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NALOXONE DOES NOT REVERSE ETHANOL ANALGESIA IN MAN
Author(s) -
Saddler J. M.,
James M. F. M.,
Harington A. P.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1440-1681
pISSN - 0305-1870
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1681.1985.tb00883.x
Subject(s) - (+) naloxone , morphine , anesthesia , ethanol , analeptic , blockade , opioid , medicine , threshold of pain , chemistry , pharmacology , receptor , biochemistry
SUMMARY 1. The effects of intravenously administered ethanol and morphine on pain threshold, reaction time, motor skills and short‐term memory were investigated, and the ability of naloxone to reverse any changes was studied. 2. Morphine (loading dose 0.2 mg/kg with an infusion of 0.004 mg/kg per min) and ethanol (loading dose 0.75 ml/kg with an infusion of 0.0025 ml/kg per min) produced a similar increase in pain threshold of 6.3 (s.e.m. = 1.5, n = 8) pain units and 7.7 (s.e.m. = 1.9, n = 8) pain units, respectively. Naloxone 0.015 mg/kg produced a significant reduction in pain threshold in the morphine group, but not in the ethanol group, and there was a significant difference between the groups following naloxone ( P <0.05, t ‐test, 7 d.f.). 3. Ethanol produced a significantly greater deterioration in motor skills than did morphine ( P <0.05, t ‐test, 7 d.f.) and performance in both groups was improved following naloxone ( P <0.05, t ‐test, 7 d.f.). 4. There was no significant change in the other modalities studied. 5. It is concluded that the reversal of ethanol effects by naloxone is probably due to a non‐specific analeptic action rather than blockade of opioid receptors.