Naloxone is a synthetic morphinane alkaloid derived from a morphinan hydride. It is a morphinone with the enone double bond reduced to a single bond, the hydrogen at position 14 replaced by a hydroxy group, and the methyl group on the nitrogen replaced by an allyl group. As a specific opioid antagonist, it is commonly used as its hydrochloride salt to reverse opioid effects, both during surgery and in opioid overdose cases. It acts as a mu-opioid receptor antagonist, a central nervous system depressant, and an antidote to opioid poisoning. Naloxone is an organic heteropentacyclic compound, a tertiary alcohol, and a conjugate base of naloxone(1+).
