Demerol (Meperidine)

as sampled by Matthew Gorman

One of the most highly coveted substances we could possibly hope to get our grubby little hands on when I was a druggie teen was the opioid analgesic Demerol. On those rare occasions when some Demerol tablets found their way into our possession, my friends and I would each pop a couple 50mg tablets of the drug and then follow this up by slamming a couple beers apiece to really kick in the dope. The result: a lazy, sluggish, blurry euphoria where one found oneself quite content to sit transfixed in a blissful, near-vegetative state for hours on end. In short, we would become pleasantly incapable blobs of human Jell-O. Man oh man, good times, good times.

Demerol is just one of many U.S. brand names for the drug meperidine, which is also known internationally as pethidine. Other brand names in the U.S. and throughout the world include Algil, Alodan, Centralgin, Dispadol, and Dolantin just to name a few. Meperidine is prescribed for moderate to severe pain and can be administered in the form of hydrochloride salt tablets (in 50mg and 100mg dose sizes), as syrup, or as an intramuscular or intravenous injection.

Meperidine works on the body's chemistry in a way similar to morphine, essentially altering the way that a body registers pain by acting as an agonist at the μ-opioid receptor and can also be employed as a local anesthetic due to its interaction with sodium ion channels.

Though originally heralded as a favorable alternative to morphine because of a purportedly lower risk of addiction, superior pain relieving properties, and antispasmodic properties, it turned out that none of those things were actually true! Medical professionals have determined that meperidine is, in fact, plenty addictive, possibly even more addictive than morphine due to its rapid onset. Also, research has shown that it has a much greater toxicity than morphine, and that, all in all, it is generally less effective at treating severe pain than morphine (still, it's pretty damn good at getting you really, really high!)

Despite such admonitions with regard to meperidine's pharmacology, many doctors still administer the narcotic as a first-line agent in the treatment of pain. The drug was simply in favor for such a long time (since 1939) that for many doctors I suppose it's just old hat. It was, after all, the go-to drug for acute pain for about 60% of doctors in the U.S. according to 1983 statistics. There is now, however, a growing number of health care organizations working to eradicate the use of meperidine across the nation out of concern for the dangers it can pose to a patient's health. I, myself, say danger, shmanger, give me a fucking handful!