Behavioural pharmacology
-
Behavioural pharmacology · Jun 2012
Controlled Clinical TrialEffects of repeated oxycodone administration on its analgesic and subjective effects in normal, healthy volunteers.
Tolerance to the analgesic effects of opioids has been demonstrated in laboratory animals after repeated drug administration; yet, this effect has been studied less frequently under controlled laboratory conditions in humans. This within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to determine whether tolerance developed to the analgesic, subjective, and physiological effects of the commonly prescribed opioid oxycodone when it was administered daily for 5 days. The effects of oxycodone (0, 5, and 20 mg/70 kg, orally) were compared, using a within-session cumulative dosing procedure, on the first and fifth days of the 'daily' dosing phase to assess for tolerance; active oxycodone was administered on the second and fourth days of the daily dosing phase. ⋯ No differences in the miotic effects of oxycodone between the first and the fifth days of either dosing phase were detected. Although obtained under limited experimental conditions, these findings suggest that tolerance may not develop to the analgesic effects of therapeutic doses of oxycodone under short-term daily dosing conditions, even though some of its subjective effects may decrease. These data also suggest that intermittent administration may enhance the analgesic effects of oxycodone, while also increasing some of the drug's positive subjective effects related to abuse liability.