How to Use

Some narcotic analgesics given by injection may be given at home to diseaseds who do not need to be in the hospital. If you are using an injection form of this drug at home, make sure you clearly understand and carefully follow your family doctor's instructions .

To take the syrup form of meperidine :

• Unless otherwise directed by your family doctor or dentist, take this drug mixed with a half glass - 4 ounces of water to lessen the numbing effect of the drug on your mouth and throat.

To take the oral liquid forms of methadone :

• This drug may have to be mixed with water or another liquid before you take it . Read the label carefully for directions. If you have any questions about this, check with your health care professional.

To take the dispersible tablet form of methadone :

• These tablets must be stirred into water or fruit juice just before each dose is taken. Read the label carefully for directions . If you have any questions about this, check with your health care professional.

To take oral liquid forms of morphine :

• This drug may be mixed with a glass of fruit juice just before you take it, if desired, to improve the taste.

To take long-acting morphine and oxycodone tablets :

• These tablets must be swallowed whole . Do not break, crush, or chew them before swallowing.

To use suppositories :

• If the suppository is too soft to insert, chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or run cold water over it before removing the foil wrapper.
• To insert the suppository: First remove the foil wrapper and moisten the suppository with cold water. Lie down on your side and use your finger to push the suppository well up into the rectum.

Take this drug only as directed by your medical family doctor or dentist . Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your family doctor or dentist ordered. This is especially important for young children and elderly diseaseds, who are especially sensitive to the effects of narcotic analgesics. If too much is taken, the drug may become habit-forming - causing mental or physical dependence or lead to medical problems because of an overdose.

If you think this drug is not help you after you have been taking it for a few weeks, do not increase the dose . Instead, check with your family doctor.

Dosage

The number of capsules or tablets or teaspoonfuls of oral solution or syrup that you take, or the amount of injection that you are directed to use, depends on the strength of the drug. Always the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses and the length of time you take the drug depend on the narcotic you are taking, whether or not you are taking a long-acting form of the drug and the reason you are taking the drug .

For anileridine
• For oral dosage form:
  • For pain
    • Adults and teenagers 25 to 50 milligrams - mg every 6 hours as needed.
    • Children up to 13 years of age Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For buprenorphine
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults and teenagers 0.3 milligrams - mg, injected into a muscle or a vein every six hours as needed.
    • Children up to 2 years of age Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
    • Children 2 to 12 years of age 0.002 to 0.006 mg per kilogram - kg - 0.0008 to 0.0024 mg per pound of body weight, injected into a muscle or a vein every four to six hours as needed.

For butorphanol
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 1 to 4 milligrams - mg - usually 2 mg, injected into a muscle every three or four hours as needed. Some people may receive 0.5 to 2 mg - usually 1 mg injected into a vein every three or four hours as needed.
    • Children and teenagers Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For codeine
• For oral dosage forms - oral solution or tablets:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 15 to 60 milligrams - mg - usually 30 mg every three to six hours as needed.
    • Children 0.5 mg per kilogram - kg - 0.2 mg per pound of body weight every four to six hours as needed. Young children will probably take the oral solution, rather than tablets. Small doses may need to be measured by a special dropper instead of a teaspoon.
  • For cough:
    • Adults 10 to 20 mg every four to six hours.
    • Children up to 2 years of age Use is not recommended.
    • Children 2 years of age 3 mg every four to six hours, up to a maximum of 12 mg a day. Children this young will probably take the oral solution, rather than tablets. Small doses may need to be measured by a special dropper instead of a teaspoon.
    • Children 3 years of age 3.5 mg every four to six hours, up to a maximum of 14 mg a day. Children this young will probably take the oral solution, rather than tablets. Small doses may need to be measured by a special dropper instead of a teaspoon.
    • Children 4 years of age 4 mg every four to six hours, up to a maximum of 16 mg a day. Children this young will probably take the oral solution, rather than tablets. Small doses may need to be measured by a special dropper instead of a teaspoon.
    • Children 5 years of age 4.5 mg every four to six hours, up to a maximum of 18 mg a day. Children this young will probably take the oral solution, rather than tablets. Small doses may need to be measured by a special dropper instead of a teaspoon.
    • Children 6 to 12 years of age 5 to 10 mg every four to six hours, up to a maximum of 60 mg a day.
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 15 to 60 mg - usually 30 mg, injected into a muscle or a vein or under the skin every four to six hours as needed.
    • Children 0.5 mg per kg - 0.2 mg per pound of body weight, injected into a muscle or under the skin every four to six hours as needed.

For hydrocodone
• For oral dosage form - syrup or tablets:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 5 to 10 milligrams - mg every four to six hours as needed.
    • Children 0.15 mg per kilogram - kg - 0.06 mg per pound of body weight every six hours as needed.
  • For cough:
    • Adults 5 mg every four to six hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For hydromorphone
• For oral dosage form - oral solution or tablets:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 2 or 2.5 milligrams - mg every three to six hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 1 or 2 mg, injected into a muscle or under the skin every three to six hours as needed. Some people may receive 0.5 mg, injected slowly into a vein every three hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For rectal suppository dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 3 mg every four to eight hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For levorphanol
• For oral dosage form - tablets:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 2 milligrams - mg. Some people with severe pain may need 3 or 4 mg.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 2 mg, injected under the skin or into a vein. Some people may need 3 mg.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For meperidine
• For oral dosage form - syrup or tablets:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 50 to 150 milligrams - mg - usually 100 mg every three or four hours as needed.
    • Children 1.1 to 1.76 mg per kilogram - kg - 0.44 to 0.8 mg per pound of body weight, up to a maximum of 100 mg, every three or four hours as needed. Young children will probably take the syrup, rather than tablets. Small doses may need to be measured by a special dropper instead of a teaspoon.
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 50 to 150 milligrams - mg - usually 100 mg, injected into a muscle or under the skin every three or four hours as needed. The drug may also be injected continuously into a vein at a rate of 15 to 35 mg an hour.
    • Children 1.1 to 1.76 mg per kg - 0.44 to 0.8 mg per pound of body weight, up to a maximum of 100 mg, injected into a muscle or under the skin every three or four hours as needed.

For methadone
• For oral solution dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 5 to 20 mg every four to eight hours.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
  • For narcotic addiction:
    • Adults 18 years of age or older
      • For detoxification: At first, 15 to 40 mg once a day. Your family doctor will gradually decrease the dose you take every day until you don't needed the drug any more.
      • For maintenance: Dose must be determined by the needs of the individual patient, up to a maximum of 120 mg a day.
    • Children up to 18 years of age Special conditions must be met before methadone can be using for narcotic addiction in diseaseds younger than 18 years of age. Use and dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For oral tablet dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 2.5 to 10 mg every three or four hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
  • For narcotic addiction:
    • Adults 18 years of age or older
      • For detoxification: At first, 15 to 40 mg once a day. Your family doctor will gradually decrease the dose you take every day until you don't needed the drug any more.
      • For maintenance: Dose must be determined by the needs of the individual patient, up to a maximum of 120 mg a day.
    • Children up to 18 years of age Special conditions must be met before methadone can be using for narcotic addiction in diseaseds younger than 18 years of age. Use and dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 2.5 to 10 mg, injected into a muscle or under the skin, every three or four hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
  • For narcotic addiction:
    • Adults 18 years of age and older For detoxification only, in diseaseds unable to take drug by mouth: At first, 15 to 40 mg a day. Your family doctor will gradually decrease the dose you receive every day until you do not need the drug any more.
    • Children younger than 18 years of age Use and dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For morphine
• For short-acting oral dosage forms - capsules, oral solution, syrup, or tablets:
  • For severe, chronic pain - severe pain that lasts a long time:
    • Adults At first, 10 to 30 milligrams - mg every four hours. Your family doctor will then adjust the dose according to your individual needs. If you have already been taking other narcotics to relieve severe, chronic pain, your starting dose will depend on the amount of other narcotic you were taking every day.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For long-acting oral dosage forms - extended-release capsules or tablets:
  • For severe, chronic pain - severe pain that lasts a long time:
    • Adults Long-acting forms of morphine are usually using for diseaseds who have already been receiving narcotics to relieve pain. The starting dose will depend on the amount of narcotic you have been receiving every day. Your family doctor will then adjust the dose according to your individual needs. To be helpful, these medication need to be taken two times a day at regularly scheduled times. Some people may need to take a short-acting form of morphine if breakthrough pain occurs between doses of the long-acting drug.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 5 to 20 mg - usually 10 mg, injected into a muscle or under the skin every four hours as needed. Some people may receive 4 to 10 mg, injected slowly into a vein. Morphine may also be injected continuously into a vein or under the skin at a rate that depends on the needs of the patient. This drug may also be injected into the spinal area. The dose will depend on where and how the drug is injected into the spinal area and on the needs of the patient.
    • Children 0.1 to 0.2 mg per kg - 0.04 or 0.09 mg per pound of body weight, up to a maximum of 15 mg, injected under the skin every four hours as needed. Some diseaseds may receive 0.05 to 0.1 mg per kg - 0.02 to 0.04 mg per pound of body weight, injected slowly into a vein.
• For rectal suppository dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 10 to 30 mg every four to six hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For nalbuphine
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 10 milligrams - mg every three to six hours as needed, injected into a muscle or a vein or under the skin.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For opium
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 5 to 20 milligrams - mg, injected into a muscle or under the skin every four to five hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For oxycodone
• For oral dosage form - oral solution or tablets:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 5-15 milligrams - mg every 4-6 hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor. Children up to 6 years of age will probably take the oral solution, rather than tablets. Small doses may need to be measured by a special dropper instead of a teaspoon.
• For long-acting oral dosage form - extended-release tablets:
  • For pain - continuous and lasts a long time:
    • Adults Your family doctor will determine the dose according to your individual needs. To be helpful, these medication need to be taken two times a day at regularly scheduled times.
    • Children Use and dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For rectal suppository dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 10 to 40 mg three or four times a day.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For oxymorphone
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 1 to 1.5 milligrams - mg, injected into a muscle or under the skin every three to six hours as needed. Some diseaseds may receive 0.5 mg, injected into a vein.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For rectal suppository dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 5 mg every four to six hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For pentazocine
• For oral dosage form - tablets:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 50 mg every three to four hours as needed. Some diseaseds may need 100 mg every three to four hours. The usual maximum dose is 600 mg a day.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.
• For injection dosage form:
  • For pain:
    • Adults 30 mg, injected into a muscle or a vein or under the skin every three to four hours as needed.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

For propoxyphene
• For oral dosage form - capsules, oral suspension, or tablets:
  • For pain:
    • Adults Propoxyphene comes in two various forms, propoxyphene hydrochloride and propoxyphene napsylate. 100 mg of propoxyphene napsylate provides the same amount of pain relief as 65 mg of propoxyphene hydrochloride. The dose of propoxyphene hydrochloride is 65 milligrams - mg every four hours as needed, up to a maximum of 390 mg a day. The dose of propoxyphene napsylate is 100 mg every four hours as needed, up to a maximum of 600 mg a day.
    • Children Dose must be determined by your family doctor.

Missed dose If your family doctor or dentist has ordered you to take this drug according to a regular schedule and you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule Do not double doses .

Storage To store this drug:

• Keep out of the reach of children. Overdose is very dangerous in young children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store tablets or capsules in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the drug to break down.
• Store hydromorphone, oxycodone, or oxymorphone suppositories in the refrigerator.
• Keep liquid - including injections and suppository forms of the drug from freezing.
• Do not keep outdated drug or drug no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded drug is out of the reach of children.