|Main use||Active ingredient||Manufacturer|
|Moderate to severe pain||Oxycodone hydrochloride||Napp|
How does it work?
OxyContin prolonged release tablets contain the active ingredient oxycodone hydrochloride, which is a type of medicine called an opioid painkiller. It is related to morphine.
Opioid painkillers work by mimicking the action of naturally occurring pain-reducing chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins are found in the brain and spinal cord and reduce pain by combining with opioid receptors.
Oxycodone mimicks the action of natural endorphins by combining with the opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. This blocks the transmission of pain signals sent by the nerves to the brain. Therefore, even though the cause of the pain may remain, less pain is actually felt.
Oxycodone is used to relieve moderate to severe pain, for example associated with cancer or severe injury, or following surgery.
OxyContin prolonged release tablets are designed to release the oxycodone slowly over a period of 12 hours to help provide steady blood levels of the medicine throughout the day and hence prolonged pain relief. The tablets should be taken every 12 hours. They should be swallowed whole and not broken, crushed or chewed, as this would damage the prolonged release action.
What is it used for?
- Relieving moderate to severe pain in cancer or following surgery.
- Relieving severe pain that is not relieved by weaker painkillers.
- OxyContin tablets must be swallowed whole and NOT broken, crushed or chewed, as this would cause the whole dose of oxycodone in the tablet to be released and absorbed at once, which could potentially be fatal.
- This medicine may cause drowsiness. If affected do not drive or operate machinery. Alcohol should be avoided as it will make any drowsiness worse.
- Opioids such as oxycodone frequently cause constipation. Constipation can often be eased by eating plenty of fibre, such as fruit, green leafy vegetables and bran and by drinking six to eight glasses of water each day. However, if this doesn't work or is not possible a laxative may be needed. Ask your doctor for advice if you get constipated while taking this medicine.
- If this medicine is taken for prolonged periods of time, the body can become tolerant to it and it may become less effective at relieving pain. This means that with time, higher doses may be needed to control pain. With prolonged use the body may also become dependent on the medicine. As a result, withdrawal symptoms can occur if the medicine is stopped suddenly. For this reason, when a person no longer needs this medicine it may be necessary to reduce treatment gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
- This medicine is not licensed for use in children or adolescents under 18 years of age.
Use with caution in
- Elderly people.
- Weak or debilitated people.
- Abnormal muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis).
- Severe lung disease.
- Low blood pressure (hypotension) or low volume of circulating blood (hypovolaemia).
- People with reduced blood flow to vital internal organs (shock).
- Mild to moderately decreased kidney function.
- Chronic kidney disease.
- Mildly decreased liver function.
- Chronic liver disease.
- Diseases of the bile ducts.
- Inflammation of pancreas (pancreatitis).
- Inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
- Enlarged prostate gland (prostatic hypertrophy).
- Underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
- Lack of production of natural steroid hormones from the adrenal gland (adrenocortical insufficiency).
- History of convulsions (fits), eg epilepsy.
- People dependent on opioids.
- History of drug, alcohol or medication dependence or abuse.
- Serious medical condition caused by withdrawal from alcohol (delirium tremens).
- People with mental and behavioural disorders caused by a toxic substance (toxic psychosis).
- People who have recently had abdominal surgery.
Not to be used in
- People with slow, shallow breathing resulting in low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood (respiratory depression).
- People with an abnormally high level of carbon dioxide in their blood (hypercarbia).
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Chronic asthma.
- People with a head injury or increased pressure in the brain (raised intracranial pressure).
- People in a coma.
- People with inactivity of the intestine that stops material passing through the gut (paralytic ileus).
- People with delayed emptying of the stomach contents into the intestine.
- Chronic constipation.
- Sudden emergency conditions affecting one or more of the organs in the abdomen (acute abdomen, eg appendicitis).
- Severe enlargement of the right side of the heart due to high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery (cor pulmonale).
- Moderate to severely decreased liver function.
- Severely decreased kidney function.
- Hereditary blood disorders called porphyrias.
- People who have taken a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor antidepressant (MAOI) in the last 14 days.
- Rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption (OxyContin tablets contain lactose).
- This medicine is not recommended for relieving pain just before surgery or in the first 24 hours following surgery.
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- This medicine is not recommended for use during pregnancy or labour because it may cause breathing difficulties in the baby. Babies born to mothers who have been having long-term treatment with this medicine may have withdrawal symptoms after birth. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- Significant amounts of this medicine may pass into breast milk. It should not be used by breastfeeding mothers as it may cause breathing problems in the nursing infant. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- This medication is to be swallowed whole, not chewed.
- This medication may cause drowsiness. If affected do not drive or operate machinery. Avoid alcoholic drink.
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
Common (affect more than 1 in 100 people)
- Drowsiness or sedation.
- Disturbances of the gut such as constipation, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal pain or diarrhoea.
- Loss of appetite.
- Dry mouth.
- Increased sweating.
- Weakness or loss of strength (asthenia).
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
- Anxiety or nervousness.
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
- Abnormal dreams.
Uncommon (affect less than 1 in 100 people)
- Sensation of spinning.
- Low blood pressure (hypotension).
- A drop in blood pressure that occurs when moving from a lying down or sitting position to sitting or standing, which results in dizziness and lightheadedness (postural hypotension).
- Mood swings or changes.
- Agitation or restlessness.
- Feeling disorientated.
- Loss of memory (amnesia).
- Pins and needles or numb sensations.
- Muscle rigidity or floppiness, twitching or tremor.
- Taste disturbances.
- Pin point pupils.
- Visual disturbances.
- Swallowing difficulties.
- Slow, shallow breathing (respiratory depression).
- Difficulty passing urine (urinary retention).
- Fluid retention causing swelling, eg of the ankles (oedema).
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine's manufacturer.
For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.
How can this medicine affect other medicines?
It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking this one, to make sure that the combination is safe.
This medicine should not be taken by people who are taking a type of medicine called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI, for example the antidepressants phenelzine, tranylcypromine or isocarboxacid), or who have taken one of these medicines in the last 14 days.
There may be an increased risk of drowsiness and sedation if this medicine is taken with any of the following (which can also cause drowsiness):
- antipsychotic medicines, eg haloperidol, chlorpromazine
- antisickness medicines, eg prochlorperazine, promethazine, nabilone
- barbiturates, eg phenobarbital, amobarbital
- benzodiazepines, eg diazepam, temazepam
- other opioid painkillers, eg morphine, codeine
- sedating antihistamines, eg chlorphenamine, hydroxyzine
- sleeping tablets, eg zopiclone
- tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.
Oxycodone may oppose the effects of the following medicines on the gut:
Other medicines containing the same active ingredient