accompanying prescribing information for OxyContin
Tablets.
OxyContin Tablets are to be taken whole. Taking broken, chewed, or
crushed tablets could lead to the rapid release and absorption of a
potentially toxic dose of oxycodone.
The most serious risk associated with opioids, including OxyContin, is
respiratory depression. Common opioid side effects are constipation,
nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting, pruritus, headache, dry mouth,
sweating, and weakness.
* Registered trademark, DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co.
q12h
OxyContin(TM) CII
(Oxycodone HCl Controlled-Release) Tablets
Warning -- May be habit forming
10 mg * 20 mg * 40 mg (and now 80 mg. too)
Brief Summary on OxyContin(TM) (oxycodone hydrochloride
controlled-release) Tablets.
Before prescribing, see complete prescribing information, including
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION.
INDICATIONS AND USAGE:
For the management of moderate to severe pain where use of an opioid
analgesic is appropriate for more than a few days.
CONTRAINDICATIONS:
OxyContin is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to
oxycodone, or in any situation where opioids are contraindicated. This
includes patients with significant respiratory depression (in
unmonitored settings or the absence of resuscitative equipment), and
patients with acute or severe bronchial asthma or hypercarbia. OxyContin
is contraindicated in any patient who has or is suspected of having
paralytic ileus.
WARNINGS:
OxyContin TABLETS ARE TO BE SWALLOWED WHOLE, AND ARE NOT TO BE BROKEN,
CHEWED OR CRUSHED. TAKING BROKEN, CHEWED OR CRUSHED OxyContin TABLETS
COULD LEAD TO THE RAPID RELEASE AND ABSORPTION OF A POTENTIALLY TOXIC
DOSE OF OXYCODONE.
Respiratory Depression
Respiratory depression, the chief hazard from all opioid agonist
preparations, occurs most frequently in elderly or debilitated patients,
usually following large initial doses in non-tolerant patients, or when
opioids are given in conjunction with other agents that depress
respiration.
Oxycodone should be used with extreme caution in patients with
significant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cor pulmonale, and
in patients having a substantially decreased respiratory reserve,
hypoxia, hypercapnia, or preexisting respiratory depression. In such
patients, even usual therapeutic doses of oxycodone may decrease
respiratory drive to the point of apnea. In these patients alternative
non-opioid analgesics should be considered, and opioids should be
employed only under careful medical supervision at the lowest effective
dose.
Head Injury
The respiratory depressant effects of opioids include carbon dioxide
retention and secondary elevation of cerebrospinal fluid pressure, and
may be markedly exaggerated in the presence of head injury, intracranial
lesions, or other sources of preexisting increased intracranial
pressure. Oxycodone produces effects which may obscure neurologic signs
of further increases in intracranial pressure in patients with head
injuries.
Hypotensive Effect
OxyContin, like all opioid analgesics, may cause severe hypotension in
an individual whose ability to maintain blood pressure has been
compromised by a depleted blood volume, or after concurrent
administration with drugs such as phenothiazines or other agents which
compromise vasomotor tone. OxyContin may produce orthostatic hypotension
in ambulatory patients. OxyContin, like all opioid analgesics, should be
administered with caution to patients in circulatory shock, since
vasodilation produced by the drug may further reduce cardiac output and
blood pressure.
PRECAUTIONS:
General -- OxyContin tablets are intended for use in patients who
require oral pain therapy with an opioid agonist of more than a few days
duration. As with any opioid analgesic, it is critical to adjust the
dosing regimen individually for each patient.
Selection of patients for treatment with OxyContin should be governed by
the same principles that apply to the use of similar controlled-release
opioid analgesics. Opioid analgesics given on a fixed-dosage schedule
have a narrow therapeutic index in certain patient populations,
especially when combined with other drugs, and should be reserved for
cases where the benefits of opioid analgesia outweigh the known risks of
respiratory depression, altered mental state, and postural hypotension.
Physicians should individualize treatment in every case, using non-opi
oid analgesics, prn opioids and/or combination products, and chronic
opioid therapy with drugs such as OxyContin in a progressive plan of
pain management such as outlined by the World Health Organization, the
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, and the American Pain
Society.
Use of OxyContin is associated with increased potential risks and should
be used only with caution in the following conditions: acute alcoholism;
adrenocortical insufficiency (e.g., Addison's disease); CNS depression
or coma; delirium tremens; debilitated patients; kyphoscoliosis
associated with respiratory depression; myxedema or hypothyroidism;
prostatic hypertrophy or urethral stricture; severe impairment of
hepatic, pulmonary or renal function; and toxic psychosis.
The administration of oxycodone, like all opioid analgesics, may obscure
the diagnosis or clinical course in patients with acute abdominal
conditions. Oxycodone may aggravate convulsions in patients with
convulsive disorders, and all opioids may induce or aggravate seizures
in some clinical settings.
Interactions with other CNS Depressants
OxyContin, like all opioid analgesics, should be used with caution and
started in a reduced dosage (1/3 to 1/2 of the usual dosage) in patients
who are concurrently receiving other central nervous system depressants
including sedatives or hypnotics, general anesthetics, phenothiazines,
other tranquilizers and alcohol. Interactive effects resulting in
respiratory depression, hypotension, profound sedation or coma may
result if these drugs are taken in combination with the usual doses of
OxyContin.
Interactions with Mixed Agonist/Antagonist Opioid Analgesics
Agonist/antagonist analgesics (i.e., pentazocine, nalbuphine,
butorphanol and buprenorphine) should be administered with caution to a
patient who has received or is receiving a course of therapy with a pure
opioid agonist analgesic such as oxycodone. In this situation, mixed
agonist/antagonist analgesics may reduce the analgesic effect of
oxycodone and/or may precipitate withdrawal symptoms in these patients.
Ambulatory Surgery
OxyContin is not recommended pre-operatively (preemptive analgesia) or
for the management of pain in the immediate post-operative period (the
first 12 to 24 hours following surgery) for patients not previously
taking the drug, because its safety in this setting has not been
established.
Patients who are already receiving OxyContin tablets as part of ongoing
analgesic therapy may be safely continued on the drug if appropriate
dosage adjustments are made considering the procedure, other drugs given
and the temporary changes in physiology caused by the surgical
intervention (see PRECAUTIONS: Drug-Drug Interactions).
Use in Pancreatic/Biliary Tract Disease
Oxycodone may cause spasm of the sphincter of Oddi and should be used
with caution in patients with biliary tract disease, including acute
pancreatitis. Opioids like oxycodone may cause increases in the serum
amylase level.
Tolerance and Physical Dependence
Tolerance is the need for increasing doses of opioids to maintain a
defined effect such as analgesia (in the absence of disease progression
or other external factors). Physical dependence is the occurrence of
withdrawal symptoms after abrupt discontinuation of a drug or upon
administration of an antagonist. Physical dependence and tolerance are
not unusual during chronic opioid therapy.
Significant tolerance should not occur in most of the patients treated
with the lowest doses of oxycodone. It should be expected, however, that
a fraction of cancer patients will develop some degree of tolerance and
require progressively higher dosages of OxyContin to maintain pain
control during chronic treatment. Regardless of whether this occurs as a
result of increased pain secondary to disease progression or
pharmacological tolerance, dosages can usually be increased safely by
adjusting the patient's dose to maintain an acceptable balance between
pain relief and side effects. The dosage should be selected according to
the patient's individual analgesic response and ability to tolerate side
effects. Tolerance to the analgesic effect of opioids is usually
paralleled by tolerance to side effects, except for constipation.
Physical dependence results in withdrawal symptoms in patients who
abruptly discontinue the drug or may be precipitated through the
administration of drugs with opioid antagonist activity (see OVERDOSA
GE). If OxyContin is abruptly discontinued in a physically dependent
patient, an abstinence syndrome may occur. This is characterized by some
or all of the following: restlessness, lacrimation, rhinorrhea, yawning,
perspiration, chills, myalgia and mydriasis. Other symptoms also may
develop, including: irritability, anxiety, backache, joint pain,
weakness, abdominal cramps, insomnia, nausea, anorexia, vomiting,
diarrhea, or increased blood pressure, respiratory rate or heart rate.
MarilynK
One of the best places to find out about meds is http://www.rxlist.com
--
Hugs, Marilyn
CFIDS/FMS Info Page
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/6028
BJessee403
I was given oxycontin for pain after a back procedure. It works well for the
pain, not sure about driving with it. I would think that taking this powerful
drug would keep you down. The last time I took it I threw up for hours. (took
it on an empty stomach). I learn as I go.
Betty Delaine
Melissa Hapner
I use it almost daily, but need to supplement it during a REALLY bad flare.
It used to work for 12 hours, and 10 mg at wake-up plus 10 mg at bedtime
was all I needed. Like most meds, though, I developed a bit of a tolerance
for it, so we moved up to 20 mg twice a day, sometimes at 8 or 10 hour
intervals if I'm having an awful day.
I have heard that it is safer than some meds, because there is no
acetaminophen (a big component of many pain meds, that can cause more
trouble then the narcotics that they carry), and my pharmacist has
mentioned this twice.
I recommend it, just because (after getting used to it), it doesn't make
me tired or "dopey" like some other pain meds do, and because it is nicer
to my organs that larger doses of acetaminophen. Coming from a person with
common kidney/uti infections, and occasional high liver profile, that means
an awful lot!
je...@webtv.net wrote in article
<6bhv88$c38$1...@newsd-141.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
Jenn
Oxycontin has allowed me to return to work. It doesn't make me "euphoric" it
just decreases the pain. I was sleepy on it at first but now I don't notice
this. I think it is the best drug ever made except imitrex. Take care!!
Jenn
BJessee403 wrote in message
<19980208221...@ladder02.news.aol.com>...