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pethidine

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EntityQ55434· pop 43· linked from 2,255 articles

Also known as meperidine

Pethidine, also known as meperidine and sold under the brand name Demerol among others, is a fully synthetic opioid pain medication of the phenylpiperidine class. Synthesized in 1938 as a potential anticholinergic agent by the German chemist Otto Eisleb, its analgesic properties were first recognized by Otto Schaumann while working for IG Farben, in Germany. Pethidine is the prototype of a large family of analgesics including the pethidine 4-phenylpiperidines (e.g., piminodine, anileridine), the prodines (e.g., alphaprodine, MPPP), bemidones (e.g., ketobemidone), and others more distant, inclu

Chemical data

Formula
C15H21NO2
Molecular weight
247.33 g/mol
IUPAC name
ethyl 1-methyl-4-phenylpiperidine-4-carboxylate
SMILES
CCOC(=O)C1(CCN(CC1)C)C2=CC=CC=C2
InChIKey
XADCESSVHJOZHK-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
2.5
Polar surface area
29.5 Ų
H-bond donors
0
H-bond acceptors
3
Formal charge
0

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Wikidata facts

Mass
247.157229
Show 4 more facts
MCN code
2933.33.81
chemical formula
C₁₅H₂₁NO₂
Commons category
Pethidine
canonical SMILES
CCOC(=O)C1(CCN(CC1)C)C2=CC=CC=C2
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~13 min read

Article

12 sections
Contents
  • Medical uses
  • Adverse effects
  • Interactions
  • Mechanism of action
  • Pharmacokinetics
  • Recreational use
  • Trends
  • Synthesis
  • Control
  • Society and culture
  • See also
  • References

Pethidine, also known as meperidine and sold under the brand name Demerol among others, is a fully synthetic opioid pain medication of the phenylpiperidine class. Synthesized in 1938 as a potential anticholinergic agent by the German chemist Otto Eisleb, its analgesic properties were first recognized by Otto Schaumann while working for IG Farben, in Germany. Pethidine is the prototype of a large family of analgesics including the pethidine 4-phenylpiperidines (e.g., piminodine, anileridine), the prodines (e.g., alphaprodine, MPPP), bemidones (e.g., ketobemidone), and others more distant, including diphenoxylate and analogues.

Pethidine is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe pain, and is delivered as a hydrochloride salt in tablets, as a syrup, or by intramuscular, subcutaneous, or intravenous injection. For much of the 20th century, pethidine was the opioid of choice for many physicians; in 1975, 60% of doctors prescribed it for acute pain and 22% for chronic severe pain.

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