Recent studies have shown that the antiemetic neuroleptic drug, prochlorperazine, is a potent stimulant of the ventilatory response to hypoxia. To investigate whether or not this effect persisted in the presence of central depression of ventilatory drive, the effects on ventilatory control of morphine with and without prochlorperazine were studied in 12 normal humans. Measurement of resting ventilation and the ventilatory responses to progressive hypercapnia and to transient asphyxia were made before and 15 min after morphine (0.15 mg/kg) given intravenously. Prochlorperazine (12.5 mg) was then administered intravenously to 6 study subjects and saline to 6 control subjects. After a further 10 min, resting ventilation and chemoreceptor function were remeasured. After the administration of morphine, resting ventilation, the ventilatory response to hypercapnia, and the ventilatory response to asphyxia were all significantly decreased (p less than 0.01 in each case; mean effect in control and study group were, respectively, -16 and -17%, -50 and -32%, -46 and -55%). Administration of saline produced no significant additional changes in the 6 control subjects. By contrast, administration of prochlorperazine to the 6 study subjects markedly increased the ventilatory response to asphyxia to levels significantly greater than postmorphine values (p less than 0.005; 2.38 +/- 0.22 L . min-1 . % Sao2 versus 0.80 +/- 0.14 L . min-1; mean +/- SEM). Resting ventilation and ventilatory response to hypercapnia were not significantly affected by prochlorperazine. These results were not explained by differences in end-tidal PCO2 at which hypercapnic hypoxic tests were performed. It is concluded that prochlorperazine reverses the depression of the ventilatory response to asphyxia caused by morphine.