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Buy Shortec 20mg UK This medicine has been prescribed for you for the relief of moderate to severe pain. It contains oxycodone which belongs to a class of medicines called opioids, which are ‘pain relievers’. This medicine has been prescribed for you and should not be given to anyone else. Opioids can cause addiction and you may get withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it suddenly. Your prescriber should have explained how long you will be taking it for and when it is appropriate to stop, how to do this safely.

allergic (hypersensitive) to oxycodone, or any of the other ingredients of the capsules (listed in section 6 of this leaflet);
have breathing problems, such as severe chronic obstructive lung disease, severe bronchial asthma or severe respiratory depression. Your doctor will have told you if you have any of these conditions. Symptoms may include breathlessness, coughing or breathing more slowly or weakly than expected;
have a condition where the small bowel does not work properly (paralytic ileus), your stomach empties more slowly than it should (delayed gastric emptying) or you have severe pain in your abdomen;
have a heart problem after long-term lung disease (cor pulmonale);
have increased carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Symptoms may include dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, shortness of breath and headache;
have moderate to severe liver problems. If you have other long-term liver problems you should only take these capsules if recommended by your doctor;
have ongoing problems with constipation;
are under 18 years of age.

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Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking these capsules if you:

or anyone in your family are or have ever been addicted to opioids, alcohol, prescription medicines or illegal drugs;
have previously suffered from withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, shaking or sweating, when you have stopped taking alcohol or drugs;
feel you need to take more capsules to get the same level of pain relief, this may mean you are becoming tolerant to the effects of this medicine or are becoming addicted to it. Speak to your prescriber who will discuss your treatment and may change your dose or switch you to an alternative pain reliever;
are elderly or weakened;
have an under-active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), as you may need a lower dose;
have myxoedema (a thyroid disorder associated with dryness, coldness and swelling or puffiness of the skin affecting the face and limbs);
know you are suffering from a brain injury or tumour, or you have a head injury, severe headache or feel sick as this may indicate that the pressure in your skull is increased;
have low blood pressure (hypotension);
have low blood volume (hypovolaemia). This can occur due to severe external or internal bleeding, severe burns, excessive sweating, severe diarrhoea or vomiting;
feel very lightheaded or faint;
have a mental disorder following use of certain medicines (toxic psychosis);
have inflammation of the pancreas (which causes severe pain in the abdomen and back);
have problems with your gall bladder or bile duct;
have inflammatory bowel disease;
have an enlarged prostate gland, which causes difficulty in passing urine (in men);
have poor adrenal gland function (your adrenal gland is not working properly which may cause symptoms including weakness, weight loss, dizziness, feeling or being sick), for example due to Addison’s disease;
have long term pain unrelated to cancer;
have a condition where your breathing stops for short periods whilst you are asleep, known as sleep apnoea;
have severely impaired lung function. Symptoms may include breathlessness and coughing;
have kidney or liver problems.

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If you are going to have an operation, or have just had an operation, please tell the doctor at the hospital that you are taking these capsules. Your doctor may adjust your dose.

You may experience hormonal changes while taking these capsules. Your doctor may want to monitor these changes.

Contact your doctor if you experience severe upper abdominal pain possibly radiating to the back, nausea, vomiting or fever as this could be symptoms associated with inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) and the biliary tract system.

Sleep-related breathing disorders

Shortec capsules can cause sleep-related breathing disorders such as sleep apnoea (breathing pauses during sleep) and sleep related hypoxemia (low oxygen level in the blood). The symptoms can include breathing pauses during sleep, night awakening due to shortness of breath, difficulties to maintain sleep or excessive drowsiness during the day. If you or another person observe these symptoms, contact your doctor. A dose reduction may be considered by your doctor.

Tolerance, dependence and addiction

This medicine contains oxycodone which is an opioid medicine. Repeated use of opioid painkillers can result in the drug being less effective (you become accustomed to it, known as tolerance).

Repeated use of Shortec capsules can also lead to dependence, abuse, and addiction, which may result in life-threatening overdose. The risk of these side effects can increase with a higher dose and longer duration of use.

If you have concerns that you may become dependent on Shortec capsules, it is important that you consult your doctor. Your doctor should have explained how long you will be using it for and when it is appropriate to stop, how to do this safely.

Dependence or addiction can make you feel that you are no longer in control of how much medicine you need to take or how often you need to take it. You might feel that you need to carry on taking your medicine, even when it doesn’t help to relieve your pain.

Rarely, increasing the dose of this medicine can make you more sensitive to pain. If this happens, you need to speak to your doctor about your treatment.

The risk of becoming dependent or addicted varies from person to person. You may have a greater risk of becoming dependent or addicted to Shortec capsules if:

You or anyone in your family have ever abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines or illegal drugs (“addiction”).
You are a smoker.
You have ever had problems with your mood (depression, anxiety or a personality disorder) or have been treated by a psychiatrist for other mental illnesses.

If you notice any of the following signs whilst taking Shortec capsules, it could be a sign that you have become dependent or addicted:

You need to take the medicine for longer than advised by your doctor
You need to take more than the recommended dose
You are using the medicine for reasons other than prescribed, for instance, ‘to stay calm’ or ‘help you sleep’
You have made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to quit or control the use of the medicine
When you stop taking the medicine you feel unwell, and you feel better once taking the medicine again (‘withdrawal effects’)

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If you notice any of these signs it is important you talk to your doctor.

Withdrawal

Addiction can cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking this medicine. Withdrawal symptoms can include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, agitation, anxiety, feeling your heartbeat (palpitations), increased blood pressure, feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, shaking, shivering or sweating. If you notice any of these signs, speak to your doctor to discuss the best treatment pathway for you, including when it is appropriate to stop and how to stop safely (See section 3, If you stop taking Shortec capsules).It is important that you do not stop taking the medicine suddenly as you will be more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms.

Opioids should only be used by those they are prescribed for. Do not give your medicine to anyone else. Taking higher doses or more frequent doses of opioid may increase the risk of addiction. Overuse and misuse can lead to overdose and/or death.

Do not inject Shortec capsules. This can cause serious side effects including tissue death at the site of injection, infection, inflammation of the lungs and damage to the heart which may be fatal.

Other medicines and Shortec capsules

Taking Shortec capsules at the same time as other medicines that slow down the central nervous system can cause slow or difficulty breathing (respiratory depression), severe sleepiness, loss of consciousness and death. These medicines include:

other medicines used to treat pain known as opioids (such as codeine or morphine);
medicines used to treat epilepsy (gabapentinoids) such as pregabalin;
medicines used to treat anxiety;
medicines used to make you feel sleepy (such as benzodiazepines);
medicines used to treat psychiatric or mental disorders (such as phenothiazines);
anaesthetics;
muscle relaxants;
medicines used to treat high blood pressure;
a type of medicine used to treat depression known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), such as tranylcypromine, phenelzine and isocarboxazid. You should not take Shortec capsules if you are currently taking this type of medicine, or have taken this medicine in the last two weeks.

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Because of this, your doctor will only prescribe Shortec capsules where there are no other treatment options, and only in small doses for short periods of time. If you or your friends, family or caregivers notice that you are having difficulty breathing or that you have become very sleepy or lost consciousness you (or they) should inform your doctor immediately.

Taking Shortec capsules with medicines used to treat depression known as Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) or Serotonin Norepinephrine Re-uptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) can cause a condition known as serotonin toxicity. The symptoms of this include agitation, seeing or hearing things that aren’t real (hallucinations), loss of consciousness, a fast heartbeat, blood pressure changes, increased body temperature, muscle twitching, lack of coordination, stiffness, feeling or being sick, or diarrhoea. If you are taking SSRI or SNRI medicines such as citalopram, duloxetine, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline or venlafaxine your doctor may reduce your dose of Shortec capsules.

Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines, as they may need to adjust your dose:

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a type of medicine used to treat depression known as tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, clomipramine, imipramine, lofepramine or nortriptyline;
medicines used to treat allergies, such as cetirizine, fexofenadine or chlorphenamine;
medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease;
antibiotics such as clarithromycin, erythromycin or telithromycin;
antifungal medicines such as ketoconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole and posaconazole;
medicines used to treat HIV known as protease inhibitors, such as boceprevir, ritonavir, indinavir, nelfinavir or saquinavir;
cimetidine, a medicine used to treat stomach ulcers;
rifampicin, a medicine used to treat tuberculosis;
medicines used to treat seizures, fits or convulsions such as carbamazepine and phenytoin;
a herbal remedy used to treat depression known as St. John’s Wort (also known as Hypericum perforatum)
quinidine, a medicine used to treat an irregular heartbeat.

Taking Shortec capsules with food, drink and alcohol

Drinking alcohol during your treatment with these capsules may make you sleepy or increase the risk of serious side effects such as shallow breathing with a risk of stopping breathing, and loss of consciousness. It is recommended that you do not drink alcohol while you are taking Shortec capsules.

You should avoid drinking grapefruit juice during your treatment with this medicine.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Pregnancy

Do not take Shortec capsules if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant unless you have discussed this with your doctor and the benefits of treatment are considered to outweigh the potential harm to the baby. If you take Shortec capsules during pregnancy your baby may become dependent and experience withdrawal symptoms after the birth which may need to be treated.

Breast-feeding

Do not take Shortec capsules while you are breastfeeding as oxycodone passes into breast milk and will affect your baby.

Driving and using machines

These capsules may cause a number of side effects such as drowsiness or dizziness which may affect your ability to drive or use machinery (see section 4 ‘Possible side effects’ for a full list of side effects). These are usually most noticeable when you first start taking the capsules, or when changing to a higher dose.

Do not drive while taking this medicine until you know how it affects you.
It is an offence to drive if this medicine affects your ability to drive.
However you would not be committing an offence if:
- The medicine has been prescribed to treat a medical or dental problem and;
- You have taken it according to the instructions given by the prescriber or in the information provided with the medicine and;
- It was not affecting your ability to drive safely.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure whether it is safe for you to drive while taking this medicine.

Shortec 5 mg capsules contain sunset yellow (E110)

The 5 mg capsules contain sunset yellow (E110) which may cause allergic reactions.

3. How to take Shortec capsules

4. Possible side effects

5. How to store Shortec capsules

6. Contents of the pack and other information

This leaflet was last revised in May 2024

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