Pfizer Medical Information

Health Care Professionals Log In

Sign Up for RELISTOR Updates

Gain access to additional content on the RELISTOR Web site and receive updates. You’ll also get at no charge, unlimited access to:

  • The 5–Minute Clinical Consult
  • Epocrates® Online Premium Reference
  • A.D.A.M. QuickSheets

Register Now
Nurses Resources


As a nurse treating hospice or palliative care patients with advanced illness, you may sometimes find yourself needing to talk more openly with your patients’ doctors about issues related to OIC.

Here are some thoughts to keep in mind during such conversations:

  • OIC is one of the most distressing side effects seen in palliative care patients5,6
  • OIC can cause or result in abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, or fecal impaction5,6
  • OIC can last the entire time that a palliative care patient with advanced illness is taking opioid medication2,7

You are not alone

In a survey of 502 hospice/palliative care nurses*:

  • 84% said that at least half of their terminally ill patients deal with OIC at some point3
  • 87% ranked constipation among the top three side effects they believe their terminally ill patients taking regular doses of opioids find the most frustrating3

Learn more about how RELISTOR works.

RELISTOR Reprints

Get copies of the pivotal RELISTOR studies from The New England Journal of Medicine



* Based on a sample of member nurses provided by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) and sponsored by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. At least 25% of the nurses’ patient populations took regular doses of opioids and at least 25% had a terminal diagnosis with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Survey was conducted by Harris Interactive from March 26 through April 20, 2007.

Indication

RELISTOR is indicated for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in patients with advanced illness who are receiving palliative care, when response to laxative therapy has not been sufficient. Use of RELISTOR
beyond 4 months has not been studied.

Important Safety Information for RELISTOR

  • RELISTOR is contraindicated in patients with known or suspected mechanical gastrointestinal obstruction
  • If severe or persistent diarrhea occurs during treatment, advise patients to discontinue therapy with RELISTOR and consult their physician
  • Rare cases of gastrointestinal (GI) perforation have been reported in advanced illness patients. Use RELISTOR with caution in patients with known or suspected lesions of the GI tract
  • Use of RELISTOR has not been studied in patients with peritoneal catheters
  • The most common adverse reactions reported with RELISTOR compared with placebo in clinical trials were abdominal pain (28.5% vs 9.8%), flatulence (13.3% vs 5.7%), nausea (11.5% vs 4.9%), dizziness (7.3% vs 2.4%), diarrhea (5.5% vs 2.4%), and hyperhidrosis (6.7% vs 6.5%)
  • Safety and efficacy of RELISTOR have not been established in pediatric patients

Please see the full Prescribing Information.