Henoch-Schönlein purpura associated with acetaminophen and codeine

We report a case of a relapse of Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) associated with intake of paracetamol (also known as acetaminophene) and codeine. A 69-year-old man presented with fever, gross hematuria, acute renal failure, palpable purpuric skin rash over the legs, feet and arms, arthralgias and abdominal discomfort. 1 week before he had started therapy with co-efferalgan (association of paracetamol and codeine) for cervical arthrosis. Blood test revealed increase in serum creatinine levels (2.6 mg/dl), CRP (375 mg/dl), with no thrombocytopenia or hypocomplementemia. Co-efferalgan was discontinued. Gross hematuria resolved in 2 days, purpuric rash disappeared in 10 days, renal function returned to normal after 2 weeks and abdominal pain and arthralgias improved on the following 2 - 3 weeks. An objective causality assessment in accordance with the Naranjo algorithm, revealed that the adverse drug reaction was probable between paracetamol/codeine and Henoch-Schönlein purpura. To our knowledge, and based on a medline search (up to 2005), we believe that this could be considered the first case of Henoch-Schönlein purpura, associated with intake of paracetamol and codein. Although this event could be considered rare, clinicians should to be aware of possible associations between HUS and the intake of paracetamol and/or codeine to provide an early therapeutic intervention and a close monitoring.

[Experimental evidence of against cough activity of total alkaloids from Guiera senegalensis Lam. in guinea pig;]

INTRODUCTION

Against cough activity from Guiera senegalensis' leaves has been previously scientifically studied. However, to the best of our knowledge, active principles responsible of this activity were not yet identified. Thus, we undertook this work with the aim to evaluate the effect of total alkaloids from plant's leaves in cough induced in guinea pig by ammoniac inhalation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Guinea pigs were divided up in 5 groups of 10 and were crammed with distilled water (control), total alkaloids with 10, 25 and 30 mg/kg and codeine with 50 mg/kg. They were then exposed to ammoniac inhalations and the number of coughs was counted every hour, after cramming, during 5 min.

RESULTS

Our results show, after 5 hours, with the doses of 15, 25 and 30 mg/kg per os, that total alkaloids induce against cough activity, 2 hours after cramming (p < 0.01) and the difference was still significant 3, 4 and 5 hours after (p < 0.001). These alkaloids effects were comparable with codeine activity which was used as reference product.

CONCLUSION

Total alkaloids of Guiera senegalensis present an against cough activity and would be responsible of against cough activity of the plant.

The effect of codeine on the Urge-to-Cough response to inhaled capsaicin

We have shown previously in normal subjects that a sensory measure, the Urge-to-Cough rating, increases at concentrations of inhaled capsaicin that are lower than those necessary to elicit reflex cough. This finding suggests that the Urge-to-Cough may represent an index of the cough response. Research on cough in the human has most often employed challenge with inhaled capsaicin to induce reflex cough. Current measures of cough sensitivity in the human provide no information regarding the intensity of cough. The influence of codeine on cough perceptual sensitivity and the relationship to cough intensity with capsaicin-induced cough in normal subjects has not been evaluated. This study determined the effect of codeine on capsaicin-induced cough perceptual sensitivity and motor response in normal subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. This approach investigated the relevance of cough sensitivity, intensity, and sensory modalities in the assessment of cough suppression in humans. This study consisted of three experimental trials: administration of placebo, 30 mg codeine and 60 mg codeine. The study was double-blinded. The order of the three trials was randomized. Respiratory motor pattern was recorded with EMGs from the rectus abdominis, lateral abdominal muscles and eighth intercostal space. The subjects leaned into a fume hood to inspire deeply for 2 s once through a mouthpiece connected to the nebulizer. A modified Borg scale was used to estimate their Urge-to-Cough. The experimental trial consisted of eight test solutions of 0-200 microM capsaicin. Each solution was presented three times in a randomized block order for a total of 24 presentations. The lowest capsaicin concentration to elicit a cough was determined. The lowest capsaicin concentration to elicit an Urge-to-Cough greater than zero was identified. The Urge-to-Cough sensitivity was determined from the log-log slope. For placebo, the Urge-to-Cough was zero with inhalation of the vehicle and no coughs were observed. The threshold capsaicin concentration for subjects to report an Urge-to-Cough was 15.6 microM (+/-2.6 SEM). The capsaicin concentration threshold for eliciting a cough was significantly greater, 39.3 microM (+/-5.6 SEM). As the capsaicin concentration increased, the magnitude estimation of the Urge to-Cough increased. The slope of the log-log relationship for the Urge-to-Cough was 0.94 (+/-0.07 SEM). As the capsaicin concentration increased, the number and intensity of the coughs increased. The administration of 30 and 60 mg codeine had no significant effect on the threshold capsaicin concentration for the Urge-to-Cough. There was also no significant codeine effect on the slope of the log-log Urge-to-Cough relationship. Thirty and sixty milligram codeine had no significant effect on the relationship between the capsaicin concentration and the number and intensity of the coughs. The results of this study demonstrate that the threshold for a subject to perceive an Urge-to-Cough was less than the capsaicin concentration that elicits the cough motor response. There was a direct relationship between the sensory intensity (magnitude estimation of the Urge-to-Cough) and the cough number and intensity. Thus, as the sense of an Urge-to-Cough increased the cough motor response increased. Neither the 30 nor 60 mg codeine affected the perceptual or motor sensitivity to capsaicin-induced cough. These results showed that the initial threshold for responding to capsaicin-induced cough is the perception of an Urge-to-Cough, followed by a motor cough response if the capsaicin is increased above the perceptual threshold. As the capsaicin concentration increases, both the perceptual need to cough and the cough motor response increase. The response of subjects to inhalation of capsaicin consisted of both a sensory component leading to perception of an Urge-to-Cough and motor cough behavior.

The efficacy comparison of ibuprofen, acetaminophen-codeine, and placebo premedication therapy on the depth of anesthesia during treatment of inflamed teeth

The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether premedication therapy with acetaminophen-codeine or ibuprofen is able to increase the depth of anesthesia in inflamed teeth. Sixty patients with the diagnosis of irreversible pulpitis in 1 mandibular tooth requiring root canal therapy (RCT) were selected. Two other teeth in the same quadrant were selected as controls. An electric pulp tester (EPT) was used to evaluate pulp sensitivity at the baseline and after drug administration and anesthesia injection. The subjects were divided into 3 groups randomly, and in each group 1 of the 3 drugs including acetaminophen-codeine, ibuprofen, and placebo were administered 1 hour before anesthesia delivery. After 1 hour, anesthesia was injected and after a waiting period, the EPT measurement was recorded. The reversed EPT scale was used to evaluate the depth of anesthesia achieved during RCT. Data were analyzed to statistically compare the results before and after intervention in cases and controls of each group and among different groups. Significanly lower tooth sensitivity levels (TSLs) were observed after intervention in acetaminophen-codeine and ibuprofen groups, which was more significant in the ibuprofen group. The comparison of inflamed teeth TSLs in the acetaminophen-codeine group and the placebo group after anesthesia and drug administration showed significant differences (P = .001). This comparison between ibuprofen and placebo groups also showed significant differences (P approximately 0). Also, significantly lower TSL of inflamed teeth was observed in the ibuprofen group in comparison with the acetaminophen-codeine group (P = .002). This study reflected preoperative administration of ibuprofen, if not contraindicated, as a drug of choice 1 hour before local anesthesia injection as an effective method for achieving a deep anesthesia during RCT of teeth with irreversible pulpitis.

[What are the cardiovascular complications of the analgesics and glucocorticoids?]

When prescribing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory treatment but also an analgesic or a glucocorticoid, the cardiovascular risk of the patient should be assessed. The analgesics have few cardiovascular side effects and the main complications observed are linked essentially to the vagal action of the opioids. Acetaminophen is considered by several scientific societies to be the first line analgesic treatment, particularly in case of cardiovascular risk but with caution since cardiovascular toxicity of acetaminophen cannot be totally excluded. An overdose of dextropropoxyphene can result in cardiotoxicity. On the other hand, the glucocorticoids need to be prescribed cautiously, at the lowest possible dose and for the shortest possible duration due to the non-negligible cardiovascular risk, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hypokaliemia.

The Significance of Putative Urinary Markers of Illicit Heroin Use After Consumption of Poppy Seed Products

After consumption of poppy seeds various substances were detected in urine or blood samples using an immunoassay and a sophisticated liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric procedure. These compounds are widely considered to be putative markers of heroin (HER) abuse whereas acetylcodeine was regarded as a marker for illicit preparations ("street HER"). Besides positive urinary opiate immunoassay results during a 48 hours monitoring period, peak concentrations of morphine (MOR), codeine and their glucuronides appeared 4 to 8 hours after ingestion of poppy seeds, and concentrations of total MOR higher than 10 microg/mL were observed. Also, in serum samples taken up to 6 hours after consumption, MOR glucuronides were found. Free MOR was only detected in traces (1 to 3 ng/mL) within 2 hours of consumption. In addition, 3 of 6 onsite opiate sweat tests revealed positive results 6.5 hours after ingestion. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that neither noscapine (NOS) nor papaverine (PAP) was detectable in urine or blood samples after the consumption of poppy seeds containing up to 94 microg NOS and up to 3.3 mug PAP. NOS and PAP were rapidly metabolized, whereas desmethylpapaverine and, especially, its glucuronide were found in urine samples of poppy seed consumers even 48 hours after consumption. According to these results PAP metabolites should not be regarded as markers of illicit HER abuse. In conclusion, only acetylcodeine can be regarded as a specific marker but has the problem of a short half-life. Therefore, we suggest that NOS and PAP, but not their metabolites, might be used cautiously as additional markers of illicit HER abuse as they have not been detected after oral intake of poppy seeds in normal doses. But it must be kept in mind that in some cases poppy seeds with an unusually high content of these alkaloids could be available, and that these substances are also agents in some pharmaceuticals.

Comparison of Oral Versus Rectal Administration of Acetaminophen With Codeine in Postoperative Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy Patients

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether acetaminophen with codeine administered per rectum is an effective alternative for pain control compared with oral administration after an adenotonsillectomy.

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective, randomized control study.

METHODS

Seventy-five children aged 1 to 5 were recruited for this study. Each child was assigned randomly to receive either rectal or oral postoperative pain medication. A journal with eight questions was kept for 10 days after the operation, and an overall survey of five questions was filled out at the first postoperative visit.

RESULTS

Postoperative pain was adequately controlled in those patients receiving suppositories when compared with those patients receiving oral pain medication. Adverse effects and total number of doses given per day were similar. Parents found the suppositories easy to administer, and more parents would switch or consider switching from oral pain medication to suppositories if given the choice.

CONCLUSIONS

The suppositories achieved equivalent pain control as oral medication with few side effects and good tolerance. Furthermore, many parents preferred the suppositories to oral medication in maintaining postoperative pain control because of ease of administration. If given the choice for future surgeries, many parents would switch or consider switching from oral pain medication to suppositories.

Pharmacokinetics of codeine and its metabolite morphine in ultra-rapid metabolizers due to CYP2D6 duplication

Codeine is an analgesic drug acting on mu-opiate receptors predominantly via its metabolite morphine, which is formed almost exclusively by the genetically polymorphic enzyme cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). Whereas it is known that individuals lacking CYP2D6 activity (poor metabolizers, PM) suffer from poor analgesia from codeine, ultra-fast metabolizers (UM) due to the CYP2D6 gene duplication may experience exaggerated and even potentially dangerous opioidergic effects and no systematical study has been performed so far on this question. A single dose of 30 mg codeine was administered to 12 UM of CYP2D6 substrates carrying a CYP2D6 gene duplication, 11 extensive metabolizers (EM) and three PM. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism methods and a single-base primer extension method for characterization of the gene-duplication alleles. Pharmacokinetics was measured over 24 h after drug intake and codeine and its metabolites in plasma and urine were analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Significant differences between the EM and UM groups were detected in areas under the plasma concentration versus time curves (AUCs) of morphine with a median (range) AUC of 11 (5-17) microg h l(-1) in EMs and 16 (10-24) microg h l(-1) in UM (P=0.02). In urine collected over 12 h, the metabolic ratios of the codeine+codeine-6-glucuronide divided by the sum of morphine+its glucuronides metabolites were 11 (6-17) in EMs and 9 (6-16) in UM (P=0.05). Ten of the 11 CYP2D6 UMs felt sedation (91%) compared to six (50%) of the 12 EMs (P=0.03). CYP2D6 genotypes predicting ultrarapid metabolism resulted in about 50% higher plasma concentrations of morphine and its glucuronides compared with the EM. No severe adverse effects were seen in the UMs in our study most likely because we used for safety reasons a low dose of only 30 mg. It might be good if physicians would know about the CYP2D6 duplication genotype of their patients before administering codeine.

Treatment of pain during medical abortion

A structured literature review was undertaken to determine, in the context of early medical abortion, the proportion of women who require analgesia, the predictors of analgesia requirement and the most appropriate analgesia regimen. Studies from different centers show wide variations in analgesia use, but, overall, around 75% of women use narcotic analgesics on the day of prostaglandin administration. Differences are likely to be due to differences in policies for offering analgesia rather than differences in patient characteristics. The following characteristics are consistently associated with increased requirement for analgesia: increasing gestation, younger patient age, nulliparity and White race. A regimen comprising 325-500 mg of paracetamol (acetaminophen) with 10 mg of dihydrocodeine or 30 mg of codeine has been used by thousands of women without apparent problems.

Inter- and intraindividual variabilities in pharmacokinetics of fentanyl after repeated 72-hour transdermal applications in cancer pain patients

Perception of pain by the patient is frequently one of the early signs preceding a diagnosis of cancer and, later, a sinister sign of disease progression. Among opioid drugs, transdermal fentanyl has been evaluated in the treatment of moderate to severe cancer pain. The objective of this study was to investigate the intra- and interindividual variabilities in pharmacokinetics after fentanyl drug delivery by the transdermal fentanyl patch delivery system in patients with cancer pain. As a first step, a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of the analgesic fentanyl in human plasma. This method was validated over the concentration range 0.15-100 ng/mL. The study group consisted of 29 inpatients (18 men and 11 women; age range 29-80 years). The initial transdermal fentanyl delivery rate was chosen depending on the patient's analgesic requirements. For 20 patients, the initial TTS fentanyl delivery rate was 25 or 50 microg/h. For 6 patients, the initial delivery rate was 75-150 microg/h. Two patients received up to 300 microg/h fentanyl delivery rate, and 3 patients received up to 350 microg/h fentanyl delivery rate. Fifteen of the 29 patients received rescue doses of subcutaneous or oral morphine, and 26 patients received paracetamol with codeine (30 mg per os). Blood samples were collected at the following intervals: 2-5, 22-26, or 45-47 hours following fentanyl patch application. The severity of pain experienced by the patient was assessed thrice daily using a visual analogue scale. The study period was 46 days. Large patient-to-patient variations in pharmacokinetic parameters occurred, although intraindividual variability was limited. A mean bioavailability of 78% was estimated; the total clearance averaged 41 L/h. From 25 to 100 mug/h fentanyl delivery rate, the pharmacokinetics was linear. At the 2 highest doses, an increase of total clearance was observed (>60 L/h). For the whole group, transdermal fentanyl treatment provided good to excellent pain relief in the majority of patients.

The effect of montelukast (10mg daily) and loratadine (10mg daily) on wheal, flare and itching reactions in skin prick tests

Antileukotriene agents are widely used for the treatment of allergic conditions including bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis. The influence of montelukast on skin reactivity has not been clearly evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of montelukast on wheal, flare and itching in skin prick tests (SPTs).

METHODS

Fifteen atopic patients (5 women and 10 men) with average age 28.04 (SD+/-8.24) were tested with histamine, codeine, negative control solution and allergen extract (grasses). Montelukast (10mg), loratadine (10mg) or placebo were given to the volunteers for 5 days in a double-blind manner, followed by SPT, with 14 days of wash-out period.

RESULTS

There was no differences in wheal, flare and itching (p=0.205; 0.086 and 0.069, respectively, Wilcoxon rank-sum test) between SPT performed after placebo and wash-out period. The analysis revealed a statistically significant suppression of wheal and flare by loratadine (p<0.05 for all tested solutions). Pre-treatment with montelukast did not influence wheal size (p=0.099, 0.21, 0.066 for histamine, codeine and allergens, respectively), but significantly reduced flare (p=0.005; 0.003; 0.02 for histamine, codeine and allergens, respectively). We found a significant suppression of itching produced by montelukast (p=0.02) and loratadine (p=0.03) as compared to placebo (p=0.068 vs. wash out).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show a tendency to suppressive effect of montelukast on flare and itching but not on wheal which is basic for SPT interpretation. We conclude that found suppression have little impact on clinical effectiveness of SPT as a diagnostic tool.

Pholcodine stimulates a dramatic increase of IgE in IgE-sensitized individuals. A pilot study

BACKGROUND

A previous study showed a relation between pholcodine (PHO) consumption, prevalence of IgE-sensitization to PHO, morphine (MOR) and suxamethonium (SUX) and anaphylaxis to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA). The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the effect on IgE production, in IgE-sensitized and nonsensitized individuals, of exposure to cough syrup and environmental chemicals containing PHO, MOR and SUX related allergenic structures.

METHODS

Serum concentrations of IgE and IgE antibodies to PHO, MOR and SUX allergens measured by ImmunoCAP (Pharmacia Diagnostics, Uppsala, Sweden) were followed after intake of cough syrup, or exposure to confectionary and other household chemicals containing various amounts of substances cross-reacting with PHO, MOR and SUX.

RESULTS

Cough syrup containing PHO gave, in sensitized individuals, within 1-2 weeks, an increase of IgE of 60-105 times and of IgE antibodies to PHO, MOR and SUX in the order of 30-80 times. The tested confectionary did not have any similar stimulating effect but seemed to counteract the expected decrease of IgE. No effect was seen in nonsensitized individuals. The PHO stimulated IgE showed a nonspecific binding to ImmunoCAP with common allergens and glycine background ImmunoCAP that was up to 10-fold higher than that of monomeric myeloma-IgE at twice the concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

It seems as cough syrups containing PHO have a most remarkable IgE boostering effect in persons IgE-sensitized to PHO, MOR and SUX related allergens. Household chemicals containing such allergenic epitopes seem capable of some, minor, stimulation.

Comparative trial of tramadol/paracetamol and codeine/paracetamol combination tablets on the vigilance of healthy volunteers

Combination of tramadol 37.5 mg/paracetamol 325 mg (a), or codeine 30 mg/paracetamol 500 mg (b) or 300 mg have similar pain efficacy but a difference has been suggested concerning their adverse events on vigilance. In clinical practice, combinations are usually given at the above-mentioned dosage three to four times a day. The aim of this study was to compare a single dose of these two combinations (a) and (b) in 24 healthy young volunteers on visual choice reaction time (CRT, ms). Results show a longer CRT (P < 0.05) (up to 4% of the control value 3 h post-dosing) and a higher report of somnolence in the codeine/paracetamol group compared with tramadol/paracetamol group (50% vs. 4% of the subjects). This observation is important and proves that even a single dosage of these largely used drugs may have a significant effect. This finding should be further investigated in elderly subjects who consume largely these drugs for chronic pain alleviation and who are more prone to this kind of adverse event.

Comparison of transdermal fentanyl with codeine/paracetamol, in combination with radiotherapy, for the management of metastatic bone pain

Radiotherapy (R/T) is frequently used for palliative treatment of painful bone metastases; however, complete alleviation of pain is not always achieved. This study was designed to evaluate pain management outcomes and quality of life (QoL) measures in cancer patients with metastatic bone pain receiving a combination of R/T and either transdermal therapeutic fentanyl (TTS-F) patches or codeine/paracetamol. A total of 460 palliative care patients with bone metastases who received R/T were enrolled in this prospective, open-label study. The patients were randomized to initially receive a total dose of 120 mg codeine/paracetamol per day or TTS-F patches releasing 25 microg fentanyl per hour. Pain measures were assessed on the basis of selected questions from the Greek-Brief Pain Inventory. Overall treatment satisfaction (scale, 1 to 4), QoL, and European Collaborative Oncology Group status were also recorded. Among the 460 patients, 422 were eligible for evaluation. Pain measures in the TTS-F group demonstrated statistically significant improvements during the study that were superior to those in the codeine/paracetamol group (p < 0.05). Likewise, there was a significantly greater increase (p < 0.05) in the mean satisfaction score for patients in TTS-F group at every visit between baseline and month two. The vast majority (95.8 percent) of patients in the codeine/paracetamol group increased their medication dosage until the end of the study, whereas in the TTS-F group the respective percentage was only 6.1. Both treatments were generally well tolerated, with constipation as the most common side effect followed by sleep disturbances and nausea. The overall frequencies of side effects were higher in the codeine/paracetamol group. The results therefore indicate that TTS-F offers more effective pain relief than codeine/paracetamol, in combination with R/T, in patients with metastatic bone pain, obtaining complete treatment satisfaction matched by improvements in their QoL.

Decreased postpartum use of oral pain medication after a single dose of epidural morphine

BACKGROUND

Pain after vaginal delivery may result from episiotomy, perineal laceration, or uterine involution. Many women have indwelling epidural catheters in place at delivery. We hypothesized that a small dose of epidural morphine would be an effective strategy for postpartum analgesia.

METHODS

Eighty-one healthy parturients receiving epidural analgesia for labor were enrolled. Patients were randomized in double-blind fashion to 1 of 3 groups: all groups received a 4-mL volume of epidural solution consisting of saline (group 1, control), 1 mg (group 2), or 2 mg morphine (group 3) after vaginal delivery. During the first 24 hours postpartum, patients were evaluated for the amount of oral pain medication requested; visual analog scale scores for pain at rest and with movement; satisfaction with postpartum pain treatment; and opioid side effects including nausea, pruritus, urinary retention, and respiratory depression.

RESULTS

Patients who received 2 mg of epidural morphine used an average of 0.7 (0-1, interquartile range) opioid-containing pain pills (acetaminophen with codeine or oxycodone) compared with 1.2 (0-2) in the 1-mg group and 1.9 (0-3) in the control group ( P = .07). There was a statistically significant difference in oral drug usage between those who received epidural morphine and those who did not ( P < .03). There were no differences in side effects except that at 12 hours postpartum there was an increase in Foley catheterization in the 1-mg morphine group ( P = .007).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that epidural morphine decreases the need for oral pain medication in the first 24 hours postpartum. No significant dose-dependent side effects were found.

Adverse effects following the inadvertent administration of opioids to infants and children

Regardless of the clinical scenario in which they are administered, opioids can have adverse effects in infants and children. These adverse effects may be particularly problematic when opioids are inadvertently administered since the clinical signs and symptoms may not be readily attributed to opioids without an appropriate history. The authors present 3 clinical scenarios in which adverse effects occurred related to the inadvertent administration of opioids when: (1) acetaminophen with codeine were administered instead of acetaminophen, (2) a mother was breastfeeding while taking opioids, and (3) a fentanyl patch was placed on a superficial injury. A thorough history and physical examination combined with urine/plasma drug screening resulted in the identification of the problem and its effective therapy.

Time-Contingent Dosing of an Opioid Analgesic After Tonsillectomy Does Not Increase Moderate-to-Severe Side Effects in Children

As part of a randomized clinical trial that compared three different analgesic dosing regimens ( Sutters et al., 2004 ), the purpose of this study, in children who underwent tonsillectomy, was to determine whether around-the-clock (ATC) dosing of acetaminophen with codeine, compared with as-needed (PRN) dosing, increased the frequency of moderate-to-severe opioid-related side effects (i.e., daytime sedation, lightheadedness, nightmares, nausea, vomiting, and constipation) in the first 3 days after surgery. Because no differences were found in pain intensity scores and in the amount of analgesic administered between the two ATC groups (i.e., with and without coaching), for these analyses, the two groups were combined ( n = 52) and compared with the PRN group ( n = 28). Each side effect was recoded into a dichotomous response (i.e., 0 = did not have symptoms or had slight symptoms; 1 = symptoms that were moderate, severe, or very severe) to provide an adequate sample size in each cell for the statistical analyses. No differences were found in the frequency of moderate-to-severe side effects between the ATC and PRN groups at any of the postoperative assessments. The number of children who reported moderate-to-severe daytime sedation decreased over time in both the PRN ( p = .02) and ATC groups ( p = .01). Children in the ATC groups reported a statistically significant decrease over time in vomiting ( p = .001) and feeling lightheaded or dizzy ( p = .003), and a significant increase in constipation ( p = .018). Except for daytime sedation, changes, over time, in the frequency of moderate-to-severe side effects were not observed in the PRN group.

Pancreatitis due to codeine

Pancreatitis is a rare adverse effect of codeine. We report the case of a 42-year-old man who suffered from epigastric pain 1 hour after taking a tablet containing amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid (500/125 mg) and another tablet containing acetaminophen plus codeine (500/30 mg) for a respiratory infection. He was admitted to the emergency room and was treated with metamizol and pantoprazole. A few minutes after receiving intravenous doses of both drugs he developed a maculopapular and itching eruption with facial angioedema. Laboratory tests showed high levels of serum amylase, GOT, GPT and total bilirubin. Serological tests for several viruses showed no evidence of recent infection. Ultrasonography was negative for biliary lithiasis and showed only cholecystectomy performed in 2000. The patient was sent to our department where skin prick and oral challenge tests were performed with negative results. For ethical reasons, oral challenge with codeine was not carried out. We believe that our patient had codeine-induced pancreatitis. The most likely underlying pathophysiological mechanism was probably codeine-induced spasm of the sphincter of Oddi combined with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction related to a previous cholecystectomy. Allergy departments should be aware of possible non-immunological adverse.

Dose-Related Distribution of Codeine, Cocaine, and Metabolites into Human Hair following Controlled Oral Codeine and Subcutaneous Cocaine Administration

Hair testing for the determination of drug exposure has many useful applications. Drug incorporated into hair can be found for extended periods following drug exposure. There are few controlled drug administration studies investigating drug distribution into human hair. Ten volunteers participated in a 10-week controlled cocaine and codeine administration study while residing in the secure research ward. Weekly hair samples were collected by electric razor. During the low-dose week (week 4), volunteers received 75 mg/70 kg cocaine subcutaneously and 60 mg/70 kg codeine orally on alternating days, a total of three doses for each drug. Similarly, during week 7, volunteers received three doses 150 mg/70 kg cocaine and 120 mg/70 kg codeine. Maximum hair concentrations (C(max)) were found 1 to 3 weeks after low and high doses. Dose-related C(max) values of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, norcocaine, cocaethylene, and codeine were found following low and high doses. Hair analysis was performed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. A positive linear relationship was found between total melanin content of hair and C(max) of codeine, cocaine, and metabolites following high dosing. This study demonstrated dose-related concentrations of cocaine and metabolites in human hair following controlled cocaine administration. These data are the first demonstrating melanin-related incorporation of cocaine and metabolites into human hair following controlled cocaine administration.

Efficacy of coeliac plexus and splanchnic nerve blockades in body and tail located pancreatic cancer pain

Palliative treatment, pain therapy and quality of life (QOL) are very important in pancreatic cancer patients. We evaluated the pain relieving efficacy, side effects and effects on QOL of neurolytic coeliac plexus blockade (NCPB) and splanchnic nerves neurolytic blockade (SNB) in body and tail located pancreatic cancer. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Coeliac group; GC, N = 19 were treated with coeliac plexus blockade, whereas the patients in splanchnic group; GS, N = 20 were treated with bilateral splanchnic nerve blockade. The VAS values, opioid consumption and QOL (Patient satisfaction scale=PSS, performance status scale=PS) were evaluated prior to the procedure and at 2 weeks intervals after the procedure with the survival rates. The demographic features were found to be similar. The VAS differences (difference of every control's value with baseline value) in GS were significantly higher than the VAS differences in GC on every control meaning that VAS values in GS decreased more than the VAS values in GC. GS patients were found to decrease the opioid consumption significantly more than GC till the 6th control. GS patients had significant improvement in PS values at the first control. The mean survival rate was found to be significantly lower in GC. Two patients had severe pain during injection in GC and 5 patients had intractable diarrhoea in GC. Comparing the ease, pain relieving efficacy, QOL-effects of the methods, splanchnic nerve blocks may be an alternative to coeliac plexus blockade in patients with advanced body and tail located pancreatic cancer.

The analgesic effect of etoricoxib relative to that of cetaminophen analgesics: a randomized, controlled single-dose study in acute dental impaction pain

BACKGROUND

To compare the analgesic effect of single doses of etoricoxib 120 mg, oxycodone/ acetaminophen 10 mg/650 mg and codeine/ acetaminophen 60 mg/600 mg in acute pain using the dental impaction model.

METHODS

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, patients reported pain intensity and pain relief (16 times) and global scores (twice) during a 24-h period. The primary endpoint was the overall analgesic effect, total pain relief over 6 h (TOPAR6). Other endpoints were patient global evaluation, time to onset (2-stopwatch method), duration of analgesic effect (median time to and amount of rescue medication use). Tolerability was evaluated by overall and opioid-related (nausea and vomiting) adverse experiences.

RESULTS

302 patients (mean age 23; 63% women; 63 % White) were randomized to etoricoxib 120 mg, oxycodone/acetaminophen 10 mg/650 mg, codeine/acetaminophen 60 mg/600 mg, and placebo (2:2:1:1). Etoricoxib demonstrated significantly greater overall analgesic efficacy (TOPAR6) (13.2 units) versus oxycodone/acetaminophen (10.2 units); and codeine/acetaminophen (6.0 units); p < 0.001 for all. All active treatments were superior to placebo. Median time to onset was significantly (p < 0.001) shorter for oxycodone/acetaminophen (20 min) and numerically but not significantly shorter (p = 0.259) for codeine/acetaminophen (26 min) compared with etoricoxib (40 min). Etoricoxib (24 h) had a significantly longer lasting analgesic effect than oxycodone/acetaminophen (5.3 h), codeine/acetaminophen (2.7 h), and placebo (1.7 h) (p < 0.001 for all). Etoricoxib patients experienced fewer clinical adverse experiences than patients on oxycodone/acetaminophen and codeine/acetaminophen, specifically, significantly (p < 0.05) fewer episodes of nausea.

CONCLUSION

Etoricoxib 120 mg provided superior overall analgesic effect with a smaller percentage of patients experiencing nausea versus both oxycodone/acetaminophen 10 mg/650 mg and codeine/acetaminophen 60 mg/600 mg.

Codeine intoxication associated with ultrarapid CYP2D6 metabolism

Life-threatening opioid intoxication developed in a patient after he was given small doses of codeine for the treatment of a cough associated with bilateral pneumonia. Codeine is bioactivated by CYP2D6 into morphine, which then undergoes further glucuronidation. CYP2D6 genotyping showed that the patient had three or more functional alleles, a finding consistent with ultrarapid metabolism of codeine. We attribute the toxicity to this genotype, in combination with inhibition of CYP3A4 activity by other medications and a transient reduction in renal function.