In order to compare the effect of buprenorphine and naloxone on respiratory depression after fentanyl anaesthesia (25 micrograms/kg), 32 women scheduled for elective abdominal hysterectomy participated in a double-blind randomized investigation. At termination of anaesthesia, after antagonizing residual neuromuscular blockade, 20 normocapnic patients with a respiratory rate of 4 breaths/min or less entered the study, receiving either buprenorphine (0.6 mg in 20 ml NaCl) or naloxone (0.4 mg in 20 ml NaCl) 2 ml/min until 20 ml was given or until the respiratory rate exceeded 8 breaths/min. Respiratory rate, PaCO2, sedation score, and pain intensity were evaluated during a 3-h study period. Fifteen min after beginning the treatment, all the patients in both groups had their ventilatory depression antagonized. There were no statistically significant differences in respiratory rates between groups except at 15 min. On no occasion did either PaCO2 or a sedation score differ statistically significantly between the groups. At 15 min all patients in the buprenorphine group had no or mild pain, compared to the patients in the naloxone group, of whom 50% had moderate to severe pain (P less than 0.05). It seems as if buprenorphine is as effective as naloxone in antagonizing respiratory rate depression following fentanyl anaesthesia.