Pentazocine
Pronunciation:pen-TAZ-oh-seen
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:359-83-1. (Hydrochloride form
64024-15-3)
Formal Names:Fortral, Fortralgesic, Fortralin, Fortwin, Liticon, Pentgin, Sosegon,
Sosenyl, Talacen, Talwin, Talwin Nx
Informal Names: 4 4s, Teacher, Ts, Yellow Footballs.Combination withmeth-
ylphenidate: Crackers, 1s & 1s, Poor Man’s Heroin, Ritz & Ts, Ts & Rits, Ts &
Rs, Sets.Combination with tripelennamine: Ts & Blues, Ts & Bs
Type:Depressant.Seepage 19
Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule IV (DEA no. 9709)
USA Availability:Prescription
Pregnancy Category:C
Uses.Pentazocine became available in the 1960s. Some authorities classify
the drug as an opioid; some do not. Rather than having cross-tolerance with
opiates and opioids, pentazocine can provoke a withdrawal syndrome from
them. Volunteers who receive pentazocine have been uncertain about what
sort of drug it is; some say it is a hallucinogen; some think they are receiving
alcohol.
Pentazocine has about the same pain relief strength ascodeine. An exper-
iment using oral surgery patients found pentazocine’s pain relief to be the
same as aspirin’s. After drug abusers began grinding down Talwin tablets and
injecting the powder to getmorphineandheroinsensations, the manufacturer
introduced Talwin Nx tablets, which include a chemical designed to block
those sensations if the substance is injected. Dispute exists about whether the
Nx version of Talwin actually prevents effects sought by illicit users.
Research indicates that women surgical patients tend to get better pain relief
from pentazocine than male patients. Research also indicates that the drug’s
surgical pain control is more effective for older patients and less effective for
neurotics and for individuals with outgoing personalities. The drug has been
routinely used to ease cancer pain and has had success in reducing joint pain
caused by various afflictions, including arthritis. After noting that pentazocine
does not prolong bleeding times, researchers called it suitable to fight pain
from hemophilia, a blood disease that promotes bleeding. The substance has
also been given as a treatment for stubborn cases of hiccups.