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Article

Laxative Use in Inpatients on Oxycodone/Naloxone Prolonged Release and Oxycodone Prolonged Release for Cancer and Non-cancer Pain

Pages 116-123 | Received 16 May 2018, Accepted 02 Nov 2018, Published online: 08 Feb 2019
 

Abstract

Objective: To examine the laxative prescriptions in hospital inpatients with cancer and non-cancer pain on oxycodone compared to oxycodone plus naloxone combination.

Design: Retrospective case note review.

Setting: A palliative care inpatient unit and a general medical ward in a large tertiary referral hospital.

Participants: Eighty-four patients receiving oxycodone or combination oxycodone/naloxone on general medical (45 patients) and palliative care wards (39 patients).

Main outcome measures: The primary recorded outcomes were regular opioid dose (milligrams per day) and number of prescribed laxatives (type, doses, and frequency per day).

Results: Sixty-three (75%) patients in the study were on at least one laxative. In the general medicine inpatients, those on combined oxycodone/naloxone received on average 3.7 laxative doses per day compared to the oxycodone patients receiving 1.6 doses a day. In the palliative medicine population, both groups received a similar number of laxatives, despite the oxycodone/naloxone patients being on lower opioid doses.

Conclusion: This retrospective study of hospital inpatients with cancer and non-cancer pain found that laxative use was not reduced in those on combined oxycodone/naloxone compared to oxycodone alone, suggesting that despite the interpretations of the clinical trials in the phase IV setting, the addition of naloxone had no effect on reducing laxative use.

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