Pethidine

Pethidine, known as meperidine in the United States (sold under the brand name Demerol), is a synthetic opioid analgesic used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. Compared to traditional opioids such as morphine, pethidine was originially thought to be much safer and have less potential for abuse. It was later discovered that pethidine is significantly less safe than morphine and its metabolite norpethidine can be extremely toxic.

Also known as: Demerol, Dolantin, Meperidine, Dolcontral

Classification

Chemical: Medicine
Chemical: Opioid
Psychoactive: Depressant
Tag: Habit-Forming
Tag: substituted piperidine

Effects

Dry Mouth
Itchiness
Relaxant
Pupil Constriction
Analgesia
Respiratory Depression
Euphoria
Mood Lift
Reduced Anxiety
Anxiety Suppression
Cognitive Euphoria
Compulsive Redosing
Dulled Perception
Decreased Libido
Double Vision
Dehydration
Appetite Suppression
Appetite Change

Routes of Administration

Oral

Dosage

Common: 100-200 mg
Light: 50-100 mg
Strong: 200-400 mg
Threshold: 25 mg

Duration

Onset: 0.5-1 h
Peak: 4-6 h
After Effects: 2-10 h

Harm Reduction

Check interactions before mixing substances, pay attention to dose spacing and hydration, and treat all dosage guidance as approximate rather than guaranteed safe.

Sources

Substance data is aggregated from the following public harm-reduction and reference sources.

Links

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