Tofil, N.M., Benner, K.W., Faro, S.J., & Winkler, M.K. (2006). The use of enteral naloxone to treat opioid-induced constipation in a pediatric intensive care unit. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 7, 252–254.
To describe the effects of enteral naloxone for the treatment opioid-induced constipation.
Patients in the treatment group received opioids and enteral naloxone for suspected opioid-induced constipation. Patients in the control group received opioids and were randomly chosen from patients receiving opioids during the study period.
Pediatric intensive care unit of a children’s hospital in Alabama
This was a retrospective study conducted from January 2003 to February 2004.
Enteral naloxone may be effective for increasing stool output in opioid-induced constipation but carries risk of withdrawal symptoms. Additional study is needed.