Butorphanol tartrate (stadol): a review

Butorphanol tartrate (Stadol; Anaquest, Madison, WI/Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Evansville, IN) is an analgesic possessing mixed agonist-antagonist activity at opiate receptors. Receptor specificity has been used to limit respiratory depression, gastrointestinal side effects, and reduce the risk of dependency. Theoretically it offers an advantage over traditional opiates such as morphine and meperidine in the treatment of moderate pain. Butorphanol has been used as a preoperative sedative and analgesic, as a supplement to balanced anesthesia, and for suppression of postanesthesia shaking. Other recognized uses include obstetric analgesia during labor and relief of moderate postpartum pain. In addition, butorphanol has been used effectively for conscious sedation. Its lack of euphoric effects may be useful in emergency medicine for clinical populations prone to drug-seeking behavior. Butorphanol has been used more recently for epidural analgesia or for intravenous patient-controlled analgesia when allergies to opiates exist. Since butorphanol is not a controlled substance, its use can reduce administrative liability for abuse and can lower the number of distribution records associated with Schedule II narcotics.