Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: DARVON N versus OXAYDO.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: DARVON N versus OXAYDO.
DARVON-N vs OXAYDO
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Propoxyphene is a weak mu-opioid receptor agonist that produces analgesia by binding to opioid receptors in the central nervous system, altering the perception of and response to pain. Its metabolite norpropoxyphene has local anesthetic and sodium channel blocking effects, which may contribute to cardiac toxicity.
Oxycodone is a full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for mu-opioid receptors, although it can bind to kappa-opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of oxycodone is analgesia. Like all full opioid agonists, there is no ceiling effect to analgesia for oxycodone.
100 mg orally every 4 hours as needed for pain; maximum 600 mg per day.
Oral, 5-10 mg every 4-6 hours as needed for pain; maximum 60 mg per day.
None Documented
None Documented
Propoxyphene: 6-12 hours; norpropoxyphene: 30-36 hours. Accumulation of norpropoxyphene on repeated dosing increases risk of toxicity.
Terminal elimination half-life is 3.5-5.5 hours for immediate-release oxycodone; clinically dose every 4-6 hours for sustained analgesia.
Primarily renal (approximately 70% as unchanged drug and glucuronide conjugates); minor biliary/fecal elimination (25-30%).
Primarily renal as unchanged drug and metabolites; ~90% excreted in urine (approx 10% unchanged oxycodone, rest as noroxycodone and oxymorphone conjugates) and <10% in feces via biliary elimination.
Category C
Category C
Opioid Analgesic
Opioid Analgesic