The journal of supportive oncology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Methylnaltrexone for treatment of opioid-induced constipation in advanced illness patients.
Methylnaltrexone, a peripheral mu-opioid receptor antagonist with restricted ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, may relieve opioid-induced constipation (OIC) without reversing analgesia. A total of 154 patients with advanced illness and OIC enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, with optional open-label phases (up to 4 months) in hospice and palliative care centers during 2003-2005. They received a single subcutaneous injection of methylnaltrexone (0.15 mg/kg or 0.3 mg/kg) or placebo. ⋯ The most common adverse events (AEs) were abdominal pain and flatulence. Three patients had serious AEs attributed to methylnaltrexone. Subcutaneous methylnaltrexone was efficacious in rapidly inducing laxation and was generally well tolerated in patients with advanced illness and OIC.