Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: NUMORPHAN versus OXAYDO.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: NUMORPHAN versus OXAYDO.
NUMORPHAN vs OXAYDO
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Opioid agonist; binds to mu-opioid receptors in the CNS, inhibiting ascending pain pathways and altering pain perception.
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.
Intravenous or subcutaneous: 0.5-2 mg (0.1-0.2 mg/kg for severe pain) every 2-3 hours as needed; not to exceed 20 mg/day.
Oral, 5-10 mg every 4-6 hours as needed for pain; maximum 60 mg per day.
None Documented
None Documented
Terminal elimination half-life is 2–3 hours in adults; prolonged to 3–4 hours in elderly and up to 15 hours in patients with severe hepatic impairment.
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, <5% as noroxymorphone and other conjugates); biliary/fecal excretion accounts for ~20%.
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