# Pentazocine in Nigeria

Pentazocine has 65 active NAFDAC registrations in our October 2026 copy of the register, from 65 registration holders; 20 further listings have lapsed.

- Source: https://ogbogwu.com/drugs/pentazocine/
- Drug class: Opioid analgesic (mixed agonist–antagonist) (Pain & Fever)
- Also known as: Pentazocine lactate, Fortwin, Talwin
- Prescription required: yes (controlled substance in Nigeria)
- Last updated: August 2026

## Price in Nigeria

Pentazocine prices in Nigeria vary by brand, strength, and where you buy it. Confirm the current price with a licensed pharmacy, and always check the product is NAFDAC-registered before you pay.

## What is Pentazocine?

Pentazocine is a strong prescription painkiller in the opioid family, used mainly as an injection to relieve moderate to severe pain. It is a 'mixed agonist–antagonist' opioid: it acts on the body's opioid receptors to block pain, but differently from morphine, which changes both how well it works and its side-effect profile. In Nigeria it is most familiar as an injection (the original brand name is Fortwin), given in hospitals for pain after surgery or injury, during labour, and sometimes in sickle cell crises. Our copy of the NAFDAC register lists many active pentazocine products, almost all injections.

As a hospital medicine, given by trained staff for genuine pain, pentazocine has a real and useful role. It is on hand in theatres, accident-and-emergency units and maternity wards across the country.

But pentazocine is also an opioid with a recognised risk of dependence, misuse and addiction, and it is a controlled substance in Nigeria — its import, storage and supply are regulated, and it must be prescribed and administered under professional control. Because it is an injection that acts quickly, misuse is particularly dangerous: it carries the risks of unsterile injecting (abscesses, blood infections, hepatitis, HIV) on top of the opioid risks of dependence and slowed breathing. This page describes its legitimate medical use and the dangers of misuse; it is not a guide to obtaining or using pentazocine outside proper medical care.

## What is Pentazocine used for?

- Moderate to severe acute pain in hospital — after surgery or serious injury
- Pain relief during labour, in maternity units that use it
- Pain before, during and after some surgical and diagnostic procedures
- Sickle cell crisis pain in hospital (though many units prefer other opioids)
- Short-term pain control where a strong analgesic is needed under supervision

## Dosage

Always follow a doctor's or pharmacist's instructions; this is general reference information.

- Adults: Pentazocine is dosed and given by healthcare professionals, not self-administered. A typical adult dose is 30mg by injection, repeated every 3 to 4 hours as needed, with the route (into muscle, under the skin, or slowly into a vein) and the exact amount decided by the treating clinician. Tablets, where used, are given in higher milligram doses because much less is absorbed by mouth. There is no safe 'home dose' — this is a controlled hospital medicine.
- Children: Pentazocine is used in children only in hospital, at weight-based doses calculated and given by medical staff. It should never be given to a child outside professional care.
- Elderly: Older adults are more sensitive to opioids — greater drowsiness, confusion, low blood pressure and breathing depression — and usually need lower doses with close monitoring.

Pentazocine should only be given by, or under the direction of, qualified healthcare workers. It must not be combined with alcohol, sedatives, or other opioids and gabapentinoids (like pregabalin) except under medical supervision, because the combination can stop breathing. A particular caution: because pentazocine partly blocks opioid receptors, giving it to someone dependent on morphine-type opioids can trigger sudden withdrawal. Anyone who finds themselves seeking pentazocine injections outside hospital, or injecting it, needs help urgently.

## Side effects

Common: Drowsiness and sedation; Nausea and vomiting; Dizziness and light-headedness; Sweating; Pain, redness or hardening at the injection site.

Serious (seek medical help immediately): Slowed or stopped breathing (respiratory depression) — the main danger of any opioid, and worse when combined with sedatives, alcohol, pregabalin or other opioids; Dependence, addiction and withdrawal with repeated use; Hallucinations, confusion, or unusual thoughts (more common with pentazocine than some other opioids); Serious skin, tissue and vein damage, abscesses and bloodstream infections from repeated or unsterile injection; Transmission of hepatitis or HIV through shared or unsterile needles; Severe allergic reaction; Sudden opioid withdrawal if given to someone dependent on morphine-type opioids.

When to see a doctor: Slowed or difficult breathing, extreme drowsiness, or bluish lips after pentazocine is a medical emergency — call for help immediately; opioid overdose can be reversed with naloxone if treated in time. Seek help for signs of injection-site infection (spreading redness, swelling, pus, fever). If you or someone you know is misusing pentazocine or any opioid, get help early — the Federal Ministry of Health drug-help line is toll-free on 0800-10000-2000.

## Warnings

Do not take if: Known allergy to pentazocine; Severe breathing problems or acute respiratory depression; Head injury or raised pressure in the brain; Physical dependence on morphine-type opioids (can precipitate withdrawal); Use with great caution in a history of substance misuse, and in liver or kidney impairment.

Interactions: Other opioids (tramadol, codeine, morphine) — additive breathing suppression, and pentazocine can trigger withdrawal in the opioid-dependent; Pregabalin, benzodiazepines and other sedatives — dangerous combined sedation and breathing risk; Alcohol — increased sedation and respiratory depression; Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) — potentially serious reactions; Medicines that cause drowsiness generally.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Pentazocine is used in labour in some units, but regular use in pregnancy is avoided because opioids can affect the baby and cause withdrawal in the newborn if used near delivery. Small amounts pass into breast milk. Any use in pregnancy or breastfeeding is a decision for the medical team caring for the mother, weighing the specific situation.

## Brands in Nigeria

Well-known NAFDAC-registered brands: Penzor (Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries, made in India); Zopent (Greenlife Pharmaceutical Limited, made in India); Alpent (La-Lid Pharmaceutical Company Limited, made in India); Pentamax (Biopharma Nigeria Limited, made in India).
Full searchable brand list: https://ogbogwu.com/drugs/pentazocine/brands/

## How to verify it is genuine

1. Check the NAFDAC registration number on the pack — for example, Penzor injection (Emzor) carries A4-6487 in our copy of the register.
2. Verify any pentazocine brand's number with our NAFDAC checker.
3. Pentazocine is a controlled medicine: it should only be handled and given within licensed hospitals and pharmacies, never bought from vendors or unregistered outlets.
4. Any pentazocine offered for sale outside a proper medical setting should be treated as illicit and, ideally, reported — its diversion to the street is exactly what the controls exist to stop.
5. For legitimate supply, hospitals and pharmacies confirm the batch, expiry and registration through their normal controlled-drug records.

Verify any NAFDAC number free (no login): https://ogbogwu.com/nafdac-checker/

## FAQs

### What is pentazocine injection used for?

Pentazocine is a strong opioid painkiller given mainly by injection in hospitals for moderate to severe pain — after surgery or injury, during labour in some maternity units, and sometimes in sickle cell crises. It is administered by trained healthcare workers as part of proper pain management. It is not a medicine for home use or for everyday aches, and it is controlled because of its potential for misuse.

### Is pentazocine addictive?

Yes. Pentazocine is an opioid, and like other opioids it can cause tolerance, dependence and addiction with repeated use, along with withdrawal when it is stopped. Because it is an injection, misuse also carries the added dangers of unsterile injecting — abscesses, blood infections, hepatitis and HIV. Used briefly in hospital for genuine pain under supervision, the risk is managed; obtained and injected outside medical care, it is very dangerous.

### Is pentazocine a controlled drug in Nigeria?

Yes. Pentazocine is a controlled substance in Nigeria: its importation, storage, prescription and supply are regulated, and it must be handled within licensed hospitals and pharmacies under professional control. It is not a medicine that can legally be sold over the counter or by street vendors. Diversion of pentazocine to the illicit market is a recognised problem, which is why the controls exist.

### How is pentazocine different from tramadol?

Both are opioid painkillers with misuse potential, but they differ in chemistry and use. Pentazocine is a 'mixed agonist–antagonist' given mostly by injection in hospital, and it can trigger withdrawal in someone already dependent on morphine-type opioids. Tramadol is usually taken by mouth and is the more widely misused of the two in Nigeria. Neither should be combined with the other, with pregabalin, or with alcohol, and both should only be used on prescription.

### What happens in a pentazocine overdose?

Like any opioid, too much pentazocine slows or stops breathing — the person becomes very drowsy or unrousable, their breathing becomes shallow or stops, and their lips may turn blue. This is a life-threatening emergency. Get medical help immediately; if naloxone (an opioid-reversal injection) is available and someone is trained to give it, it can reverse the overdose while waiting for help. The danger is far greater when pentazocine has been mixed with alcohol, sedatives, pregabalin or other opioids.

## Sources

- NAFDAC Greenbook (official register of approved products in Nigeria)
- British National Formulary (BNF)
- Nigerian Standard Treatment Guidelines (Federal Ministry of Health)