The
analgesic efficacy and side effect profile of
nalbuphine 20 mg IV and of
nalbuphine 40 mg IV were compared to those of
meperidine 75 mg IM in the immediate postoperative period.
Pain intensity,
pain relief, additional
analgesic requirements and the overall acceptability of the treatment were recorded for 150 patients. No significant differences were found between the groups for any of the efficacy variables. Peak
analgesic effects occurred at 15 minutes in both
nalbuphine groups and at 30 minutes in the
meperidine group. The mean time to additional
analgesic medication was approximately 207 minutes in each group. The incidence of
nausea and
vomiting with
meperidine was 22 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval 10 to 34 per cent) and with
nalbuphine 20 mg the incidence was two per cent (95%CI -2 to 6 per cent). This difference was significant (p less than 0.01). The difference between
nalbuphine 40 mg (10 per cent, 95%CI 1 to 19 per cent) and
meperidine, was not considered statistically significant (p = 0.17). The
analgesic efficacy of
nalbuphine 20 mg was indistinguishable from that of
nalbuphine 40 mg and from that of
meperidine 75 mg. The significantly lower incidence of
nausea and
vomiting with
nalbuphine is a major advantage for a recovery room
analgesic.