Nalbuphine, commonly referred to by its most common trade name Nubain is an injectable opioid of particular interest in some bodybuilding circles. Many who supplement with this moderately powerful opiate may do so for a host of reasons; most notably is for pain relief caused by hard intense training but it is for some a vital aspect of contest dieting. Nubain has been shown to aid in relieving the dieter, as a bodybuilding contest diet can be a very physical and mentally stressing process, as well as aid in the diet process itself by increasing thyroid hormone output; specifically the T-3 hormone. Nubin, unlike many other common opiates will not affect the functions of the body; it will not provide a high as compared to the more popular morphine.
For many years Nubain was a controlled substance labeled as a schedule II narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812) as it was deemed highly addictive and damaging on both a psychological and physical nature. In 1973, this would largely begin to change as the drug was brought before the FDA in an effort to remove the scheduled label. The argument was very simple yet very sound; the pharmaceutical company who brought the argument showed that unlike the more powerful morphine Nubain was both an agonist and antagonist of the opiate receptors. While such use would provide a relief from pain, as by its nature such effects of a euphoric nature and the potential for overdosing were proven to be of little to no concern when compared to more powerful and then more popular opiate based compounds. By the mode of action in-which the drug displays itself the argument was able to show its generally toxic free nature made it far more safe and less likely to be abused as it possess a far less addicting nature. The FDA agreed and the DEA followed suit removing it from the controlled substance list and from that day forward Nubain has not been considered a drug of a potential abusive nature and remains free of such a nature of control unlike anabolic androgenic steroids.
While Nubain is not classified as a Scheduled narcotic on the basis of the argument above many athletes in recent years have argued a very different view; never was this more apparent than in an HBO documentary featuring fighter Mark Kerr who claimed Nubain was highly addictive. While not a scheduled narcotic Nubain does hold to what is known as a legend medication, meaning, while not a controlled scheduled drug a prescription is still needed in order to legally obtain it; Nubain is not a medication that can be purchased in an over the counter fashion. Along with Kerr, in the last 20 years several competitive bodybuilders have reported their own stories of abuse as it pertains to the compound and in many states law enforcement has begun to take notice of prescriptions given for a non-medical purpose. It is of an interesting note, in the state of Kentucky Nubain is now listed as a Schedule IV narcotic.
The original argument made which led to the lift of the federal restriction holds a lot of truth, this cannot be denied; however, where most run into trouble is they become accustomed to the almost numbing feeling the drug provides and as the body becomes accustomed dosing must necessarily increase if use is to continue. This can become quite problematic as such dependency can require an individual to perform massive injections multiple times per day with failure to administer resulting in an individuals incapability of general daily tasks. For many such individuals Nubain leaves the realm of pain relief and enters into the dangerous category of recreational use and abuse.
As the negative effects associated with addiction appear to be far stronger than indicated in 1973, simply by the nature of vociferation of the many bodybuilders over the years, the DEA seems to hold little interest in rescheduling the drug. While anabolic steroids have been shown and proven to possess no affects similar to Nubain bodybuilders who use both are at a much higher risk regarding steroids than they are Nubain, even though one has proven to be damaging while the other has not. Further, as it stands now many over the counter sports specific supplements are in far more danger of becoming scheduled drugs than Nubain; never was this made more apparent than with the Steroid Control Act of 2004 that would encompass many non-anabolic steroidal medications.
The truth is very simple; as is evident by the host of bodybuilders who have found Nubain to control their lives we cannot highly recommend its use. For those who truly suffer from pain and who are in need of some level of control Nubain is a far safer choice than more powerful opiates however, one must necessarily implore extreme caution as well as responsibility.
