Opana 40 ER,

Description

Dosage

This medication comes in an extended release tablet form and is taken every 12 hours (twice daily). It is taken on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals.

Do not crush, chew, or break tablets. Swallow Opana ER tablets whole.

Precaution

Opana carries a black-box warning because it may cause serious or life-threatening breathing problems.

Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had asthma, slowed breathing, a lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a head injury, any condition that increases the amount of pressure in your brain, sleep apnea, or kyphoscoliosis (curving of the spine that may cause breathing problems).

The risk of developing breathing problems may be higher in older adults or those who are weak or malnourished.

Call your doctor immediately or seek emergency medical care if you experience slowed breathing, shortness of breath, or long pauses between breaths while taking Opana.

Consuming alcohol or using street drugs while taking this medicine increases your risk of developing serious, life-threatening side effects. Tell your doctor if you drink or have ever abused alcohol, use or have ever used street drugs, or have abused prescription drugs.

Before taking Opana, you should tell your doctor if you have or have ever had:

Depression or any other type of mental illness
Liver disease
Paralytic ileus (a condition where digested food doesn’t move through the intestines)
A blockage in your stomach or intestine
Low blood pressure
Addison’s disease (a condition where the adrenal gland doesn’t produce enough hormones)
Seizures
Urethral stricture (a blockage of the tube that allows urine to leave the body)
An enlarged prostate
Heart disease
Kidney disease
Any problems with the gallbladder, pancreas or thyroid
Don’t stop taking this medicine without first talking to your doctor. Your physician will likely decrease your dose gradually. You can experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking Opana suddenly

Side Effects of Opana

The most common side effects of Opana are:

Itchy skin.
Dizziness.
Drowsiness.
Constipation.
Headache.
Nausea.
Vomiting.
Some less common side effects include:

Dry mouth.
Decreased appetite.
Restlessness.
Insomnia.
Anxiety.
Depression.
Orthostatic hypotension (feeling dizzy when you stand up from sitting or lying down due to a drop in your blood pressure).
By far the most significant danger of this drug abuse is respiratory depression, or a slowing of your breathing that could result in impaired oxygen exchange that leads to brain damage, multi-organ failure, and death. This risk is exacerbated if you already struggle with a breathing problem such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The more Opana you take, the more side effects you may experience and the more intense your side effects may be. What one individual can tolerate may also not be the same as others. This can make Opana even more dangerous and can result in potentially fatal overdose, if you attempt to take the same amount as your peers when your ability to tolerate this medicine may be quite different.