Treating pain by administering 24 hours opioid formulations exhibiting rapid rise of drug level

A method for titrating human patients with a sustained release oral opioid formulation, comprising:

• (1) administering to a human patient on a once-a-day basis a unit dose of an oral sustained release formulation comprising a dose of an opioid analgesic and an effective amount of at least one retardant material to cause said opioid to be released at an effective rate to provide an analgesic effect after oral administration to a human patient for at least about 24 hours, said formulation when administered in humans providing an initially rapid rate of rise in the plasma concentration of said opioid characterized by providing an absorption half-life from 1 to about 8 hours in the fasted state;
• (2) monitoring pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters elicited by said formulation in said human patient and determining whether said pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic parameters are appropriate to treat said patient on a repeated basis;
• (3) titrating the patient by adjusting the dose of said opioid analgesic administered to the patient by administering a unit dose of said sustained release opioid analgesic formulation containing a different amount of opioid analgesic if it is determined that said pharmacokinetic and/or said pharmacodynamic parameters are not satisfactory or maintaining the dose of said opioid analgesic in said unit dose at a previously administered amount if said pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic parameters are deemed appropriate;
• (4) continuing the step (3) titration by adjusting the dose of said opioid analgesic until appropriate steady-state pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters are achieved in said patient;
• and
• (5) continuing the administration of the dose of said opioid analgesic in said oral sustained release formulation on a once-a-day basis until treatment is terminated.