Evaluation of analgesia and adverse events of methadone in hemodialyzed patients with chronic kidney disease

Michał Graczyk; Małgorzata Krajnik; Paweł Stróżecki; Jacek Manitius

Vol 5, No 4 (2006): Polish Palliative Medicine

Original articles

Published online: 2007-01-15

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Evaluation of analgesia and adverse events of methadone in hemodialyzed patients with chronic kidney disease

Michał Graczyk, Małgorzata Krajnik, Paweł Stróżecki, Jacek Manitius

Advances in Palliative Medicine 2006;5(4):167-172.

Vol 5, No 4 (2006): Polish Palliative Medicine

Original articles

Published online: 2007-01-15

Abstract

Patients with chronic renal failure, also on dialysis, frequently suffer(ed) from various intractable pain syndromes. Methadone has been proposed to be an especially useful opioid for such patients due to its predominant intestinal elimination in uraemia, inactive metabolites, and because it is not dialyzed. The aim of this study was to analyze the analgesic efficacy and safety of methadone in patients with renal failure. Methadone efficiently diminished different pain syndromes in 5 hemodialyzed patients. Initial doses were small, individually chosen and carefully titrated. Sedation as the main adverse event was successfully ameliorated by decrease of methadone dose.