ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses butorphanol, a neuropsychotropic drug. It presents the approved indications of the drug for neuropsychological disorders, usual dosage and administration, available dosage forms, storage, and compatibility, and the mechanism of action. Information on relative contraindications, clinically significant drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, and overdosage is also provided. Sold under the trade name Stadol®, butorphanol is prescribed for acute pain. Butorphanol is not prescribed widely. The injectable and intranasal spray are indicated for the symptomatic management of pain when the use of an opiate analgesic is appropriate. Although butorphanol appears to elicit its analgesic and CNS and respiratory depressant actions primarily by binding to the endorphin receptors in the CNS, the exact mechanism of action has not yet been fully determined. The partial antagonist activity associated with butorphanol is probably due to competitive inhibition at the receptor sites.
