Additionally, avoid the use of mixed agonist/antagonist (e.g.., pentazocine, nalbuphine, and butorphanol) or partial agonist (e.g., buprenorphine) analgesics in patients who are receiving a full opioid agonist analgesic, including OXYCONTIN. In these patients, mixed agonist/antagonist and partial agonist analgesics may reduce the analgesic effect and/or may precipitate withdrawal symptoms. Cases of OIH have been reported, both with heroin addiction short-term and longer-term use of opioid analgesics.
Your health care provider may ask you to keep a why is oxycontin addictive medicine called naloxone on hand. Naloxone is a medicine that can be used as an emergency treatment for an opioid overdose and works by reversing the effects of oxycodone. Make sure you or your caregiver knows when and how to use naloxone. Talk to your health care provider or pharmacist if you have any questions.
Expired, unwanted, or unused OXYCONTIN should be disposed of by flushing the unused medication down the toilet if a drug take-back option is not readily available. Inform patients that they can visit /drugdisposal for a complete list of medicines recommended for disposal by flushing, as well as additional information on disposal of unused medicines. Alternatively, consider the use of non-opioid analgesics in these patients. Observational studies have demonstrated that concomitant use of opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines increases the risk of drug-related mortality compared to use of opioid analgesics alone. Because of similar pharmacological properties, it is reasonable to expect similar risk with the concomitant use of other CNS depressant drugs with opioid analgesics see DRUG INTERACTIONS.
Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia (OIH) occurs when an opioid analgesic paradoxically causes an increase in pain, or an increase in sensitivity to pain. This condition differs from tolerance, which is the need for increasing doses of opioids to maintain a defined effect see Dependence. Symptoms of OIH include (but may not be limited to) increased levels of pain upon opioid dosage increase, decreased levels of pain upon opioid dosage decrease, or pain from ordinarily non-painful stimuli (allodynia). These symptoms may suggest OIH only if there is no evidence of underlying disease progression, opioid tolerance, opioid withdrawal, or addictive behavior. Because of these risks, reserve concomitant prescribing of these drugs for use in patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate.
Patients who experience breakthrough pain may require a dosage adjustment of OXYCONTIN or may need rescue medication with an appropriate dose of an immediate-release analgesic. If the level of pain increases after dose stabilization, attempt to identify the source of increased pain before increasing the OXYCONTIN dosage. Because steady-state plasma concentrations are approximated in 1 day, OXYCONTIN dosage may be adjusted every 1 to 2 days. The presence of https://ecosoberhouse.com/ risk factors for overdose should not prevent the proper management of pain in any given patient see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS.
If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur.