Naloxone hydrochloride: a review

Naloxone hydrochloride is a widely used opioid antagonist. Narcotic analgesics administered to patients bind to opioid receptor sites within the central nervous system. Activation of these receptor sites initiates an analgesic response. Blocking of the receptor sites by opioid antagonists, such as naloxone hydrochloride, reverses the effects of the narcotic agonist. Although often used in an emergency room setting in high doses (up to 2 mg), such doses may not be advantageous in an operating room setting where the goal would be the reversal of the respiratory depressant effects of the narcotic while retaining the analgesic properties. Ultimately, the clinician will find that titrating naloxone hydrochloride in small doses (starting as low as .05 mg) will produce the most desirable response.