Butorphanol: A Double-Blind Comparison with Pentazocine in Post-Operative Patients with Moderate to Severe Pain

Abstract
A double-blind, randomized trial was conducted with 124 post-operative patients to compare the analgesic activity and possible side-effects of a new synthetic analgesic—butorphanol tartrate (1, 2, and 4 mg)—and pentazocine lactate (30 and 60 mg), administered intramuscularly. Butorphanol was determined to be 16 times more potent than pentazocine, on a weight basis. Both medications provided maximum pain relief within one hour after administration, and had comparable durations of action. Drowsiness was the most common side-effect, and it appeared to be dose-related in all test groups.

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