OPIOID EQUIANALGESIC DOSES
 

All equivalencies should be considered approximations only and can be affected by interpatient variability, type of pain (ie, acute vs. chronic), chronic administration, tolerance, etc. Patients should be monitored for efficacy and adverse reactions and the dose adjusted accordingly.

GENERIC NAME DOSE EQUAL TO 10mg IM OF MORPHINE SULFATE
ORAL INJECTION (IM/IV/SC)1

 

MORPHINE2

 

60mg (30mg) 10mg
CODEINE 200mg 130mg
FENTANYL3

 

N/A 0.1mg (100micrograms)
HYDROCODONE4

 

30mg N/A
HYDROMORPHONE 7.5mg 1.5mg
LEVORPHANOL 4mg 2mg
MEPERIDINE 300mg 75mg
METHADONE 20mg 10mg
OXYCODONE 30mg N/A
OXYMORPHONE5

 

10mg 1mg
NOTES

1Although controlled studies are not available, in clinical practice it is customary to consider the doses of opioids given IM, IV, or SC to be equivalent. There may be some differences in pharmacokinetic parameters such as Cmax and Tmax.

 

2The conversion ratio of 10mg parenteral morphine = 30mg oral morphine is based on clinical experience in patients with chronic pain. The conversion ratio of 10mg parenteral morphine = 60mg oral morphine is based on a potency study in acute pain.

3See literature for conversion of fentanyl transdermal patch and buccal tablets.

4Hydrocodone not available as a single entity product.

5The 10mg conversion value of oxymorphone applies to oral and rectal dosing.

(Rev. 12/2006)