ALTERATIONS IN RESPONSE TO SOMATIC PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ANAESTHESIA XXII: NIKETHAMIDE, DOXAPRAM AND NALOXONE

An analeptic, a respiratory stimulant, and an opiate antagonist were studied with respect to their effect on experimentally induced somatic pain. The method of tibial pressure algesimetry was used. Naloxone invariably abolished the analgesia produced by both morphine and pethidine. Nikethamide produced a transient reversal of the analgesic state while doxapram had no effect on either morphine or pethidine analgesia. Respiratory depression is one of the well-recognized hazards of opiate administration and can produce problems when large doses of these drugs are used in the relief of postoperative pain. Many adjuncts have been studied with the objective of assessing their effectiveness in reducing the respiratory depressant effects of narcotic analgesics without also reducing their analgesic effect, but have proved singularly un-successful in this respect. If available, such a drug should have a great clinical potential. This pape