In a previous study old subjects were found to eliminate pethidine and its active metabolite norpethidine more slowly than young people. To investigate whether this was due to the decline in renal function with age, the urinary output of pethidine and its metabolites pethidinic acid, norpethidine and norpethidinic acid was compared in old and young patients. The cumulative urinary excretion of pethidine and pethidinic acid over 24 h was similar in old and young patients. The slower elimination rate of pethidine from plasma might therefore be due to slower biotransformation of pethidine to norpethidine and norpethidinic acid. The cumulative urinary excretion of norpethidine and norpethidinic acid during 24 h was significantly lower in old patients than in young: 2.7% versus 7.1% (p less than 0.001), and 5.5% versus 10.5% (p less than 0.001). The renal clearance of norpethidine was inversely correlated with age. Thus, the slower disappearance of norpethidine from plasma in old patients is due to slower renal excretion of this metabolite. The renal clearance of pethidine showed pH-dependence and was usually smaller than the creatinine clearance. In contrast, renal clearance of norpethidine was correlated with creatinine clearance and was of the same magnitude. The difference in renal handling may be explained by the more polar character of norpethidine compared to its parent compound. The present study shows that not only the excretion of unchanged drugs may decline with increasing age but also that of drug metabolites, which may therefore reach higher plasma levels in old patients. If they are pharmacologically active they will increase and prolong the response to medication and possibly increase the risk of side effects.