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Combunox (Oxycodone Hydrochloride / Ibuprofen) - Drug Interactions, Contraindications, Overdosage, etc

 
 



DRUG INTERACTIONS

Drug Interactions

Oxycodone is metabolized in part to oxymorphone via the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme CYP2D6. While this pathway may be blocked by a variety of drugs (e.g., certain cardiovascular drugs and antidepressants), such blockade has not yet been shown to be of clinical significance with this agent. However, clinicians should be aware of this possible interaction.

Anticholinergics: The concurrent use of anticholinergics with oxycodone preparations may produce paralytic ileus.

OVERDOSAGE

Following an acute overdosage, toxicity may result from oxycodone and/or ibuprofen.

Signs and Symptoms

Acute overdosage with oxycodone may be manifested by respiratory depression, somnolence progressing to stupor or coma, skeletal muscle flaccidity, cold and clammy skin, constricted pupils, bradycardia, or hypotension. In severe cases death may occur.

The toxicity of ibuprofen overdose is dependent on the amount of drug ingested and the time elapsed since ingestion, although individual response may vary, necessitating individual evaluation of each case. Although uncommon, serious toxicity and death have been reported in the medical literature with ibuprofen overdosage. The most frequently reported symptoms of ibuprofen overdose include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and drowsiness. Other central nervous system symptoms include headache, tinnitus, CNS depression, and seizures. Cardiovascular toxicity, including hypotension, bradycardia, tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation, have also been reported.

Treatment:

In the treatment of opioid overdosage, primary attention should be given to the re-establishment of a patent airway and institution of assisted or controlled ventilation. Supportive measures (including oxygen and vasopressors) should be employed in the management of circulatory shock and pulmonary edema accompanying overdose, as indicated. Cardiac arrest or arrhythmias may require cardiac massage or defibrillation. The narcotic antagonist naloxone hydrochloride is a specific antidote against respiratory depression, which may result from overdosage or unusual sensitivity to narcotics including oxycodone. An appropriate dose of naloxone hydrochloride should be administered intravenously with simultaneous efforts at respiratory resuscitation. Since the duration of action of oxycodone may exceed that of the naloxone, the patient should be kept under continuous surveillance and repeated doses of the antagonist should be administered as needed to maintain adequate respiration. Management of hypotension, acidosis and gastrointestinal bleeding may be necessary. In cases of acute overdose, the stomach should be emptied through ipecac-induced emesis or gastric lavage. Orally administered activated charcoal may help in reducing the absorption and reabsorption of ibuprofen. Emesis is most effective if initiated within 30 minutes of ingestion. Induced emesis is not recommended in patients with impaired consciousness or overdoses greater than 400 mg/kg of the ibuprofen component in children because of the risk for convulsions and the potential for aspiration of gastric contents.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Combunox should not be administered to patients who have previously exhibited hypersensitivity to oxycodone HCl, ibuprofen, or any of Combunox's components.

Combunox should not be administered in any situation where opioids are contraindicated. This includes patients with significant respiratory depression (in unmonitored settings or the absence of resuscitative equipment) and patients with acute or severe bronchial asthma or hypercarbia. Patients known to be hypersensitive to other opioids may exhibit cross-sensitivity to oxycodone. Combunox is contraindicated in any patient who has or is suspected of having paralytic ileus.

Combunox should not be given to patients who have experienced asthma, urticaria, or allergic-type reactions after taking aspirin or other NSAIDs. Severe anaphylactoid reactions to NSAIDs, some of which were fatal, have been reported in such patients (see WARNINGS; Anaphylactoid Reactions, and PRECAUTIONS; Pre-existing Asthma).

Combunox is contraindicated for the treatment of peri-operative pain in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (see WARNINGS).

DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE

Combunox contains oxycodone, which is a mu-opioid agonist with an abuse liability similar to other opioid agonists and is a Schedule II controlled substance. Combunox, and other opioids used in analgesia, can be abused and are subject to criminal diversion.

Addiction is a primary, chronic, neurobiologic disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. It is characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving. Drug addiction is a treatable disease utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, but relapse is common.

“Drug seeking” behavior is very common in addicts and drug abusers. Drug-seeking tactics include emergency calls or visits near the end of office hours, refusal to undergo appropriate examination, testing or referral, repeated “loss” of prescriptions, tampering with prescriptions and reluctance to provide prior medical records or contact information for other treating physician(s). “Doctor shopping” to obtain additional prescriptions is common among drug abusers and people suffering from untreated addiction.

Abuse and addiction are separate and distinct from physical dependence and tolerance. Physical dependence usually assumes clinically significant dimensions only after several weeks of continued opioid use, although a mild degree of physical dependence may develop after a few days of opioid therapy. Tolerance, in which increasingly large doses are required in order to produce the same degree of analgesia, is manifested initially by a shortened duration of analgesic effect, and subsequently by decreases in the intensity of analgesia. The rate of development of tolerance varies among patients. Physicians should be aware that abuse of opioids can occur in the absence of true addiction and is characterized by misuse for non-medical purposes, often in combination with other psychoactive substances. Combunox, like other opioids, may be diverted for non-medical use. Record-keeping of prescribing information, including quantity, frequency, and renewal requests is strongly advised.

Proper assessment of the patient, proper prescribing practices, periodic re-evaluation of therapy, and proper dispensing and storage are appropriate measures that help to limit abuse of opioid drugs.

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