Uses of Abstral

Opioids or narcotics are the most powerful form of medicine used to treat pain. Opioids work by binding to receptors that exist in many areas of the body, including the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract, thereby reducing the transmission of pain signals to the brain and providing effective pain relief. pain. Opioids are used to treat moderate to severe pain that is not controlled by other pain medications.
However, this class of drugs does not treat the underlying cause of the pain. For example, cancer causes pain, effective cancer treatment also makes pain easier to control.
Fentanyl is one of the clinically used opioids with many different dosage forms and formulations. One of them is Fentanyl sublingually, brand name Abstral, which is fast acting and should be used to treat sudden pain. Sudden pain is severe, rapid, and intermittent pain (also known as flare-ups), despite the use of long-acting pain relievers. When the pain comes on suddenly, the patient should be given a quick-acting pain reliever such as Abstral.

Abstral tablets are placed under the user's tongue and have a gentle bubbling sensation as it dissolves. It should be noted that Abstral tablets should not be chewed. It takes about 15 to 25 minutes for Abstral tablets to completely dissolve. In case the pill is taken correctly but the tablet is still 30 minutes after sucking, the patient can swallow the rest with a sufficient amount of water. The doctor will determine the appropriate dose of Abstral for each patient. If the pain is still not relieved after 30 minutes of sucking on Abstral and with the consent of the doctor, the patient can take an additional Abstral tablet (same dose as the previous dose). Other precautions include not breaking, sucking, chewing or swallowing Abstral tablets, and not eating or drinking anything until the tablet has completely dissolved.
An extremely important issue is that the patient must ensure that he is taking the correct amount of medicine as prescribed. Before each use, the patient should check that the dose being taken is correct with the prescribed information. Patients should not substitute another short-acting fentanyl (such as Abstral) for a prescribed pain reliever.
Abstral may interact with other drugs that depress the central nervous system, such as seizure relievers (including phenobarbital), sedatives (including Haldol®, Librium® and Xanax®), some other drugs and general anesthetics. Abstral blood levels can be affected by certain foods and medications, so they may need a dose adjustment or foods such as grapefruit, grapefruit juice, verapamil, ketoconazole, rifampicin, phenytoin, St. John's wort and modafinil.
DO NOT share or give Abstral to others due to the risk of serious, even fatal breathing problems.
Abstral may cause dizziness, drowsiness and confusion. So you should not drive or operate machinery until you know how it will affect you.
Storage and handling
Store this medication at room temperature in its original container. Because of the risk of diversion (others use your anesthetic for maximum effect, rather than to relieve symptoms), you may consider keeping your medication in a locked container or other secure location. Store Abstral out of the reach of children and away from pets.
To avoid someone accidentally ingesting Abstral , users should throw away the medicine when no longer using it according to the doctor's instructions.

There are a number of measures a patient can take to control the side effects of Abstral, so talk to your doctor to find the best option.
Some of the most common or important side effects of Abstral:
Slow breathing or low blood pressure: This side effect can occur when taking opioid pain relievers like Abstral, especially when used in dosages. too high or increase the dose suddenly. Slow breathing and low blood pressure are less common in patients who have been taking opioids for a long time; These side effects can also be caused by an opioid overdose. If an opioid overdose is suspected, the person should call 911 immediately. For people who are taking Abstral and suddenly feel extremely tired, dizzy, dizzy, sweaty, nauseous or short of breath... need to see a doctor immediately. Some patients taking too much opioid medication become so drowsy that they cannot be awakened or stimulated; Drowsiness: Feeling drowsy or light-headed can accompany the use of opioid pain relievers such as Abstral. Therefore, avoid driving or any potentially dangerous work that requires concentration and alertness. Also limit your intake of alcohol or other sedatives while using Abstral unless specifically prescribed by your doctor; Nausea, vomiting: This can be one of the side effects of opioid pain relievers and Abstral is no exception. For some patients, this only lasts a few days to a few weeks after starting the medication, but in others it is a long-term side effect. Nausea and vomiting can interfere with pain relief by affecting the patient's ability to take medication. Some patients find that eating or fasting while taking Abstral can be helpful to manage this problem. In addition, the treating physician may prescribe medications to help control nausea and vomiting; Constipation is a very common side effect of opioid pain relievers. This side effect can usually be well controlled with the following precautions: Drinking 8-10 cups of water a day with warm or hot water may be helpful; Increase physical activity when possible; Try to have a bowel movement at the same time every day; Add more fruits and vegetables; However, it should be noted that high-fiber foods (eg bran, high-fiber cereals) and fiber supplements (such as Metamucil) can actually make constipation worse. taking Abstral gets worse and should be avoided; Your treating physician may recommend a bowel movement regimen, using stool softeners and/or laxatives, to prevent or treat constipation. Stool softeners work by bringing water into the stool, making it softer and easier to pass. Stimulants or laxatives work by stimulating stool to move in the intestinal tract. These medicines may be taken together; Untreated constipation can lead to bowel obstruction, so be sure to notify your doctor if a patient has not had a bowel movement for 3 days or more.

Many patients prescribed opioid analgesics worry that they may become addicted to these drugs. This fear stems from the fact that opioid drugs can cause euphoria and pleasure in people who use the drug for something other than pain relief. However, when using Abstral to treat pain, the patient will not experience addiction; Addiction is a psychological need for drugs, which very rarely affects people taking opioids for pain control. People addicted to opiates use them for pleasure. These subjects may also become addicted to opioids leading to loss of control over their use and will continue to use opioids despite knowing they are harmful to them; A long-term opioid user may lose or decrease pain relief after a period of taking the drug. This phenomenon is called drug tolerance. As patients develop tolerance, they will need higher doses for good pain relief. Tolerance is a completely normal aspect of taking opioid painkillers and nothing to worry about. The purpose of using these drugs is for good pain control and the exact dosage the patient requires is not important as long as they can feel comfortable. If you think you need to change the dose, talk to your doctor to find the right dose to help your body feel comfortable. Absolutely do not arbitrarily change the dose because it can cause unwanted side effects; When a person takes regular doses of opioids, within at least a week, their body will begin to adapt to the drug, the same goes for Abstral. This can be a tolerance to the drug, but it can also cause a dependence. Drug dependence means that the body "gets used to" the opioid and it is not equivalent to addiction. Dependence is a natural, physical phenomenon that happens to everyone during long-term opioid treatment. The important thing to know about dependence is that once a patient becomes dependent on an opioid, it can be very uncomfortable to stop taking it suddenly. This is called a withdrawal syndrome, with symptoms that begin within 2 days of abrupt cessation of opioids and can last up to 2 weeks. Withdrawal syndrome can be prevented if the patient reduces the opioid dose slowly, usually for at least 1 week with the help and guidance of a physician. The exact length of time it takes to quit varies depending on the dose, how long you've been taking Abstral, and a number of other individual factors. It is important to remember that dependence is normal and happens to everyone who takes opioids over a long period of time.

5.1. Abstral serotonin syndrome can lead to elevated levels of serotonin in the body which, in rare cases, can lead to serotonin syndrome. Symptoms may include tremors, agitation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, fever, seizures, and changes in muscle function. Symptoms may arise hours to days during initial use, but may also occur later. This is a serious side effect and patients should contact their treating doctor immediately if any of the above symptoms occur;
5.2. Adrenal insufficiency This is a rare but serious side effect of Abstral. It usually occurs in people who have been taking the drug for at least 1 month. Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency are often nonspecific and may include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and low blood pressure. It is important to contact the doctor if the patient experiences any unusual problems.
Concerns about effects on reproductive function of Abstral:
Long-term use of Abstral by pregnant women may result in premature or premature delivery or birth with withdrawal symptoms (including respiratory failure). , behavioral changes, and seizures). Therefore, the patient should use safe contraception while taking Abstral; Patients should also not breastfeed while taking Abstral because they can pass into breast milk.

Reference source: oncolink