PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE ED - , TI - Pentazocine AID - 10.1136/dtb.5.9.33 DP - 1967 Apr 28 TA - Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin PG - 33--34 VI - 5 IP - 9 4099 - http://dtb.bmj.com/content/5/9/33.short 4100 - http://dtb.bmj.com/content/5/9/33.full SO - Drug Ther Bull1967 Apr 28; 5 AB - Nearly every powerful analgesic has been introduced with the claim that it does not cause dependence. Until about ten years ago it seemed unlikely that analgesia would be separated from this liability. Since then, two advances have led to considerable optimism: the development of critical methods of evaluating analgesia independently from addiction liability in man, and the discovery that nalorphine, a non-addicting morphine antagonist, was a powerful analgesic in man. Unfortunately nalorphine cannot be used clinically because it causes unpleasant mood changes and hallucinations. Pentazocine (Fortral - Bayer) is claimed to possess morphine-like analgesic properties, a low risk of inducing dependence and freedom from the unwanted effects of nalorphine.