Abstract
In a double blind study, saline and a narcotic antagonist, naloxone, were given on separate days to 8 patients who had been receiving parenteral pentazocine daily for at least one month. The abstinence score following naloxone administration was markedly different from that after saline (p<0.05). The withdrawal symptoms in the group receiving 180 mg or less of pentazocine per day were not unpleasant, while marked dysphoria was observed in the high dose group. The results suggested that patients receiving over 180 mg of pentazocine daily for at least one month tend to develop physical dependence of the narcotic type. It is also revealed that abstinence syndrome after naloxone can appear in those taking average therapeutic doses of pentazocine when given for at least one month.
Caution should be taken in giving parenteral pentazocine in doses over 180 mg per day for prolonged periods of time.
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Sandoval, R.G., Wang, R.I.H. Characteristics of pentazocine dependence in hospitalized patients after naloxone administration. Psychopharmacologia 30, 205–215 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422867
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422867