Opioid substitution therapy or hidden opioids are a minefield for nalmefene: an atypical case series of 11 patients in Lorraine.
Fiche publication
Date publication
mars 2017
Journal
Fundamental & clinical pharmacology
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr GILLET Pierre
Tous les auteurs :
Yéléhé-Okouma M, Martini H, Lemarié J, Labroca P, Petitpain N, Gibaja V, Paille F, Gillet P
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
Opioid antagonists such as naltrexone and nalmefene are used in drug therapy for alcoholism. Nalmefene, approved in Europe in February 2013 for the reduction of alcohol consumption is used in patients with alcohol dependence. We report 11 cases of opioid withdrawal syndrome after a single dose of nalmefene in patients usually treated with methadone, buprenorphine, but also with fentanyl or loperamide. Nalmefene is both a partial agonist and an antagonist of opioid receptors. Regarding to its opioid antagonist activity, nalmefene is contraindicated in patients with an opioid treatment. Therefore, when prescribing or delivering nalmefene, healthcare professionals need to be vigilant about any type of opioid exposure, even masked or hidden, to avoid these potential life-threatening syndromes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Mots clés
nalmefene, opioid substitution therapy, opioid withdrawal syndrome
Référence
Fundam Clin Pharmacol. 2017 Mar;: