Is nefopam registered with NAFDAC in Nigeria?

One product is. Our copy of the NAFDAC register lists Acupan Injection 20 mg/2 mL under A4-5504, held by Merit Healthcare Limited, with status Active. No nefopam tablet appears in our copy, so tablets sold as Acupan or nefopam in Nigeria have no registration we can confirm. Check any number you are given in our NAFDAC checker.

Is nefopam an opioid or an NSAID?

Neither. It is a centrally acting painkiller with its own mechanism — it does not depress breathing like an opioid and does not damage the stomach or kidneys like an NSAID. That makes it useful after surgery in people who cannot have diclofenac, but it brings its own risks: convulsions in susceptible people, and anticholinergic effects such as a racing heart and difficulty passing urine.

Can nefopam cause seizures?

Yes, it can lower the seizure threshold, which is why it is contraindicated in anyone with epilepsy or a history of fits and used cautiously with other medicines that do the same, such as tramadol and amitriptyline. This is one of the main reasons it stays a hospital medicine in Nigeria rather than a take-home painkiller.

Why is my urine pink after nefopam?

Nefopam and its breakdown products can colour the urine pink or red for a day or so. It is harmless and clears on its own. Blood in the urine looks similar, though, so if the colour persists after the medicine has stopped, or comes with pain or fever, have it checked.

Which Nefopam is original?

In everyday Nigerian usage, "original" means genuine rather than fake, not the first brand ever made. Any brand whose NAFDAC registration is current is a genuine registered product; the register does not rank one above another. To tell an original pack from a fake: find the NAFDAC number printed on it and check it against the register (the checker on this site searches our October 2026 copy), buy from a licensed pharmacy or a shop listed here, and reject a pack with no number, a number the register does not know, or a lapsed status. Brands named on this page and their standing in our copy: Acupan Injection (A4-5504, active).

Nefopam in Nigeria: NAFDAC Status, Brands, Dosage & Uses

Nefopam is a painkiller that belongs to neither of the two families most Nigerians know. It is not an NSAID like diclofenac or ibuprofen, so it does not irritate the stomach, strain the kidneys or thin the blood; and it is not an opioid like tramadol or pentazocine, so it does not slow breathing or cause the same dependence. It works in the brain and spinal cord on the pathways that carry pain, and it is roughly as strong as a moderate opioid dose for post-operative pain.

In the NAFDAC register

1 registered product

from 1 registration holder

Where madenone in Nigeria · 1 imported

France1

See all 1 registered brand →

What it costs online

Price varies — check with a pharmacy. This drug has not yet appeared in our fortnightly sampling of Nigerian online pharmacies.

Brands of Nefopam in Nigeria

Those 1 product from 1 registration holder, counted in our October 2026 copy of the register, include combination products and older listings; below are the most common brands.

Acupan Injection
Merit Healthcare Limited
20 mg/2 mL · Injection · A4-5504

Brand Name	Manufacturer	Strength	Form	NAFDAC Reg. No.
Acupan Injection	Merit Healthcare Limited	20 mg/2 mL	Injection	A4-5504

Nefopam Price in Nigeria

Our sampled online pharmacies hold no nefopam listing, so we quote no price. The one registered product is a hospital injection, bought by facilities and private clinics rather than by patients, and usually billed as part of post-operative or ward care. Nefopam tablets, common in Europe and West Africa's francophone markets, have no registration in our copy of the NAFDAC register, so a tablet offered for sale in Nigeria has no number to check.

We show a price here once it appears in our monthly sampling of Nigerian online pharmacies (MedPlus, HealthPlus), or when we have a reliable market figure. For now, confirm the current price directly with a licensed pharmacy.

How to Verify Your Nefopam is Genuine

1Check the ampoule box for its NAFDAC registration number — Acupan Injection 20 mg/2 mL carries A4-5504, recorded Active in our copy of the register, held by Merit Healthcare Limited
2No nefopam tablet has a registration in our copy of the register; a tablet pack bearing a NAFDAC number should be looked up carefully, and one with no number at all should be refused
3Enter the number in our free NAFDAC checker and confirm the product name, strength and holder match the carton
4This is a hospital product. If you are being charged for it on a bill, the pharmacy or clinic should be able to show you the carton it came from

Use our NAFDAC Checker tool

Where to Buy

Buying Nefopam wholesale, by the carton

Cartons of nefopam are bought at Nigeria's open drug markets: Idumota Market in Lagos, Ariaria Market in Aba, Ogbogwu Market in Onitsha and Sabon Gari Market in Kano. Each guide says where the market is and how to buy there safely; where we list sellers, they are named.

No shop we list has Nefopam on its confirmed product list yet — the market guides still tell you where the trade happens and how to buy there safely.

Which one are you?

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I sell nefopam

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Wherever you buy, buy only from licensed pharmacies and verified distributors — not roadside vendors — and verify the pack's NAFDAC registration before you pay. Buying Nefopam in bulk or for resale? See how to buy medicines in bulk in Nigeria safely.

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What is Nefopam?

In Nigeria it is a hospital medicine. Our copy of the NAFDAC register holds one product: Acupan Injection 20 mg/2 mL, the French originator, registered to Merit Healthcare with an Active registration. The 30 mg tablets sold in Europe and in neighbouring francophone countries have no registration in our copy, which is worth knowing if someone offers you nefopam tablets across a counter — there is no NAFDAC number to check them against.

Nefopam has a particular side-effect profile that limits where it is used: it can cause convulsions, so it is avoided in anyone with epilepsy, and it has mild stimulant and anticholinergic effects — sweating, a fast pulse, a dry mouth, difficulty passing urine — that older people tolerate poorly. These are the reasons it is given by clinicians who can watch for them rather than sold for home use.

What is Nefopam used for?

In Nigeria, Nefopam is commonly used for:

Moderate acute pain, particularly after surgery, as part of multimodal pain relief alongside paracetamol
Pain where NSAIDs are contraindicated — peptic ulcer, kidney impairment, aspirin-sensitive asthma, bleeding risk
Reducing the amount of opioid needed after an operation
Shivering after anaesthesia, an unlicensed but common hospital use

Dosage

IMPORTANT

Always follow your doctor's or pharmacist's instructions. The information below is for general reference only.

Adults

By injection only in Nigeria: 20 mg into a muscle, or 20 mg by slow intravenous infusion over at least 15 minutes with the patient lying down, repeated every six hours if needed, to a usual maximum of 120 mg in 24 hours. Rapid intravenous injection causes nausea, sweating and a racing heart, which is why it is given slowly. Where tablets are available elsewhere, the dose is 30 to 90 mg three times a day; no tablet is registered in Nigeria.

Children

Not recommended under 12 years; safety and dosing are not established.

Elderly

Start at the lower end and watch closely: older adults are more likely to become confused, to retain urine and to develop a fast heartbeat on nefopam, and the dose should be reduced.

Nefopam can turn urine pink — harmless and temporary, but alarming if nobody has warned you. It should not be combined with other medicines that lower the seizure threshold (tramadol, tricyclic antidepressants) without a clinician weighing the risk, and it is not given with or within two weeks of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor.

Side Effects

General information for a reader holding a pack, not a substitute for a doctor or pharmacist. If something on the serious list is happening, seek care now.

Common side effects

•Nausea and vomiting, especially after fast injection
•Sweating, dry mouth, light-headedness, feeling nervous or jittery
•A fast heartbeat (palpitations)
•Difficulty passing urine; pink-coloured urine
•Drowsiness in some people, insomnia in others

Serious side effects — seek medical help immediately

Convulsions — the main reason it is avoided in epilepsy and in anyone taking other seizure-threshold-lowering drugs
Hallucinations, confusion or agitation, more often in older adults
Acute urinary retention, or an attack of angle-closure glaucoma, from its anticholinergic effect
Dependence and misuse have been reported with long-term use; it is a short-course medicine

When to see a doctor

In hospital, tell the nurse at once about chest tightness, a racing heart, inability to pass urine, confusion or any twitching or fit. After discharge, nefopam should not normally be continued; if you have been given it to take home, ask what for and for how long, and report confusion, hallucinations or a seizure as an emergency.

Warnings & Precautions