morphine + oxycodone (Ullevål University Hospital)

This refers to a Phase 4 clinical trial (NCT00528177) conducted at Ullevaal University Hospital comparing the efficacy and safety of intravenous morphine versus intravenous oxycodone for postoperative pain management. The study specifically focused on women undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery, such as hysterectomy or myomectomy, to determine if oxycodone provides superior analgesia for visceral pain compared to morphine. Both drugs are small molecule opioid agonists; morphine primarily targets mu-opioid receptors, while oxycodone acts on both mu-opioid and potentially kappa-opioid receptors. The trial utilized patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for 24 hours postoperatively to evaluate the comparative analgesic profiles and side effects of these two separate opioid treatments.