Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Effect of concomitant administration of oxycontin and amitriptyline on patients with severe cancer pain and depression

Chen Di¹ , Ding Xu²

¹Department of Pharmacy and Medical Examination, Nantong Health College of Jiangsu Province, No. 288 Zhengxingdong Road, Nantong, Jiangsu Province 226010; ²Department of Pharmacy and Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu College of Nursing, No. 9 Avenue of Science and Technology, Huaian, Jiangsu Province 223001, China.

For correspondence:- Chen Di Email: pm1186@163.com

Accepted: 29 December 2018 Published: 31 January 2019

Citation: Di C, Xu D. Effect of concomitant administration of oxycontin and amitriptyline on patients with severe cancer pain and depression. Trop J Pharm Res 2019; 18(1):129-134 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v18i1.19

© 2019 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: To study the effects of oxycontin combined with amitriptyline on patients with severe cancer pain and depression.

Methods: Patients with severe cancer pain and depression (n = 46) were randomly divided into two groups. The study group was given oxycontin combined with amitriptyline, while the control group received only oxycontin, each over a period of 4 weeks. Analgesic effect and depression relief were evaluated using FPS-R (Faces Pain Scale–Revised) and HAMD17 (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 17-Item). In addition, the dose of medication and adverse drug reactions were monitored.

Results: Pain in patients in the two groups were significantly relieved after treatment (p < 0.01). Symptoms in the study group were significantly improved, when compared with the situation before treatment, while HAMD17 scores significantly decreased (p < 0.01). The mean dosage of oxycontin in the study group in the fourth week after treatment was significantly lower than that of the control group (p < 0.01). There were no obvious differences in adverse reactions between patients in the two groups.

Conclusion: Oxycontin combined with amitriptyline effectively controls severe cancer pain, and ameliorates depression and improves the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer.

Keywords: Cancer pain, Depression, Oxycodone, Amitriptyline, FPS-R, HAMD17 scores