• A narcotic analgesic that can be used for the relief of most types of moderate to severe pain, including postoperative pain and the pain of labor. Prolonged use may lead to dependence of the morphine type; withdrawal symptoms appear more rapidly than with morphine and are of shorter duration.
  NLM Medical Subject Headings
  U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
• A synthetic piperidine ester with opioid analgesic activity. Meperidine mimics the actions of endogenous neuropeptides via opioid receptors, thereby producing the characteristic morphine-like effects on the mu-opioid receptor, including analgesia, euphoria, sedation, respiratory depression, miosis, bradycardia and physical dependence.
  NCI
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• Synthetic narcotic analgesic used where a relatively short duration of analgesia is desired; abuse of this drug may lead to dependence.
  CRISP Thesaurus
  National Institutes of Health, 2006
• Meperidine, synthetic drug used in the treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is an opioid analgesic, and thus its effects on the body resemble those of opium or morphine, one of opium's purified constituents. A common trade name for meperidine is Demerol. The drug acts principally on the central...
  Encyclopedia Britannica
  Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025