The research on long-term clinical effects and patients’ satisfaction of gabapentin combined with oxycontin in treatment of severe cancer pain

Abstract

Gabapentin has been used as an adjuvant for treatment of cancer pain. Previous studies showed that opioids combined with gabapentin for management of cancer pain reduced the dosage of opioids.

The objective of this study was to explore the clinical effect and patients’ satisfaction of oxycontin combined with gabapentin in treatment of severe cancer pain. After titration of morphine, 60 severe cancer patients with visual analog score (VAS) more than 7 were randomly divided into trial group (n = 30) and control group (n = 30). The control group was administered oxycontin and placebo, and the trial group was given oxycontin and gabapentin. VAS score was recorded pre- and post-treatment; while daily dose of oxycontin, daily cost of pain relief and life quality score were observed 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, and 6 months post-treatment. We found that daily dose of oxycontin 1 month post was comparable between the 2 groups ( P > 0.05). Three months post, compared with control group (58.0 ± 15.2 mg), average daily dose of oxycontin was significant lower in trial group (33.4 ± 11 mg) ( P < 0.001). Average daily cost of pain relief in trail group (34.5 ± 10.2 RMB) was less than the control group (52.4 ± 13.7 RMB) ( P < 0.001). Life quality score increased in all of the patients in both group post-treatment ( P < 0.05); while life quality score in trail group was greater than in control group 3 months (46.8 ± 4.5 vs 43.5 ± 4.6, P = 0.007) and 6 months (46.5 ± 4.8 vs 41.4 ± 4.3, P < 0.001) post-treatment. The incidence of drowsiness and dizziness was comparable between the 2 groups ( P > 0.05), while the incidence of nausea and vomiting ( P = 0.038), and constipation ( P < 0.001) was higher in the control group.

We concluded that oxycontin combined with gabapentin used in severe cancer pain management can control pain effectively, decreased the dose of oxycontin and the cost of cancer pain relief, and reduced the incidence of nausea and vomiting, and constipation, increased the life quality.