[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Pharmacology](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/) › [Opioids and antagonists](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/opioids-and-antagonists/) › Oxymorphone

# Oxymorphone

## Opioids and antagonists?

Opioids and antagonists

## High alert?

An error with this medicine can cause serious harm: double checks and protocols are used.

A potent full μ-opioid agonist for severe acute pain. Little is absorbed by mouth, food and alcohol raise its levels, and liver disease is a contraindication.

Updated Nov 1, 2026

## Quick facts

**Group**
[Opioids and antagonists](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/opioids-and-antagonists/)

**Target**
μ-opioid receptor

**Key effects**
Nausea and vomiting · Somnolence and dizziness

**Monitor**
Respiratory rate · Pain score

**ATC**
N02AA11

No doses: the clinician sets them by the current guideline.

On this page

- The basics Mechanism of action
- Indications
- Adverse effects
- Pharmacokinetics
- Memory aid

- Clinical What the labels mean

- Safety Contraindications
- Key interactions
- What is monitored
- Administration and safety
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Nursing care

- Study Test yourself

- Connections Connections

## Mechanism of action

◎**μ-opioid receptor**Oxymorphone

ⓘ The figure shows morphine in the μ receptor; oxymorphone, a closely related morphinan, occupies the same site.

**Target in 3D:** μ-opioid receptor. PDB structure 8EF6 (RCSB PDB, public domain). [View the structure at RCSB PDB](https://www.rcsb.org/structure/8EF6) · Drag to rotate · pinch to zoom

Oxymorphone is a full opioid agonist, relatively selective for the μ receptor. As a full agonist its analgesia has no ceiling; respiratory depression rises with the dose in the same way.

- Activates μ-opioid receptors
- Gi signalling reduces release of pain transmitters
- Strong analgesia without a ceiling, and respiratory depression

## Indications

- Short-term acute pain severe enough to need an opioid

## Adverse effects

### Common

- Nausea and vomiting
- Somnolence and dizziness
- Itching
- Constipation
- Headache and confusion

### Serious (rare, important)

- Life-threatening respiratory depression
- Addiction, abuse and misuse; fatal accidental ingestion, especially by children
- Deep sedation, coma and death when combined with benzodiazepines, alcohol or other depressants
- Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome after prolonged use in pregnancy

## Contraindications

- Significant respiratory depression
- Acute or severe asthma without monitoring or resuscitation equipment
- Known or suspected bowel obstruction, including paralytic ileus
- Moderate or severe liver impairment

## Key interactions

**Benzodiazepines, alcohol and other CNS depressants**
Additive sedation and respiratory depression, with risk of death

**Alcohol**
Higher oxymorphone levels and possible fatal overdose

**MAO inhibitors**
Potentiated opioid effects; avoided within 14 days

## What is monitored

- Respiratory rate, sedation level and oxygen saturation, above all at the start and after dose changes
- Pain score, bowel habit and signs of misuse
- Liver function before treatment

## Administration and safety

- Controlled medicine (Schedule II in the United States): counted, stored locked and documented
- Oral tablets are swallowed whole; crushing or dissolving them for injection is dangerous
- Look-alike risk with other opioids of similar name: check the name and the formulation
- Taken on an empty stomach, apart from meals

## Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Prolonged use in pregnancy can cause neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.

## Nursing care

- Check breathing rate and sedation before each dose and hold the drug if the patient is hard to wake
- Keep naloxone available and know the local overdose protocol
- Start a bowel regimen and watch for urinary retention
- Teach safe storage away from children, no alcohol and no driving while drowsy

## Pharmacokinetics

**Absorption**
Only about 10% reaches the blood by mouth; it is taken on an empty stomach

**Metabolism**
In the liver by reduction and glucuronidation, with little CYP role; 6-hydroxy-oxymorphone is active

**Half-life**
About 9 to 11 hours after a single oral dose

## Memory aid

Oxymorphone: «empty stomach, empty glass, healthy liver» – food and alcohol raise it; liver disease forbids it.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which liver condition contraindicates oral oxymorphone?

Moderate or severe hepatic impairment.

## What does alcohol do to oxymorphone levels?

It raises them, with risk of fatal overdose.

## Is oxymorphone a partial or a full μ agonist?

A full agonist, so analgesia has no ceiling.

[Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/pharmacology/oxymorphone/)

[More Pharmacology questions →](https://durgical.com/en/practice/?f=pharmacology)

## What the labels mean

**High alert**
An error with this medicine can cause serious harm: double checks and protocols are used.

## Connections

## Related drugs 4

- [Oxycodone](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/oxycodone/)
- [Morphine](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/morphine/)
- [Hydromorphone](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/hydromorphone/)
- [Naloxone](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/naloxone/)

[← Back to the class: Opioids and antagonists](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/opioids-and-antagonists/)

Educational content on how drugs work; not a prescribing guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [DailyMed - OXYMORPHONE HYDROCHLORIDE tablet](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=22c7652a-aa16-4fa8-89d9-517e69059068) (DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 2026); [ATCDDD - ATC/DDD Index](https://atcddd.fhi.no/atc_ddd_index/?code=N02AA11) (WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, 2026).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/oxymorphone/