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How To Administer Oxycontin If The Patient Have Difficulty Swallowing?
How to administer Oxycontin if patient suffers dry mucous membranes of the mouth and pharynx leading to some difficulty when swallowing her tablets? She continues to be on a fluid balance chart owing to some difficulties passing urine post surgery.
Comments
This is a question to pose to the patient’s doctor, not on the internet.
Oxycodone (the active ingredient in Oxycontin) comes in liquid, but is not the extended-release form, is the immediate release. But surely is easier to swallow the liquid, and is 20mg per ml which is not a lot of liquid.
If it’s just a dry mouth that’s the problem, have her take a mouthful of pudding, or something else slippery, and see if that helps.
Her doctors should realize that the opiate is likely to contribute to her urinary retention.
If she cannot swallow the pills, then she’ll need a different prescription – something that comes in a liquid form. It’ll mean more frequent dosing, but at least the drug will get into her system.
It’s either going to happen or it isn’t. If the difficulty is enough to make it a real problem, an alternative medication may be needed. Under no circumstance, though, is it possible safely to disturb the matrix of the pill. That would result in too large a dose too fast.
ask your doctor some alternatives, especially IV route.
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