[The respiratory effect of doxapram and pentazocine and their interaction (author's transl)]

A 2X2 factorially designed study has been done to determine the respiratory effects of pentazocine and doxapram in terms of the minute ventilation end-expiratory PCO2 response curve. Pentazocine 30 mg intramuscularly produced marked respiratory depression. Doxapram 60 mg intramuscularly produced significant respiratory stimulation. When this dose of doxapram was given in combination with 30 mg pentazocine it produced significant reduction in the amount of respiratory depression induced by the narcotic. The statistical analysis did not show that there was anything to suggest this effect was more than additive.