A large analysis combined data from 1,767 patients who received anesthesia to see how different pain medicines affected them. The researchers compared oliceridine, a new opioid, against morphine and a placebo to track nausea, vomiting, and other common side effects.
The results showed that oliceridine significantly reduced the risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting compared with morphine. Patients taking lower doses of oliceridine, specifically 0.1 mg and 0.35 mg, saw the most benefit. Even at a higher dose of 0.5 mg, the medicine did not significantly reduce nausea compared to morphine.
Beyond stopping nausea, oliceridine also lowered the risk of vomiting and several other typical opioid side effects like dizziness, dry mouth, itching, and sleepiness. However, the certainty of this evidence ranged from moderate to low. While oliceridine offers these benefits, patients should know that some standard opioid side effects can still occur when compared to a placebo.