Oxycodone long-acting (modified release) tablets
Other names – Oxycontin®, Longtec® tablets
Who is the leaflet for? What is its aim?
This leaflet is for patients (and their relatives or carers) who have been discharged from hospital with long-acting oxycodone for moderate to severe pain. Its use will have been explained to you before you leave hospital. Do not hesitate to ask for more information or to have it repeated if needed.
Long-acting oxycodone (also known as slow release, or modified release which is abbreviated to “MR”) is a strong painkiller from the same family of drugs as morphine. It works in a similar way to morphine. Long-acting oxycodone is commonly used for moderate to severe pain from many different causes. These medications are safe and effective when used properly and will be helpful in controlling your pain.
Pain control may be an ongoing process and health professionals will work with you to adjust the medication doses as needed. Health professionals (including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and opticians) will need to know that you are taking these medications, so do inform them, even if you are seeing them for an unrelated matter.
Benefits
The medication you have been prescribed will help to manage your pain, enabling you to be more comfortable and active at home.
How to take long-acting oxycodone
Long-acting oxycodone is taken twice daily. Take the first dose when you wake up and the second dose 12 hours later, for example at 7am and 7pm.
You must swallow your long-acting oxycodone whole i.e. without breaking or crushing the tablet. If you take a tablet that is broken, crushed or chewed, the dose intended to be given over 12 hours will be absorbed more rapidly and can lead to overdose. Avoid alcohol within one hour of taking your long-acting oxycodone.
For breakthrough pain, you can take a dose of the short-acting oxycodone at the dose that’s been worked out for you. Allow approximately 30 minutes for a dose of short-acting oxycodone to take effect. If you find that you are regularly needing two or more extra doses of short-acting oxycodone, tell your doctor or nurse. It may be helpful to review your pain medication at this time.
Side effects
Long-acting oxycodone may cause you to feel sick (nausea) or to vomit when you start taking it. Taking the medicine with food may help. It is possible that you will have been given an anti-sickness medication (anti-emetic) to take regularly when the painkiller is started. For most patients, symptoms of nausea fade within a few days as the body gets used to the new drug. If the symptoms persist or are not well controlled by an anti-emetic, please speak to your doctor or nurse as alternatives are available.
Long-acting oxycodone may increase the risk of constipation and you may have been prescribed a laxative to take regularly. Maintaining a good fluid intake, being active and having fibre in your diet will also help.
Some mild drowsiness is common and will usually resolve over a few days whilst your body is getting used to the new medication, or after a change to a higher dose. Please avoid driving and operating heavy machinery if you are affected. If the drowsiness stops you from reading a newspaper, following the plot of a television programme or does not improve after a few days, please seek medical advice promptly. It may be best to avoid alcohol whilst taking oxycodone as you're more likely to get side effects, such as feeling sleepy.
These medications can be dangerous if they are taken by those they are not prescribed for. Please keep them out of the reach of children or anyone else who might take them inadvertently. If this happens seek medical advice immediately. They should be stored in the original container to protect from light and below 25°C.
Common questions asked about oxycodone
No. Oxycodone is given for different sorts of moderate and severe pain. If you have cancer, treatment with oxycodone may be needed to allow you to live as comfortably as possible. Oxycodone can be taken for as long as it’s needed and the dose can be changed over time.
Addiction is very rare when oxycodone is used for pain relief, under the guidance of your doctor. If you no longer require oxycodone, the dose can be gradually and safely reduced by your doctor. Oxycodone should not be stopped abruptly.
If you miss your dose of long-acting oxycodone, take your dose as soon as you remember, providing this is within four hours of when you would normally take this medicine. Then take your next long-acting oxycodone tablet at the normal time. Do not take a double dose to make up for the missed one. If you vomit the medicine up, repeat the dose as soon as you feel better providing it is less than four hours since you last took the tablet. If this happens again tell your doctor or nurse. If it is more than four hours since you would have taken your tablet, please contact your doctor or nurse for additional advice.
Some people find that doing certain activities, such as having a bath or going for a walk, bring on the pain. Your doctor or nurse may suggest that you try taking a dose of short-acting oxycodone 30 minutes before starting an activity that brings on the pain.
Although oxycodone is a very good pain killer, it is not helpful for all types of pain and may require adjustments by your doctor or nurse. Sometimes other treatments are be needed and suggested by your medical team.
If you still have pain and feel unwell in one or more of the following ways:
- Feeling more sleepy than usual
- Feeling sick more of the time
- Feeling restless or jumpy
- Experiencing bad dreams
tell your doctor or nurse. Your doctor may reduce your dose of oxycodone and suggest other treatments to help the pain.
Once you get used to taking oxycodone and do not feel sleepy or unwell, you may be able to drive. You must not drive if you feel that your driving may be impaired. The Department for Transport advises patients to carry evidence that you have been prescribed morphine by a doctor in case you are stopped by the Police.
It may be best not to drink alcohol whilst taking oxycodone as you're more likely to get side effects, such as feeling sleepy.
Tablets or liquids which are no longer needed, or past their expiry date, should be returned to a pharmacy.
Alternatives
The team looking after you will continue to manage your pain as well as possible, using a combination of drug and non-drug treatments. If your pain continues despite these treatments, please inform your medical team who will explore this further and consider alternative options. Being completely pain-free is not always possible, but bringing your pain into comfortable levels is the main priority of all treatments. While you are awaiting advice do not alter the amount of your medication that you are taking or stop taking it suddenly.
Contacts and further information
Once you are discharged, your GP or community specialist palliative care nurse will provide support to help you manage your pain and to help you use the long-acting oxycodone as effectively as possible.
References and sources of evidence
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Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the hospital campus. For advice and support in quitting, contact your GP or the free NHS stop smoking helpline on 0800 169 0 169.
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Cambridge University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
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