Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE versus OXAYDO.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE versus OXAYDO.
LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE vs OXAYDO
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Levorphanol is a potent opioid analgesic that acts as a mu-opioid receptor agonist. It also has NMDA receptor antagonist activity, inhibits norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake, and acts as a sigma receptor agonist, contributing to its analgesic effects and reduced tolerance development.
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.
2 mg orally every 6-8 hours as needed for pain; for opioid-tolerant patients, doses up to 4 mg orally every 6-8 hours may be used. Parenterally: 1-2 mg subcutaneously or intramuscularly every 6-8 hours; may be given intravenously at 0.5-1 mg every 6-8 hours.
Oral, 5-10 mg every 4-6 hours as needed for pain; maximum 60 mg per day.
None Documented
None Documented
11-16 hours; extended in hepatic impairment (up to 30 hours).
Terminal elimination half-life is 3.5-5.5 hours for immediate-release oxycodone; clinically dose every 4-6 hours for sustained analgesia.
Renal: approximately 30% as unchanged drug and 50% as glucuronide conjugates; fecal: 20% via biliary excretion.
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