Definition
Palladon® (hydromorphone) belongs to the very strong semi-synthetic opioid analgesics. Compared to morphine, it is 10 times more potent and more. It is used to treat very severe acute and chronic pain and is available only on prescription.
Trade name: Palladon®, Dilaudid® Chemical name: Hydromorphone, hydroxy-17-methyl-4,5-epoxymorphinan-6-one (IUPAC formula) Total chemical formula: C17H19NO3 (hydromorphone), C17H19NO3-HCl (hydromorphone hydrochloride)The use of Palladon® is indicated in cases of very severe pain such as tumors, neuropathies, postoperative pain or severe trauma. It can also be used as an antitussive. An antitussive is a drug that relieves coughing. In Germany, however, codeine and dihydrocodeine are preferred for this purpose.
Forms of application and dosage
Palladon® can be taken orally in the form of a capsule or retard capsule, or it can be administered as an injection solution. A retard capsule is a special form of medication in which the active ingredient is released in slow doses. In this way, the patient is constantly supplied with the active ingredient over a certain period of time.
The dosage of Palladon® is different and varies according to the intensity of the pain to be treated. Usually the initial dose is 4mg every 12 hours. The drug is not suitable for children under 12 years of age. As it is a prescription drug, the appropriate dosage for each patient is always discussed and determined with the treating physician.
Pharmacological and chemical data
Palladon® is related to morphines. It is a hydrogenated morphine ketone and a metabolite of morphine, codeine and dihydrocodeine. A metabolite is a metabolic product. It has a low plasma protein binding. This is an important advantage in the treatment of very thin patients, as they have a low protein content in their blood plasma anyway, due to their nutritional status.
Mode of action of Palladon
Palladon® belongs to the group of opioid analgesics, as already mentioned. These drugs act on our body’s own pain-inhibiting system. It mimics the action of the body’s own opioid peptides (proteins) such as endorphins and enkephalins.
This mechanism prevents the pain from being transmitted. This means that the pain stimulus does not even reach higher processing centers of our brain, such as the thalamus or the limbic system, and thus we do not become conscious. Palladon® forms few active metabolites (metabolic products) and is therefore also very well suited for patients with renal insufficiency. As already mentioned, plasma protein formation is very low, so Palladon® does not interact so much with other drugs, which is another advantage.
