What is Opana?
Opana is an opioid pain medication. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic.
Opana is used to treat moderate to severe pain.
Opana ER, the extended-release form of oxymorphone, is for around-the-clock treatment of pain and should not be used on an as-needed basis for pain.
Before taking this medicine
You should not take Opana if you are allergic to oxymorphone, or if you have:
- severe asthma or breathing problems;
- severe liver disease; or
- a stomach or bowel obstruction (including paralytic ileus).
To make sure Opana is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:
- breathing problems, sleep apnea (breathing that stops during sleep);
- a head injury or seizures;
- drug or alcohol addiction, or mental illness;
- urination problems;
- liver or kidney problems; or
- problems with your gallbladder, pancreas, or thyroid.
If you use Opana while you are pregnant, your baby could become dependent on the drug. This can cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms in the baby after it is born. Babies born dependent on opioids may need medical treatment for several weeks.
How should I use Opana?
Take Opana exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides. Never use Opana in larger amounts, or for longer than prescribed. Tell your doctor if you feel an increased urge to take more of this medicine.
Never share Opana with another person, especially someone with a history of drug abuse or addiction. MISUSE CAN CAUSE ADDICTION, OVERDOSE, OR DEATH. Keep the medication in a place where others cannot get to it. Selling or giving away opioid medicine is against the law.
Stop using all other around-the-clock opioid pain medications when you start taking Opana.
Take Opana on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal.
Take the medicine at the same time each day.
Swallow the tablet whole to avoid exposure to a potentially fatal overdose. Do not crush, chew, break, or dissolve.
Take only one Opana ER extended-release tablet at a time. To avoid choking, do not lick or wet the tablet before placing it in your mouth.
Never crush or break an Opana pill to inhale the powder or mix it into a liquid to inject the drug into your vein. This can cause in death.
Do not stop using Opana suddenly after long-term use, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Ask your doctor how to safely stop using Opana.
Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light. Keep track of your medicine. You should be aware if anyone is using it improperly or without a prescription.
Do not keep leftover opioid medication. Just one dose can cause death in someone using this medicine accidentally or improperly. Ask your pharmacist where to locate a drug take-back disposal program. If there is no take-back program, flush the unused medicine down the toilet.
Dosing information
Usual Adult Dose of Opana for Pain:
The following dosing recommendations can only be considered suggested approaches to what is actually a series of clinical decisions over time; each patient should be managed individually.
ORAL:
Use as first Opioid Analgesic:
-Initial dose: 10 to 20 mg orally every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain
Maximum initial dose: 20 mg
Conversion from Other Oral Opioids to Oral Oxymorphone:
-Determine equipotent dose using published potency tables; it is safest to start therapy by administering one-half the calculated total daily oxymorphone requirement in 4 to 6 equally divided oral doses every 4 to 6 hours and gradually adjust the dose as needed.
Comments:
-Dose conversion should be done carefully and with close monitoring due to large patient variability in regards to the opioid analgesic response.
-Use the lowest effective dosage for the shortest duration consistent with individual patient treatment goals.
-Monitor closely for respiratory depression, especially within the first 24 to 72 hours of initiating therapy and with each dose increase.
-Due to risks of addiction, abuse, and misuse, even at recommended doses, reserve use for patients for whom alternative treatment options (e.g., non-opioid analgesics or opioid combination products) have not been tolerated, or are not expected to be tolerated, or have not provided adequate analgesia, or are not expected to provide adequate analgesia.
Usual Adult Dose of Opana ER for Chronic Pain:
Use as the First Opioid Analgesic or for those who are NOT Opioid Tolerant:
Initial dose: Extended-release tablets: 5 mg orally every 12 hours
CONVERSION DOSES:
Immediate-Release Oxymorphone to Extended-Release Oxymorphone Tablets: Administer the same total daily dose
-Initial dose: One-half total daily immediate-release requirement as extended-release tablet orally every 12 hours
Opana side effects
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to Opana: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Opioid medicine can slow or stop your breathing, and death may occur. A person caring for you should give naloxone and/or seek emergency medical attention if you have slow breathing with long pauses, blue-colored lips, or if you are hard to wake up.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
- weak or shallow breathing, breathing that stops;
- a light-headed feeling, like you, might pass out;
- seizure (convulsions);
- chest pain, wheezing, cough with yellow or green mucus;
- severe vomiting;
- high levels of serotonin in the body – agitation, hallucinations, fever, sweating, shivering, fast heart rate, muscle stiffness, twitching, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; or
- low cortisol levels – nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dizziness, worsening tiredness or weakness.
Serious side effects may be more likely in older adults and those who are overweight, malnourished, or debilitated.
Common Opana side effects may include:
- dizziness, drowsiness;
- headache, tiredness; or
- stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation.
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