Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialCharacterization of abdominal pain during methylnaltrexone treatment of opioid-induced constipation in advanced illness: a post hoc analysis of two clinical trials.
Methylnaltrexone is a selective peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist that decreases the constipating effects of opioids without affecting centrally mediated analgesia. In two double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase III studies of methylnaltrexone for opioid-induced constipation in patients with advanced illness, abdominal pain was the most common adverse event (AE) reported. ⋯ Abdominal pain AEs in methylnaltrexone-treated patients in clinical trials are usually described as "cramps" or "cramping," are mostly mild to moderate in severity, and decrease in incidence with subsequent dosing.