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Relation between morphine pharmacokinetics and analgesia

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Abstract

The relationship between the multicompartmental behavior of morphine and the kinetics of the analgesic effect has been investigated using a digital computer compartment analysis program. The results obtained indicate that the concentrations of morphine in the brain are not related to the analgesic effect in a “direct” manner but rather in an “indirect” way. A compartment model describing the kinetics of such an “indirect” pharmacological effect was found to yield a good correlation between the Pharmacokinetics of morphine and the kinetics of the analgesic effect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Uppsala, Biomedical Center, S-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden

    Bengt E. Dahlström & Lennart K. Paalzow

  2. Centrallaboratoriet, S-171 03, Solna 3, Sweden

    Lennart K. Paalzow

  3. Department of Pharmacology, University of Siena, 531 00, Siena, Italy

    Giorgio Segre

  4. Department of Inorganic and Physical Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Uppsala, Biomedical Center, S-751 23, Uppsala, Sweden

    Allan J. Ågren

Authors
  1. Bengt E. Dahlström
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  2. Lennart K. Paalzow
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  3. Giorgio Segre
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  4. Allan J. Ågren
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Dahlström, B.E., Paalzow, L.K., Segre, G. et al. Relation between morphine pharmacokinetics and analgesia. Journal of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics 6, 41–53 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01066062

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01066062

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