COMPARISON OF ANALGESIC EFFECT OF INTRAMUSCULAR NALBUPHINE AND MORPHINE IN PATIENTS WITH POST-OPERATIVE PAIN

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 204  (2) , 487-496
Abstract
In a double-blind study, using patients'' subjective reports as indices of analgesia, the relative analgesic potency of i.m. nalbuphine and morphine was determined in 56 postoperative patients. A total of 28 crossover comparisons (utilizing the twin crossover, balanced 4-point incomplete block design) were performed in 2 sequentially related experiments, each assay comparing 4 and 8 mg of morphine with either 3 and 6 or 6 and 12 mg of nalbuphine. When both intensity and duration of analgesia are considered (i.e., total analgesic effect), nalbuphine was 0.8-0.9 times as potent as morphine. In terms of peak analgesic effect, nalbuphine was 0.7-0.8 times as potent. Both the time-effect curves and the relative potency estimates suggest that nalbuphine has a slightly longer duration of action than morphine at doses that are equinanalgesic in terms of peak effect. Side-effects of the type usually noted after the administration of potent injectable analgesics to postoperative patients were observed after both morphine and nalbuphine. Although nalbuphine is a potent narcotic antagonist, no psychotomimetic reactions were observed.

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