Centrally-acting non-opioid analgesic
Nefopam hydrochloride
Brand names: Acupan
Adult dose
Dose: 30–90mg TDS PO. IM 20mg every 6h. IV 20mg every 4h
Route: PO/IM/IV
Frequency: TDS-QDS
Clinical pearls
- Moderate non-opioid analgesia
- Pink-coloured urine harmless
Contraindications
- Convulsive disorders
- Concurrent MAOI
- Hypersensitivity
- Children <12
Side effects
- Anticholinergic effects
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Insomnia
- Tachycardia
- Confusion in elderly
Interactions
- MAOIs
- TCAs
- Anticholinergic drugs
Reference: BNF; https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/nefopam-hydrochloride/. Verify against your local formulary and the latest BNF before prescribing.
Related
Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.
Calculators
- Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) Calculator · Pain / Opioids
- Opioid Conversion / Equianalgesic Guide · Pain Management
- Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) Pain Assessment and Management · Pain Management
- Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool (FNAST) · Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
- Modified Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Score (NAS) · Neonatal
- Withdrawal Assessment Tool (WAT-1) for Paediatric Iatrogenic Withdrawal · Critical Care
Pathways
- Sepsis Screening and Sepsis Six · UK Sepsis Trust; NICE NG51; Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2021
- Unintentional Weight Loss Workup · NICE NG12; BSG
- Chronic Fatigue Workup · NICE NG206; BMJ Best Practice
- Lymphadenopathy Workup · NICE NG12; BMJ Best Practice
- Pre-op Medical Clearance · NICE NG45; ESC 2022
- Secondary Hypertension Workup · NICE NG136; ESH 2023