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The text only version may be available in large print, Braille or audio CD. For further information call emc accessibility on 0800 198 5000. The product code(s) for this leaflet is: PL48804/0008.
Oxypro 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg prolonged-release tablets
Oxypro 15 mg - Oxypro 20 mg - Oxypro 30 mg Oxypro 40 mg - Oxypro 60 mg - Oxypro 80 mg prolonged-release tablets
Active substance: oxycodone hydrochloride
1. What Oxypro is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Oxypro
3. How to take Oxypro
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Oxypro
6. Content of the pack and other information
Oxypro is a strong acting painkiller (analgesic) and belongs to the group of opioids. Oxypro is used to treat severe pain, which can be adequately managed only with opioid analgesics. Oxypro is indicated in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older.
This medicine has been prescribed for you for severe pain, which can be adequately managed only by analgesics. It contains oxycodone which belongs to a class of medicines called opioids, which are ‘pain relievers’. This medicine has been prescribed to you and should not be given to anyone else.
Opioids can cause addiction and you may get withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it suddenly. Your prescriber should have explained how long you will be taking it for and when it is appropriate to stop, how to do this safely.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Oxypro
Contact your doctor if you experience severe upper abdominal pain possibly radiating to the back, nausea, vomiting or fever as this could be symptoms associated with inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) and the biliary tract system.
This medicine contains oxycodone which is an opioid medicine. Repeated use of opioid painkillers can result in the drug being less effective (you become accustomed to it, known as tolerance).
Taking this medicine regularly, particularly for a long time, can lead to dependence, abuse and addiction which may result in life-threatening overdose. The risk of these side effects can increase with a higher dose and longer duration of use. Your prescriber should have explained how long you will be taking it for and when it is appropriate to stop, how to do this safely.
Dependence or addiction can make you feel that you are no longer in control of how much medicine you need to take or how often you need to take it. You might feel that you need to carry on taking your medicine, even when it doesn’t help to relieve your pain.
The risk of becoming dependent or addicted varies from person to person. You may have a greater risk of becoming dependent or addicted to Oxypro if:
Rarely, increasing the dose of this medicine can make you more sensitive to pain. If this happens, you need to speak to your prescriber about your treatment.
Addiction can cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking this medicine. Withdrawal symptoms can include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, shaking, shivering or sweating. Your prescriber will discuss with you how to gradually reduce your dose before stopping the medicine. It is important that you do not stop taking the medicine suddenly as you will be more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms.
Opioids should only be used by those they are prescribed for. Do not give your medicine to anyone else. Taking higher doses or more frequent doses of opioid, may increase the risk of addiction. Overuse and misuse can lead to overdose and/or death.
Oxypro can cause sleep-related breathing disorders such as sleep apnoea (breathing pauses during sleep) and sleep related hypoxemia (low oxygen level in the blood). The symptoms can include breathing pauses during sleep, night awakening due to shortness of breath, difficulties to maintain sleep or excessive drowsiness during the day. If you or another person observe these symptoms, contact your prescriber. A dose reduction may be considered by your prescriber.
Talk to your doctor if any of these conditions apply to you.
The most significant risk of overdose of opioids is slow and shallow breathing (respiratory depression). This is most likely to occur in elderly and debilitated patients and may also cause a drop in blood pressure. This could lead to fainting.
Do not take Oxypro 60 mg and 80 mg prolonged-release tablets if you have not taken opioids before, these strengths may lead to a life-threatening flattening and slowing down of breathing (respiratory depression).
This medicine has been specially formulated to release the active substance over a 12-hour period. Oxypro prolonged-release tablets are not allowed to be divided, chewed or crushed. This would lead to a potentially lethal dose of the active substance oxycodone hydrochloride (see under “If you take more Oxypro tablets than you should or if someone accidentally swallows your tablets”).
When used for a long time (chronic) tolerance to the effects may appear and you may require progressively higher doses of Oxypro to maintain pain control. Do not change the dosage without consulting your prescriber.
Opioids are not the first choice treatment for pain not related to cancer and are not recommended as the only treatment. Other medicines should be used together in the treatment of chronic pain along with opioids. Your prescriber should monitor you closely and make any necessary adjustments to your dose while you are taking Oxypro to prevent addiction and abuse.
Prolonged use of Oxypro may lead to physical dependence. If treatment is stopped abruptly, withdrawal symptoms may occur such as yawning, abnormal dilation of the pupils, tear disorder, runny nose, shaking, sweating, anxiety, convulsions, difficulty sleeping or muscle pain. When you no longer require therapy with Oxypro, it may be advisable for your prescriber to taper the dose gradually.
The active substance oxycodone hydrochloride, similar to other strong opioids (strong painkillers) has a primary dependence potential.
Developing psychological dependence may be possible. In cases of present or past abuse of alcohol or medicines, Oxypro must be used with special caution only.
If you notice any of the following signs whilst taking Oxypro, it could be a sign that you have become dependent or addicted.
If you notice any of these signs, speak to your prescriber to discuss the best treatment pathway for you, including when it is appropriate to stop and how to stop safely (see section 3, “If you stop taking Oxypro”).
Especially in high dosages you may experience increased sensitivity to pain (hyperalgesia) despite the fact that you are taking increasing doses of Oxypro. Your prescriber will decide whether you need a change in dose or a change in strong analgesic (opioids).
Oxypro are for oral use only (swallowing of whole tablets). The prolonged-release tablets should not be dissolved and injected, as this can cause serious, possibly fatal consequences.
If you are going to have an operation, please tell the doctor at the hospital that you are taking Oxypro.
Similar to other opioids, oxycodone can affect the normal production of the body’s hormones (such as cortisol or sex hormones). This happens especially if you have received high doses over long periods of time.
You may see the residue of the tablet in your stool. Do not worry, as the active substance oxycodone has been released earlier while the tablet passed through the gastric system and has started to be effective in your body.
Safety and efficacy have not been established in children under 12 years of age. Therefore, Oxypro is not recommended in children under 12 years of age.
The use of Oxypro may lead to positive results in doping controls. Use of Oxypro as a doping agent may become a health hazard.
Tell your prescriber if you are taking/using, have recently taken/used or might take/use any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription.
Use of opioids including Oxypro and sedative medicines such as benzodiazepines or related drugs together increases the risk of drowsiness, difficulties in breathing (respiratory depression), coma and may be life-threatening. Because of this, concomitant use should only be considered when other treatment options are not possible.
However, if your prescriber does prescribe Oxypro together with sedative medicines, the dose and duration of concomitant treatment should be limited by your prescriber.
Please tell your prescriber about all sedative medicines you are taking and follow your prescriber’s dose recommendation closely. It could be helpful to inform friends or relatives to be aware of the signs and symptoms stated above. Contact your prescriber when experiencing such symptoms.
Side effects of Oxypro may occur more frequently or more severely if you use Oxypro concomitantly with medicines that may interfere with the brain function or are used to treat allergies, motion sickness or vomiting. Side effects may occur e.g. flattening and slowing down of breathing (respiratory depression), constipation, dry mouth or disorders in urination.
The risk of side effects increases if you use antidepressants (such as citalopram, duloxetine, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine). These medicines may interact with oxycodone and you may experience symptoms such as involuntary, rhythmic contractions of muscles, including the muscles that control movement of the eye, agitation, excessive sweating, tremor, exaggeration of reflexes, increased muscle tension, and body temperature above 38°C. Contact your prescriber when experiencing such symptoms.
Please tell your prescriber if you are taking any of the following medicines:
Drinking alcohol whilst taking Oxypro may make you feel more sleepy and increases the risk of serious side effects such as shallow breathing with a risk of stopping breathing, and loss of consciousness. It is recommended not to drink alcohol while you are taking Oxypro. While taking Oxypro you should avoid drinking grapefruit juice.
Pregnancy
Do not take Oxypro if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant unless you have discussed this with your prescriber and the benefits of treatment are considered to outweigh the potential harm to the baby.
If you use Oxypro during pregnancy, your baby may become dependent and experience withdrawal symptoms after the birth which may need to be treated.
There is limited data on the use of oxycodone in humans during pregnancy.
Prolonged use of oxycodone during pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn. Use of oxycodone during childbirth can cause shallow and slowed down breathing (respiratory depression) in your newborn.
Breast-feeding
Do not take Oxypro while you are breastfeeding as oxycodone passes into breast milk and will affect your baby.
Oxypro may impair the ability to drive or operate machinery. This is particularly likely at the beginning of therapy with Oxypro, after increasing the dose, after a change of the medicinal preparation as well as the interaction of Oxypro with alcohol or medicinal products which may impair brain function.
These tablets may cause a number of side effects such as drowsiness which could affect your ability to drive or use machinery (see section 4 for a full list of side effects). These are usually most noticeable when you first start taking the tablets, or when changing to a higher dose. If you are affected you should not drive or use machinery.
This medicine can affect your ability to drive as it may make you sleepy or dizzy.
Details regarding a new driving offence concerning driving after drugs have been taken in the UK may be found here: https://www.gov.uk/drug-driving-law.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure whether it is safe for you to drive while taking this medicine.
These tablets contain lactose which is a form of sugar. If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your prescriber before taking Oxypro.
Before starting treatment and regularly during treatment, your prescriber will discuss with you what you may expect from using Oxypro, how long the course of tablets will last, when and how long you will need to take it and when to contact your prescriber. They will arrange a plan for stopping treatment (see also “If you stop taking Oxypro”). This will outline how to gradually reduce the dose and stop taking the medicine.
Always take this medicine exactly as your prescriber has told you. Check with your prescriber if you are not sure.
Your prescriber will determine how much Oxypro you should take and how the total daily dose should be divided. Your prescriber will adjust the dose to the intensity of the pain and to your individual sensitivity. Do not change the dosage without consulting your prescriber.
You should receive the lowest effective dose sufficient to relieve your pain. If you have been treated with opioids before, it may be possible that your prescriber may start treatment at higher doses.
A gradual increase of the dose may be necessary if pain relief is insufficient or the pain level increases.
Please talk to your doctor if you suffer from intermittent pain (breakthrough pain) despite pain therapy. Your prescriber may prescribe you an additional analgesic (non-sustained analgesic) to treat breakthrough pain or adjust your dosage with Oxypro. Oxypro is not intended for the treatment of breakthrough pain.
Oxypro prolonged release tablets are available in 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg 40 mg, 60 mg and 80 mg strengths.
The usual initial dose is 10 mg oxycodone hydrochloride in 12 hourly intervals.
For the treatment of non-cancer pain a daily dose of 40 mg of oxycodone hydrochloride is generally a sufficient daily dose, but higher dosages may be necessary.
Patients with cancer pain usually require dosages from 80 to 120 mg of oxycodone hydrochloride which may be increased up to 400 mg in individual cases.
Some patients taking Oxypro on a fixed schedule require fast-release painkillers as an on-demand medication to manage breakthrough pain. Oxypro prolonged-release tablets are not intended for the treatment of this breakthrough pain.
In elderly patients without liver or kidney problems, dosage adjustment is usually not necessary.
If you suffer from liver or kidney problems and you have not received opioids before, you should receive an initial dose of half of the recommended adult dose.
If your body weight is low or you have a slower metabolisation rate, and have not taken opioids before, you should initially receive half of the recommended adult dose.
Oral Use
Swallow the prolonged-release tablets whole with a sufficient amount of liquid (½ glass of water) with or without food in the morning and in the evening following a fixed schedule (e.g. at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.).
You can take Oxypro with or without food.
Swallow the prolonged-release tablets as a whole, so that the special prolonged release properties are not affected over a longer period of time. The prolonged-release tablets must be swallowed whole and must not be broken, divided, chewed or crushed.
This medicinal product is in child-resistant packaging. The prolonged-release tablets cannot be pressed out of the blister. Please observe the following instructions when opening the blister.
1. Pull off a single dose by tearing along the perforated line on the blister.
2. An unsealed area is exposed/ can be reached by this; this area is at the point where the perforated lines intersect with each other.
3. At the unsealed flap, peel away the cover foil from the bottom foil.
Your prescriber will tell you how long you should take Oxypro.
Do not stop taking Oxypro without consulting your prescriber (see ‘if you stop taking Oxypro’).
If you are taking Oxypro for a long period of time, your treatment should be monitored and discussed regularly with your prescriber. This is necessary in order to achieve the best pain therapy possible as well as to be able to treat any occurring side effects, to allow a decision on dose adjustment and to decide whether treatment should be continued.
If you feel that the effect of Oxypro is too strong or too weak, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
If you have taken more Oxypro than prescribed or someone else has accidentally swallowed your tablets, you should inform your doctor immediately.
Overdose may cause:
Loss of consciousness (coma), water retention in the lung and circulatory collapse may occur in more severe cases and may lead to death. Never engage in situations which require a high degree of concentration such as driving.
If you use a smaller dose of Oxypro than prescribed or if you have forgotten to take your dose, you may not feel any pain relief.
If you have forgotten to take your dose once, you may take it if the next regular dose is scheduled more than 8 hours later. If the interval up until the next dose is shorter, take the forgotten dose and take the next dose 8 hours later. You may then continue to follow your usual schedule.
You should never take Oxypro more than once every 8 hours. Please check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. Never take a doubled amount of a single dose.
Do not suddenly stop taking this medicine. If you want to stop taking this medicine, discuss this with your prescriber first. They will tell you how to do this, usually by reducing the dose gradually so that any unpleasant withdrawal effects are kept to a minimum. Withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, shaking, shivering or sweating may occur if you suddenly stop taking this medicine.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. As with other strong analgesics or painkillers, there is a risk that you may become addicted to Oxypro.
If you experience any of the following significant side effects listed below stop taking Oxypro and contact your doctor immediately.
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
Constipation – this side effect can be counteracted by preventative measures (such as increased drinking of water, nutrition rich in fibre)
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
Pain
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Withdrawal symptoms
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):
Feeling of faintness, especially on standing up
Frequency not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):
Aggression
When you stop taking Oxypro, you may experience drug withdrawal symptoms, which include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, shaking, shivering or sweating.
Long term use of Oxypro during pregnancy may cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms in the new-born. Symptoms to look for in the baby include irritability, hyperactivity, abnormal sleep pattern, high pitched cry, shaking, being sick, diarrhoea and not putting on weight.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme, website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Store this medicine in a locked safe and secure storage space, where other people cannot access it. It can cause serious harm and be fatal to people when it has not been prescribed for them.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and the carton after “EXP”. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater (e.g. not in the toilet or sink). Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
Oxypro 15 mg prolonged-release tablet:
Each prolonged-release tablet contains 15 mg oxycodone hydrochloride corresponding to 13.5 mg oxycodone. The other ingredients are:
Tablet core: Lactose monohydrate, ammonio methacrylate copolymer, Type B, povidone (K29/32), talc, triacetin, stearyl alcohol, magnesium stearate
Tablet coating: Hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), iron oxide black (E172)
Oxypro 20 mg prolonged-release tablet:
Each prolonged-release tablet contains 20 mg oxycodone hydrochloride corresponding to 18 mg oxycodone. The other ingredients are:
Tablet core: Lactose monohydrate, ammonio methacrylate copolymer, Type B, povidone (K29/32), talc, triacetin, stearyl alcohol, magnesium stearate
Tablet coating: Hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), iron oxide red (E172)
Oxypro 30 mg prolonged-release tablet:
Each prolonged-release tablet contains 30 mg oxycodone hydrochloride corresponding to 27 mg oxycodone. The other ingredients are:
Tablet core: Lactose monohydrate, ammonio methacrylate copolymer, Type B, povidone (K29/32), talc, triacetin, stearyl alcohol, magnesium stearate
Tablet coating: Hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), iron oxide brown (E172), iron oxide black (E172)
Oxypro 40 mg prolonged-release tablet:
Each prolonged-release tablet contains 40 mg oxycodone hydrochloride corresponding to 36 mg oxycodone. The other ingredients are:
Tablet core: Lactose monohydrate, ammonio methacrylate copolymer, Type B, povidone (K29/32), talc, triacetin, stearyl alcohol, magnesium stearate
Tablet coating: Hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), iron oxide red (E172), iron oxide yellow (E172)
Oxypro 60 mg prolonged-release tablet:
Each prolonged-release tablet contains 60 mg oxycodone hydrochloride corresponding to 54 mg oxycodone. The other ingredients are:
Tablet core: Lactose monohydrate, ammonio methacrylate copolymer, Type B, povidone (K29/32), talc, triacetin, stearyl alcohol, magnesium stearate
Tablet coating: Hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), iron oxide red (E172), erythrosine (E127)
Oxypro 80 mg prolonged-release tablet:
Each prolonged-release tablet contains 80 mg oxycodone hydrochloride corresponding to 72 mg oxycodone. The other ingredients are:
Tablet core: Lactose monohydrate, ammonio methacrylate copolymer, Type B, povidone (K29/32), talc, triacetin, stearyl alcohol, magnesium stearate
Tablet coating: Hypromellose, macrogol 400, titanium dioxide (E171), indigo carmine aluminium lake (E132), iron oxide yellow (E172)
Oxypro 15 mg prolonged-release tablets:
Grey, round, biconvex, prolonged-release tablets with a diameter of 6.9 – 7.3 mm and a height of 3.2 – 3.9 mm.
Oxypro 20 mg prolonged-release tablets:
Light pink, round, biconvex, prolonged-release tablets with a diameter of 6.9 – 7.3 mm and a height of 3.2 – 3.9 mm.
Oxypro 30 mg prolonged-release tablets:
Brown, round, biconvex, prolonged-release tablets with a diameter of 6.9 – 7.3 mm and a height of 3.2 – 3.9 mm.
Oxypro 40 mg prolonged-release tablets:
Light orange to ochre, round, biconvex, prolonged-release tablets with a diameter of 6.9 – 7.3 mm and a height of 3.2 – 3.9 mm.
Oxypro 60 mg prolonged-release tablets:
Pink-red, round, biconvex, prolonged-release tablets with a diameter of 8.6 – 9.0 mm and a height of 4.6 – 5.3 mm.
Oxypro 80 mg prolonged-release tablets:
Green, round, biconvex, prolonged-release tablets with a diameter of 8.6 – 9.0 mm and a height of 5.0 - 5.6 mm.
Oxypro is available in child-resistant perforated unit dose blisters in packs of 10, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 40, 50, 56, 60, 98 and 100 prolonged-release tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
This leaflet was last revised in February 2024
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