paracetamol + oxycodone

Paracetamol + oxycodone is a combination analgesic therapy consisting of the non-opioid analgesic paracetamol (acetaminophen) and the semi-synthetic opioid agonist oxycodone. Oxycodone exerts its primary effect by binding to and activating mu-opioid receptors in the central nervous system, thereby inhibiting ascending pain pathways and altering the perception of pain. Paracetamol's mechanism involves the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, primarily within the central nervous system, which reduces prostaglandin synthesis and provides antipyretic and analgesic effects. This specific combination, utilizing a controlled-release (CR) formulation of oxycodone, was investigated by Maastricht University Medical Center in a Phase 4 clinical trial (NCT02152592) for the management of acute postoperative pain following ambulatory surgeries such as knee arthroscopy and inguinal hernia repair. The study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of this opioid-containing regimen against a standard non-opioid protocol involving paracetamol and naproxen.

Other names

acetaminophen + oxycodoneparacetamol + CR oxycodoneparacetamol + controlled-release oxycodone