Demerol is a brand-name for the active drug, meperidine hydrochloride. According to DrugLib.com, meperidine is a synthetic opiate agonist belonging to the phenylpiperidine class, and is grouped as a narcotic and analgesic-pain killer. Demerol is produced and packaged as tablets, with either 50 or 100 mg of meperidine per pill, as an oral solution, with 50 mg of meperidine per teaspoon and as an intravenous injection. Demerol is by prescription only and is used by doctors to control moderate to severe pain, but it has developed a reputation for being addictive, according to Drugs.com. Demerol has other, non-medicinal ingredients that vary depending if in tablet or syrup form.
Meperidine
Meperidine, also known as “pethidine” outside of North America, is the only active ingredient in any Demerol product. As DrugLib.com notes, aside from being recommended for moderate to severe acute pain, meperidine has a unique ability to interrupt post-operative shivering induced by amphotericin B.
The onset of action with meperidine is slightly quicker than that of morphine, which is why it has been used as a peripheral nerve block, and an epidural and spinal analgesic. According to Chemie.de, meperidine was the first synthetic opioid manufactured in 1939, as a potential anti-spasmodic, although its pain killing properties were later noted by the German pharmaceutical company, I.G. Farben. By the early 1980s, it had become very popular, with about 60 percent of doctors prescribing it for acute pain.
Non-medicinal Ingredients in Tablets
Demerol tablets have five inactive ingredients in addition to meperidine. Calcium sulfate is one ingredient, and is commonly used in medicine tablets as a binder and filler. Binders hold the ingredients together and ensure that tablets can be formed with the required mechanical force. Dibasic calcium phosphate is also in Demerol tablets, and is also a filler, according to Chemie.de. Fillers fill out the size of a tablet, making it practical to make and convenient to use. A good filler must be inert, compatible with other ingredients, soluble, cheap, and preferably tasteless. Starch is another ingredient that is a solution binder, but it also acts as a disintegrant. According to Chemie.de, disintegrants expand and dissolve when wet, causing the tablet to disintegrate in the gut, releasing the active ingredients for absorption. Stearic acid is also an inactive ingredient, and acts as a lubricant and as a stabilizer in the compounding process of pharmaceutical tablets. In general, lubricants improve drug powder flow and help prevent the combined ingredients from sticking to equipment. Talc is the final ingredient, and also acts as a lubricant.
Non-medicinal Ingredients in Oral Solution
There are four inactive ingredients plus “flavor” in Demerol oral solution. The solution is, according to RxList.com, a pleasant tasting, banana-flavored syrup. Another ingredient is benzoic acid, which acts as a preservative because it has the ability to retard mold, yeast and some bacteria, according to Chemie.de. Purified water is also in the oral solution and provides the medium and bulk. Liquid glucose and saccharin sodium are the final two ingredients and are used as sweeteners, although glucose can also act as a filler.
