Neither Nalbuphine nor Atropine Posses Special Antishivering Activity

Abstract

The special antishivering action of meperidine may be mediated by its K or anticholinergic actions. We therefore tested the hypotheses that nalbuphine or atropine decreases the shivering threshold more than the vasoconstriction threshold. Eight volunteers were each evaluated on four separate study days: 1) control (no drug), 2) smalldose nalbuphine (0.2 μg/mL), 3) large-dose nalbuphine (0.4 μg/mL), and 4) atropine (1-mg bolus and 0.5 mg/h). Body temperature was increased until the patient sweated and then decreased until the patient shivered. Nalbuphine produced concentration-dependent decreases (mean ± SD) in the sweating (-2.5 ± 1.7°C · μg-1 · mL; r2 = 0.75 ± 0.25), vasoconstriction (-2.6 ..