pentazocine / naloxone

Taking pentazocine/naloxone can lead to abuse, misuse, or addiction, even if you take it at the recommended dose. This can cause serious problems, such as overdose and death. Because of this risk, the FDA has required pentazocine/naloxone and all opioids to be under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. This means your provider or pharmacist will talk to you about proper use, serious risks, and appropriate storage and disposal of this medication in order to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Pentazocine/naloxone can slow your breathing down to the point where it's life-threatening. This can cause symptoms, such as shortness of breath, slow and shallow breathing, and bluish-colored lips, fingers, or toes. If this change in your breathing isn't recognized and treated right away, it can lead to death. Pentazocine/naloxone is especially dangerous for children, who can experience slowed breathing and death even from one accidental dose of the medication. If you notice these symptoms, call 911 and get medical help right away.

Taking pentazocine/naloxone for a long time during pregnancy can cause neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. This is a condition where your unborn baby becomes dependent on pentazocine/naloxone while in the womb because the medication is passed into their system through the placenta. Once your baby is born and they're no longer exposed to pentazocine/naloxone, they experience withdrawal symptoms, such as poor feeding or sucking, breathing problems, fever, high-pitched crying, or seizures. This can be life-threatening if it's not recognized and treated, and your baby will need special care after birth from experts in this area.

Pentazocine/naloxone can cause your body to produce less hormones. This is more likely to happen if you've been taking pentazocine/naloxone for more than one month. Let your provider know if you develop nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, or low blood pressure, because these can be signs that your body isn't making enough hormones.

Pentazocine/naloxone can cause extremely low blood pressure, including a drop in blood pressure when you stand from a sitting or lying down position. This can lead to dizziness and fainting. To avoid falling, get up slowly if you've been sitting or lying down. This drop in blood pressure is more likely to happen when you first start pentazocine/naloxone or when your dose is raised. If dizziness or lightheadedness doesn't go away, talk to your healthcare provider.

Pentazocine/naloxone can cause hallucinations, confusion, or it can make you feel lost. This usually goes away within a few hours. Let your provider know if you experience any of these symptoms because they'll need to monitor you very closely.

If you have a condition that causes seizures, pentazocine/naloxone can make you have seizures more often. It can also raise your risk of seizures in certain situations even if you haven't had a seizure in the past. Before you start taking pentazocine/naloxone, let your healthcare provider know if you have a history of seizures.

Taking opioids like pentazocine/naloxone with medications that can raise the serotonin levels in your body can cause a rare, but life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome. This is because of very high levels of serotonin in your blood, which can cause a racing heart, unstable blood pressure, high fever, sudden changes in thought, mood, and movement, and hallucinations. If you experience any of these symptoms, seek medical help right away.