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A Case‐Based Approach to Integrating Opioid Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Concepts in Cancer Pain Management
Author(s) -
Lam Lisa H.,
Pirrello Rosene D.,
Ma Joseph D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.92
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1552-4604
pISSN - 0091-2700
DOI - 10.1002/jcph.676
Subject(s) - medicine , opioid , dosing , cancer pain , pharmacodynamics , intensive care medicine , medical prescription , pharmacokinetics , regimen , cancer , anesthesia , pharmacology , receptor
Opioids are prescribed for cancer pain. Over the past decade, the annual increase in opioid prescriptions has been accompanied by an increase in opioid‐associated deaths. Health care professionals must be proficient in proper dosing, titrating, and monitoring of opioid medications. With the numerous opioid medications and formulations available, an understanding of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) concepts is necessary to appropriately individualize opioid‐based cancer pain regimens. The purpose of this review is to highlight PK/PD concepts that are clinically relevant to the use of opioids. By way of a cancer pain patient case scenario, PK/PD concepts that are relevant in the initiation, titration, and rotation of an opioid regimen are discussed.