Description and Brand Names
Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®
US Brand Name
- Opana
- Opana ER
Descriptions
Oxymorphone is used to relieve pain severe enough to require opioid treatment and when other pain medicines did not work well enough or cannot be tolerated. Oxymorphone belongs to the group of medicines called narcotic analgesics (pain medicines). It acts in the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain. Many of its side effects are also caused by its actions in the CNS.
Oxymorphone extended-release tablets are used to relieve moderate to severe pain in patients requiring continuous, around-the-clock treatment for a long period of time, and should not be used if you need pain medicine for just a short time, such as when recovering from surgery. Do not use this medicine to relieve mild pain, or in situations where a non-narcotic medication is effective. This medicine should not be used to treat pain that you only have once in a while or "as needed".
When oxymorphone is used for a long time, it may become habit-forming (causing mental or physical dependence). However, people who have continuing pain should not let the fear of dependence keep them from using narcotics to relieve their pain. Mental dependence (addiction) is not likely to occur when narcotics are used for this purpose. Physical dependence may lead to withdrawal side effects if treatment is stopped suddenly. However, severe withdrawal side effects can usually be prevented by reducing the dose gradually over a period of time before treatment is stopped completely.
This medicine is available only under a restricted distribution program called the Opioid Analgesic REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) program.
This product is available in the following dosage forms:
- Tablet, Extended Release
- Tablet
Portions of this document last updated: Nov. 01, 2023