Pentazocine

Pentazocine is used to treat severe pain; it works on the nerves and brain to reduce the pain you feel. It can be used to ease pain before, during and after an operation.

Pentazocine is used for:

Treating moderate to severe pain, including before surgery or anesthesia. It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.

Pentazocine is an opioid (narcotic) analgesic. It works in the brain and nervous system to decrease pain.

Head Injury and Increased Intracranial Pressure

As in the case of other potent analgesics, the potential of pentazocine for elevating cerebrospinal fluid pressure may be attributed to CO2 retention due to the respiratory depressant effects of the drug. These effects may be markedly exaggerated in the presence of head injury, other intracranial lesions, or a preexisting increase in intracranial pressure. Furthermore, pentazocine can produce effects which may obscure the clinical course of patients with head injuries. In such patients, pentazocine must be used with extreme caution and only if its use is deemed essential.

DRUG INTERACTIONS

The following substances may affect how pentazocine works or increase the risk of side effects: alcohol; anaesthetics; barbiturates (e.g., secobarbital); monoamine oxidase inhibitors (e.g, tranylcypromine, phenelzine, moclobemide) taken within the past 14 days; other narcotic analgesics (e.g., codeine, morphine); phenothiazines (e.g., perphenazine, thioridazine); naloxone; sedatives and tranquilizers; tobacco (smoking); tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline, desipramine, imipramine)

Pentazocine may affect how the following medications work: diamorphine; heroin; morphine and morphine-type pain relievers

Dosage

The oral dose is normally 50-100 mg, up to three times daily. By oral administration 50 to 70 % is metabolized at first pass through the liver. This leaves less than half of the compound to play an active role.

Storage

Store at room temperature, protect from heat and from freezing.