Sodium naproxen: continuous subcutaneous infusion in neoplastic pain control

Abstract

Fourteen patients who had been taking naproxen orally (as a single analgesic or in association with morphine, according to the therapeutic drug sequence proposed by WHO) were changed to a subcutaneous continuous infusion of sodium naproxen alone (10 cases) or associated with morphine (4 cases), administered via a portable micro-pump because of the impossibility of taking it orally. All the patients had pain from advanced cancer.

The patients were all monitored with daily checks on the severity and duration of pain, numbers of hours slept, drug use and symptom appearance. Follow-up was continued until death. The same level of analgesia achieved by oral administration was maintained for all patients. In two cases, the presence of a high sodium naproxen and morphine concentration in the same syringe produced a precipitate of morphine which caused an obstruction of the butterfly needle. The administration of sodium naproxen not combined with other drugs in the pump proved a valuable technique, well accepted by the subjects. Its effectiveness appears comparable to oral administration of naproxen.