The influence of smoking on the intersubject variation in pentazocine elimination.

Abstract

The cumulative urinary excretion over 24 h of pentazocine, under conditions of acidic urinary pH, has been measured in smokers and non‐ smokers using both male and female subjects (seventy subjects in total). A restricted urban population was studied. An overall three‐ fold inter‐subject variation in elimination was observed. The cumulative urinary excretion of pentazocine was normally distributed in both smokers and non‐smokers. Smokers metabolize 40% more pentazocine than non‐smokers. It is concluded that induction is principally responsible for the observed subject variability.