Abstract

The use of opioids, especially morphine, have been the main choice for analgesia in moderate to severe pain. Nalbuphine (C21H27NO4) is a synthetic kappa-receptor agonist and partial mu-receptor antagonist opioid drug, available and approved to use, designated in an attempt to provide analgesia without the undesirable side effects of pure mu-opioids agonists like morphine. The possibility of using nalbuphine as an alternative drug in view of the increasing worldwide addiction/dependence rates and therefore alarming rates of opioid overdose deaths seems the rational option due to its favourable pharmacological profile in terms of adverse effects and its equivalent analgesic potential. Thus, we performed a literature review of the last 10 years to evaluate the basic and clinical scientific evidence about nalbuphin[ potential role in the current scenario of addiction and dependence to opioids.