Oxycodone is FDA-approved for treating moderate to severe pain that is either acute or chronic in nature. It has been widely used in pain management practice for decades but has recently been receiving much negative attention due to abuse, overdose, and deaths associated with the controlled-release formulation. So, in the overall approach to pain management, what is the appropriate role of oxycodone? A number of questions must be considered when choosing therapy. For example, how does oxycodone compare with other opioids? When should immediate-release oxycodone be used rather than the controlled-release product? Is oxycodone in combination with acetaminophen or an NSAID better than “plain” oxycodone? Are the risks of using oxycodone greater than the benefits? How can risks of misuse or abuse be minimized when prescribing oxycodone? Those and other commonsense questions concerning oxycodone prescribing, safety, and risk management are addressed in this paper.
| Author(s) | Kral, L.A. |
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| Attribution | Courtesy of Pain-Topics.org |
| Document | Download PDF |