PENTAZOCINE ABUSE : REVIEW AND A REPORT ON EIGHTEEN CASES

Pentazocine is usually not recognised as a dependence producing drug, in spite of accumulation of a number of case reports on Pentazocine abuse and dependence in the world literature. The present paper briefly reviews earlier reports in this area and describes eighteen cases with parenteral Pentazocine abuse seen in a general hospital of Delhi over a short period of time. These cases form a spectrum from isolated abuse in patients with chronicpain to Pentazocine being just another drug in the setting of multiple addictions. Recommendation is made for more judicious use of Pentazocine in view of its high dependence potential.