Nalbuphine
Pronunciation:nal-BYOO-feen
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:20594-83-6. (Hydrochloride form
23277-43-2)
Formal Names:Nubain
Type:Depressant (opioid class).Seepage 24
Federal Schedule Listing:Unlisted
USA Availability:Prescription
Pregnancy Category:B
Uses.This opioid is considered about as effective asmorphineat pain relief
and is also used in anesthesia and for sedation. Nalbuphine is used to control
substantial pain in conditions ranging from surgery and broken bones to heart
attack and sickle cell anemia crisis. Women seem to get more pain relief from
the drug than men do. The compound’s anesthetic capabilities have been used
in military medicine; one scientific report^1 blandly describes nalbuphine usage
in cases of “large, multiple gunshot wounds of the trunk and extremities, as
well as injuries caused by fragments of projectiles and explosive devices.” The
drug is also used in dentistry.
Nalbuphine is a narcotic agonist-antagonist, meaning it has opiate proper-
ties itself but can counteract other opiates/opioids, a counteraction sometimes
strong enough to cause a withdrawal syndrome if someone has dependence
on the other opiate/opioid.
The drug’s safety for administration to children is considered unproven in
the United States, but nalbuphine is given to youngsters in America and else-
where.
Drawbacks.Unwanted effects include dizziness, perspiration, itching, con-
stipation, nausea, vomiting, and breathing impairment. Hallucinations and
euphoria are reported. The drug may interfere with physical and mental abil-
ities needed to operate automobiles or other dangerous devices; tests have
demonstrated slower reaction times and impaired decision making among
users. The drug can make a person act drunk.
Abuse factors.Research indicates that nalbuphine injections briefly increase
blood levels of growth hormone, an increase that may lead some people to
think the drug promotes muscle mass. Reports circulating in bodybuilder cir-
cles claim the drug can promote muscle mass in another way also, by reducing